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!

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Related: These easy, cheesy baked zucchini chips are perfect to serve with dinner or just as an afternoon snack.

How to Make Zucchini Pasta in 20 Minutes!

We are in love with this easy zoodles recipe. There’s fresh zucchini, tomatoes, basil, parmesan, and garlic. The best part? It only takes 20 minutes to make. It’s also low on calories and carbs while having maximum flavor! Enjoy these as a light meal, or add some protein like baked tofu, sautéed shrimp, or juicy chicken.

This recipe quick and easy. It’s adaptable, too. We love it when made with 100% zucchini noodles (basically, spaghetti made from zucchini), but you can always combine zucchini noodles and regular spaghetti for a little more sticking power.

This zucchini 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 and 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 in 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. A spiralizer 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, and you may even find that 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 or try using 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 prepared zoodles sold in Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and even some Safeway stores.

Once you’ve got noodles, you’re ready to cook them. (Or don’t, and try our zucchini noodle salad!)

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

Zucchini is mostly water, so cooking it can be tricky. Here are our tips for cooking it so that it’s not soggy.

1. Don’t peel zucchini. Peeled zucchini noodles are mushy and have no crunch.
2. Don’t salt zucchini before cooking or while it cooks in the pan. Salt draws out water from the zucchini, making it less crunchy when cooked. Since salt makes things taste good, we prefer to salt the sauce and not the zucchini.
3. Don’t overcook. Just like when making regular spaghetti, cook zucchini noodles to al dente. They are ready when wilted but still have a crunch.

Since cooked zucchini tends to become watery, we do our best in the recipe to reduce this as much as possible. However, you will still find some water left at the bottom of the serving bowl. Not that this is a bad thing. The liquid mixes with tomato, garlic, cheese, and olive oil, so it’s delicious.

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.