I have been wanting to try and make zucchini ribbons or ‘noodles/pasta’ for ages now, because they are a healthy and fun alternative to whole wheat or bean pasta, and plus they just look really neat. But here’s the thing, despite the fact that I have a million kitchen gadgets, I can’t say I own a mandoline for julienning these types of vegetables. And while I do work hard in my kitchen, you can bet I am not about to slice these up by hand (I am far too accident prone for that). So what is a girl to do?
Well, turns out all I had to do was go to Bed Bath and Beyond and I found this amazing product called the Veggetti™ Spiral Vegetable Cutter. And voila this has now become my favorite gadget. Even though I love my bean pastas but this makes pasta go a whole new level. Seriously this is the best thing ever. You’ll get delicious pasta with rich veggie flavor, and without the carbs and totally great for zucchini, squash, carrots, potatoes and more.
Zucchini Carrot Pasta with Mushrooms
Though you can certainly slice the zucchini and carrots into ribbons by hand, a julienne-style peeler or mandoline will also do the job in case you don’t have Veggetti. If you want to use a peeler to julienne the squash, it is best to choose medium to small zucchini and summer squash – they should be no wider than the width of the peeler.
Ingredients:
3 zucchini
1 carrot
2 cups chopped mushrooms
½ cup of cashews slightly roasted
1 chopped large red bell pepper
1 chopped large green bell pepper
1 chopped medium onion
4 chopped garlic cloves
1 or ½ cup of corn depending on your like (I used frozen for this recipe)
1 tbs of No Salt gourmet seasoning
Instructions
1. Prepare the zucchini and carrot pasta by using a mandoline or by using a peeler designed to julienne vegetables if you don’t have Veggetti. When using Veggetti you will find your pasta strands are way longer than usual strands, so don’t forget to cut them into smaller lengths using kitchen scissors.
2. Chop rest of the ingredients expect for cashews and corn and keep it ready.
3. Slightly roast the cashews separately for 5 minutes without letting it burn.
4. Heat the pan with 3 tbsp of water and add onions.
5. Once the onions start getting brown, add in the chopped vegetables (red and green bell pepper, corn), garlic and mushrooms. Stir-fry for another 5 minutes. If you feel the vegetables are sticking to the bottom of the pan add in some more tbsp. of water and stir.
6. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of No-Salt Gourmet seasoning and stir for another 5 minutes. Avoid over cooking it.
7. Once the vegetables are slightly cooked, add the pasta.
8. Mix all the ingredients together nicely.
9. Throw in the cashews.
10. Stir for another 5 to 10 minutes. If you like little crunchy taste to your pasta then do not let them cook for too long.