Veggie Files: Baked Italian Zoodles [Recipe]

It’s veggie time again! And if you follow me on Instagram you probably get my weekly veggie pun – I can never resist a good food joke. This week’s caption: “I’m kinda a big Dill”. Get it!?

In the delivery this week:

Tomatoes and Cucumbers which made for a nice Greek salad for lunch, along with some basil.

Corn on the Cob also came in the delivery, which I couldn’t resist eating right away.  I learned from my CSA newsletter that you should NOT add salt to the water when cooking sweet corn because the salt will toughen the corn, but you can add a little sugar to the water to boost the flavor. Sweet corn will lose its sweetness much faster if stored at room temperature compared to storing in the refrigerator. Who says this blog isn’t educational?! 

With the corn, I had some Red Russian Kale which were baked into Kale Chips and served with some veggie burgers. [A note about Kale: One cup of kale provides more than the daily requirement of vitamins A and C.]

On Day 2, I used my Sweet Bell Peppers and leftover corn to make Stuffed Peppers with ground turkey  and served that with a side of Mixed Potatoes (Red, White & Blue) and White Icicle Radishes which I oven roasted in olive oil, cracked pepper, and sea salt, and then topped with chives, my herb of the week. 

For Day 3, I finally got to use my summer squash to make Italian zoodles! I’ve been wanting to make zoodles – or zucchini noodles – with my vegetable julienne peeler. Even though vegetable spiralizers are all the rage, I just can’t fit another gadget in my kitchen. So I invested in one of these bad boys – they peel the vegetables a little thinner than a spiralizer but it works perfectly for my needs – and takes up hardly any space!

Julienne Peeler by OXO – the spiralizer alternative!

So I took my julienne peeler – which I now call my “zoodler” – and shaved down my zucchini.

Then sauteed it with some garlic until soft…

…and once baked with some marinara, parmesan, and mozzarella I ended up with Italian Zoodles! 

If you’re looking for a summer alternative to pasta, check out the recipe below!

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Baked Italian Zoodles (Zucchini Noodles)

A healthy take on an Italian classic, this "zoodle" recipe replaces carb-heavy pasta with zucchini "noodles" and then is baked to perfection with marinara and parmesan.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 zucchini spiralized or julienned
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 1/2 c. marinara sauce
• 1/4 c. parmesan
• 1/2 c. mozzarella
• 1 Tbsp. basil chopped (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In an oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil over low heat. Add garlic and julienned zucchini; cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat, or until zucchini is tender.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add marinara and half of the parmesan; stir well.
5. Top with bread crumbs, mozzarella, and remaining parmesan.
6. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until top begins to brown and cheese is melted.
7. Finish with chopped basil and extra parmesan if desired.