How to make veggie noodles

Veggie noodles recipe

Veggie noodles are fresh, flavorful options for mouthwatering entrees, salads, starters and even desserts. The key to any successful veggie noodle recipe is producing beautiful ribbons with the freshest vegetables. Very little, if any, cooking time is required to achieve that “just-right” al dente noodle texture. Using a KitchenAid^® stand mixer attachment with any KitchenAid^® stand mixer is a great way to cut through a wide variety of vegetables quickly and easily. The KitchenAid^® 7 Blade Spiralizer Plus attachment comes with 7 different blades to peel, core, slice and spiralize fruits and vegetables. This recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato Noodles with Kale Pesto uses the fine blade to create earthy noodles that are topped with a delicious pesto featuring kale, almonds and parmesan cheese.

Yields¹

One medium zucchini will produce about 1 ½ cups of zucchini noodles. A large sweet potato will produce about 2 cups of veggie noodles.

^{1.) Exact yields will vary based on recipe}

Ingredients²

Fresh vegetables or fruits for spiralizing

Popular vegetables/fruits for spiralizing include:

• Apple

• Beet

• Cucumber

• Pear

• Potato

• Sweet Potato

• Zucchini

• Celeriac, radishes, squash and turnips are additional veggies to consider spiralizing.

Some additional – optional – ingredients to consider:

• Oils

• Herbs

• Seasonings

• Nuts

• Cheeses

• Citrus

• Protein – shrimp and other fish make a delicious, light addition to veggie noodle dishes.

^{2.) Exact ingredients will vary based on recipe}

Tools

• KitchenAid^® stand mixer

• KitchenAid^® 7 Blade Spiralizer Plus attachment or the KitchenAid^® 5 Blade Spiralizer Set attachment

• Bowl or plate

• Clean kitchen towel

• Knife for trimming produce

Prep time - 5 minutes Veggies can be spiralized by your stand mixer in about five minutes. The KitchenAid^® Spiralizer attachment can also peel your produce if your recipe calls for peeling.

Total time³ - 7–15 minutes Many veggie noodles cook quickly, especially veggies that contain lots of water, like zucchini or squash. Whether you’re boiling or sauteing veggie noodles, 1–3 minutes is often all the time you need. A sweet potato noodle will require a little longer cooking time, 5–10 minutes in a saute pan or 10 minutes in a 400º F oven.

^{3.) Exact times will vary based on recipe}

Step 1: prep veggies

Wash veggies or fruits and remove any stems. Cut off the ends of the produce squarely, trimming away any eyes or bruises. Food should be 1 ½ inches to 3 ¾ inches in diameter and 5 ½ inches, or less, in length.

Step 2: spiralize veggies

Attach a KitchenAid^® spiralizer attachment to the hub of your KitchenAid^® stand mixer and place a bowl or plate under it. Place food on the skewer. Select your blade. Choose extra fine for radishes, fine for beets and zucchini, or medium for butternut squash, sweet potatoes and zucchini. Start by turning the mixer on stir, then gradually increase the speed to 4–6. Whether or not you peel your produce is a matter of preference. If you’re spiralizing a vegetable with a tougher exterior, like a butternut squash or kohlrabi, you’ll want to peel it – simply install the peeler before you turn the mixer on.

Step 3: pat dry, sauce and serve

Whether you’re using veggie noodles instead of traditional pasta in a carbonara or pesto dish, or, as the star of a fresh, summer salad you’ll want to let the noodles “hang out” for a few minutes after they’ve been spiralized to release some of their moisture. Spread noodles out on a clean towel and sprinkle with a little salt. After a few minutes, gently pat dry.

Veggie noodles are delicious raw but if you’re heating them, keep in mind that they require very little cooking time. In fact, if you’re planning on tossing them with a cooked sauce, the heat from the sauce might be all the heat you need to warm your noodles. Otherwise, cooking a minute or two in a saute pan with a little oil should be enough time to make a delicious al dente noodle.

Finally toss your veggie noodles with your favorite sauce, or simply with a little olive oil, freshly grated cheese, a few toasted nuts, some salt and pepper and a handful of your favorite fresh herbs – and enjoy!

Which vegetables are best for making veggie noodles

Veggies that are fresh, firm and in season are best for making veggie noodles. If you’re using a spiralizer to make veggie noodles, produce that’s wide and long is optimal. In addition to zucchini and summer squash, kohlrabi – a turnip relative – and root veggies like beets, jicama and celeriac also make great veggie noodles.

Zucchini, one of the most popular vegetables for making veggie noodles, has a mild flavor, making it the perfect vehicle for a variety of sauces and preparations. Everybody loves zoodles, but try cutting zucchini into thin sheets, instead of ribbons, with the KitchenAid^® Vegetable Sheet Cutter Attachment for this delicious Herringbone Vegetable Lasagna.

Are vegetable noodles good for you?

Gluten-free, higher in fiber, lower in carbs and calories than most grain-based noodles, vegetable noodles are a great way to get more fruits and veggies into your diet. As if that weren’t enough, the abundance of colorful noodle possibilities can inspire creative exploration.

Discover more about how Root to Stem Cooking can help you find creative ways to eat and enjoy more veggies as you cook more sustainably and don’t miss this recipe for the Ultimate Spiral Veggie Bowl. It combines hearty grains—farro and quinoa—with spiralized beets, turnips and squash, in a flavorful sauce.

How do I use veggie noodles in a recipe?

There really is no end to the ways you can use spiralized fruits and vegetables. Try them in a soup, toss them in a salad. Cover them in a spicy peanut sauce or smother them in a creamy alfredo. Cook them in a casserole. Bake them in an Apple Cranberry Tart.

Keep in mind that the shapes and sizes of noodles should help determine the type of sauce you pair them with. Finer, more delicate noodles really shine in a light sauce that coats noodles evenly. As a rule of thumb, the wider and thicker the noodle, the chunkier the sauce. Learn more about 7 Types of Pasta and the kinds of sauces that pair well with them and check out this recipe for Creamy White Bean and Sausage Zoodles. It uses the Vegetable Sheet Cutter attachment to create wide noodles that can take on a heartier sauce.

Additional tips for making veggie noodles

If you have fresh, firm produce prepped and ready to spiralize, here are a few more tips to get you started:

• Make sure your veggie is centered on the skewer. This will help avoid creating short or uneven pieces.

• If you’re making zoodles, leave the skin on. In addition to stripping away nutrients, peeling will expose the zucchini’s flesh and water will seep out, creating soggier noodles.

• Use kitchen shears to trim super long strands of spiralized vegetables.

• Save the cores and toss them in a vegetable stock, stir fry or chop them up in a salad.

• Avoid spiralizing veggies that have a pit, like avocado, because they will not fit onto the attachment’s skewer. Vegetables that are narrow (less than 1 ½ inches in diameter), like asparagus and celery, also won’t work with the KitchenAid^® Spiralizer attachment.

To bring out the best in all your veggie noodle creations, discover more about How to Use a Spiralizer.