Zoodles. What a weird word. It’s really fun to say but unless you’re hip to the Pinterest universe, it can sound like complete gibberish. Apparently it’s a mix of the words zucchini and noodles, though why they didn’t go with noochini is beyond me. I think I’m going to start calling it noochini from now on.. we’ll see how long that lasts.
For my birthday this year I was gifted a KitchenAid Spiralizer attachment. I’d always wanted one so that I too could make the Pinterest worthy meals that I craved. Plus how fun is it to be able to spiralize every vegetable (and fruit!) in your fridge?? It turns out it’s quite a bit of fun, and I had to make sure to restrain myself a little, lest my entire fridge turn into a noodley vegetable wasteland.
Zoodles are great both cooked and raw but I much prefer them cooked. I’m not quite at the level of eating raw zucchini for my health yet.. but cooked they’re delicious! They tend to release a good amount of water and shrink as you cook them, so always keep that in mind when creating your meals. If you’re crunched for time you can always steam them in the microwave first to get some of that pesky extra water out (that’s usually my fool proof method).
Serves 4.
Ingredient List:
- 4 medium zucchinis
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp sundried tomato oil (from the jar)
- 1 8oz can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- handful of basil leaves
- two big handfuls shredded mozzarella cheese
- salt + pepper to taste
Kitchen Tools: spiralizer, large saucepan, microwave
Prep Work:
Remove ends and spiralize zucchinis. Set them aside in a microwavable bowl. Mince garlic. Slice chicken breasts into thin-ish 1 inch long strips. Chop up sundried tomatoes into small chunks. Open can of diced tomatoes and drain out the liquid.
Cooking:
Heat sundried tomato oil in saucepan. Toss in sliced chicken and cook on medium heat until slightly brown and cooked through (5-7 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Add sundried tomatoes and minced garlic. Stir in for another minute then add the diced tomatoes.
Making sure that the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan, cook for another 2-3 minutes until tomatoes soften then add in your milk. Turn heat to low and stir in your cheeses. Check if it needs more salt + pepper. Let simmer for another 5 minutes to thicken the sauce.
While sauce is reducing, heat the zoodles in the microwave for 2-3 minutes until they are pliable and the liquid releases. Gently squeeze out as much liquid as you can then drop them into your sauce. Mix it all together and serve with fresh chopped basil and extra parmesan if desired.
Tips + Tricks:
*you can skip the microwaving step for the zoodles if you’d like. Simply drop them into your sauce raw and simmer it covered for a few minutes. This will just make your sauce a little more watery, so it’s up to you!
