Guilt-Free Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Noodles Pasta

My favorite way to cook zucchini noodles! See how to make our 20-minute zucchini noodles pasta recipe with garlic, tomatoes, basil, and parmesan cheese. Low-carb, keto-adaptable, and vegetarian-adaptable! Jump to the Zucchini Noodles Pasta Recipe or watch our quick recipe video showing you how we make it.

Watch Us Make The Recipe

Guilt-Free, 20 Minute Zucchini Pasta

We are in love with this easy recipe. There’s fresh zucchini, tomatoes, basil, parmesan, and lots of garlic. The best part? It only takes 20 minutes to make. It’s low on calories and carbs, while having maximum flavor!

This is such a quick and easy recipe. It’s adaptable, too. We love this with 100% zucchini noodles (basically, spaghetti made from zucchini), but a combination of real spaghetti or pasta and zucchini is great.

This pasta recipe is all about fresh ingredients. The zucchini should be firm and the tomatoes sweet. If you have a hard time finding good, flavorful tomatoes, it is better to use canned. We love canned San Marzano tomatoes as well as the options from Muir Glen.

How to Make Zucchini Noodles With and Without a Spiralizer

Zucchini noodles are spaghetti-like strands of zucchini. You can make them a variety of ways. Here’s how to make them:

• The easiest way to make zucchini noodles is to use a spiralizer. They make long, curly noodles in minutes. This is a great tool to add to your kitchen. We purchased ours on Amazon for less than $30. There are a variety of brands and price points to choose from. Some food processors come with a spiralizer attachment now, too.
• No spiralizer, no problem! You can also use a julienne vegetable peeler. These come in at under $10 and might even be hiding in your kitchen gadget drawer right now.
• Most mandoline slicers will make noodles, too.
• You can also use a standard vegetable peeler and make wide noodles.

Depending on where you shop, you might even find that you can buy previously spiralized zucchini. I’ve seen them for sale in Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and even some Safeway stores.

Once you’ve got noodles, you’re ready to cook them.

Our Best Tips for Cooking Zoodles So That They Are Delicious and Not Soggy

Zucchini is mostly made up of water so cooking it can be tricky. Here are our tips for cooking it well and making sure it’s not soggy.

• Don’t peel the zucchini. Peeled zucchini noodles are mushy and have little crunch. Plus, it adds a step and we’re looking for dinner on the table fast.
• Don’t salt the zucchini ahead or time or while it cooks in the pan. Salt draws out water from the zucchini. This will make it less crunchy when it’s cooked. Since salt makes things taste good, we prefer to salt the sauce and not the zucchini.
• Don’t overcook. The noodles should be cooked to al dente (just like pasta). This means they will look wilted, but still have a crunch.

Since zucchini has a tendency to become watery, we do our best to reduce this as much as possible in our recipe. Even so, you will still find some water left at the bottom of the serving bowl. This is okay with us. The liquid mixes with tomato, garlic, cheese, and olive oil, so it’s delicious. By the way, if you are looking for more ways to use up zucchini, here’s our parmesan basil zucchini chips recipe for you. They are addictive.

What Our Readers Are Saying

If you don’t believe that our recipe helps you achieve perfect zucchini noodles pasta at home, take a look at what our readers are saying about the recipe! More reviews are in the comments section below.

“Wow! It’s delicious. This recipe is at the top of the favorites list!” – Pam

“I was surprised how delicious this actually was!! I followed recipe exactly and it turned out perfect.” – Marissa

“Oh. My. Goodness! Its amazing! What a super way to introduce the family to disguised healthy eating with flavor that is the embodiment of summer. This year I planted even more zucchini and Zoodles will be part of our lives forever!” – Shannon

More Veggie Recipes

• (Another zoodles recipe) Our Easy Mediterranean Zucchini Pasta Salad is made with cucumber, tomatoes, and feta.
• Instead of using zucchini, use sweet potatoes and try our 25-Minute Sweet Potato Noodles with a creamy dairy-free avocado sauce.
• Our Roasted Veggie Tacos are packed full of spice-roasted vegetables and black beans for a bit of protein.
• This Quick and Easy Vegetable Spaghetti tastes so good, you won’t even realize it’s loaded with nutritious veggies.
• I love this Parmesan Lemon Baked Spaghetti Squash with butter cooked chicken, parmesan, and fresh lemon.
• If you have some zucchini leftover, try our Garlic Butter Sauteed Zucchini. It’s fast and delicious.