The Kitchn: Say goodbye to gluten with zucchini noodles
I teach cooking classes at a culinary mecca, but for every amazing product we sell, there are 10 more useless gadgets that aren't worth their space on the shelf. And while I ignore most gimmicky tools that come across my cutting board, every now and then I give in to curiosity -- like the day I discovered my vegetable spiralizer.
I was hosting a private event at the time, and it just so happened to be a class about homemade noodles. These days, however, it's not unusual to have a gluten-free participant in a large group, so I seized the opportunity to experiment with the tool in hopes that, if it worked, zucchini noodles would be a great alternative to the many lackluster gluten-free pasta dough recipes out there.
I demoed the tool in front of the students, quickly twisting and turning a whole zucchini into a pile of wild, emerald-colored curls. Then I sauteed the surprisingly delicate strands in olive oil and tossed them in the same homemade pesto as our hand-cut fettuccine. Was it as good? Well, it's hard to beat fresh-made pasta, but I'll say this: We sold out of spiralizers that day, not pasta attachments.
Zucchini noodles might not totally replace pasta for me, but they've been in my regular rotation ever since.
Zucchini Noodles with Parsley-Pistachio Pesto
Serves 4 to 6
4 medium zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 cups Italian parsley, roughly chopped
2 cups arugula, roughly chopped
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