Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
I Finally Replaced Regular Pasta With Zucchini Noodles and Actually Loved It
28
items Cutting carbs sounded miserable until zucchini noodles actually tasted good. If you've tried spiralizing once, hated the watery mess on your plate, and went straight back to spaghetti, same. It took me a full year of soggy disasters before I figured ...
Sections
7
Spiralizers That Actually Work Without a Fight
Keeping Zoodles From Turning Into a Soggy Disaster
Pans and Tools That Make Zoodles Taste Like Real Pasta
Sauces That Make You Forget These Aren't Regular Noodles
Proteins That Pair Perfectly With Zoodle Bowls
Seasonings That Make Plain Zucchini Actually Exciting
Spiralizers That Actually Work Without a Fight
My first spiralizer was a cheap handheld thing that shot zucchini chunks across the kitchen. Switching to a real one changed everything overnight.
Swap out that flimsy handheld for this. Five blades means thick ribbons, thin noodles, whatever you want. Took me three minutes to spiralize enough zucchini for a family of four and the suction cups actually grip the counter.
Brieftons 5-Blade Countertop Vegetable Spiralizer
Get this if you already own a KitchenAid and your counter space is nonexistent. Hooks right onto the mixer, spiralizes a whole zucchini in about ten seconds. Wish someone had told me about this before I bought two standalone gadgets.
KitchenAid 5-Blade Fruit and Vegetable Spiralizer
Keep this one around for when you want restaurant-style curly noodles. The medium blade makes strands that hold sauce perfectly. My neighbor borrowed it once and then ordered her own within the week.
Paderno World Cuisine 3-Blade Vegetable Slicer
Toss this in your bag for work lunches or travel. It's small enough to fit in a drawer, and unlike every other handheld I tried, the blade stays sharp after months of use. Great for anyone living in a tiny apartment with zero storage.
OXO Good Grips Handheld Spiralizer
Keeping Zoodles From Turning Into a Soggy Disaster
Nobody warned me that zucchini noodles release a ton of water. Every plate was basically soup until I started using these.
Spin your zoodles in this after spiralizing and before cooking. Pulls out so much water you won't believe it. The difference between sad puddle noodles and noodles that actually crisp up in a pan.
OXO Good Grips 6.22 Qt Salad Spinner
Use this right after spiralizing. Salt the zoodles, let them sit five minutes, and drain. The handles clip onto any pot so it doesn't slide around. For anyone who's tired of chasing a colander across a wet sink.
Spring Chef Stainless Steel Magnetic Spoons
Spread spiralized zoodles on a sheet of this, pat them dry, then roast at high heat. Pre-cut sheets saved me from wrestling with a roll every single time. Stock up because once you start roasting zoodles you won't go back to boiling.
Reynolds Kitchens Pop-Up Parchment Paper 30ct
Wrap your zoodles in one of these and squeeze. Sounds weird, pulls out way more moisture than paper towels ever did. Bought a pack of twelve and I rotate through them constantly for zoodles, cauliflower rice, everything.
Utopia Kitchen White Flour Sack Towels [24 Pack
Pans and Tools That Make Zoodles Taste Like Real Pasta
A nonstick skillet and the right tongs turned my sad zucchini strings into something that actually had texture and flavor. Cooking method matters more than the noodle itself.
Grab a wide pan like this so zoodles aren't piled on top of each other steaming. They need space to sear. Two minutes on high heat in this pan and they get lightly charred edges that taste incredible.
T-Fal Ultimate Hard Anodized Nonstick Fry Pan 10"
Try tossing zoodles with these instead of a spatula. You can flip them quickly without breaking the strands. The silicone tips won't scratch your pan either. Small detail that makes a real difference at the stove.
OXO Good Grips 12-Inch Tongs With Nylon Heads
Use this when you want that slightly smoky, crispy edge on your zoodles. Heat it screaming hot, add olive oil, thirty seconds per side. For anyone who thinks veggie noodles can't have texture, this pan will prove you wrong.
Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet 12"
Drag fresh parmesan or garlic across this right over your finished zoodles. The shavings melt instantly from the heat. One of those tools that costs almost nothing but makes every bowl taste like a restaurant plate.
Microplane Premium Classic Zester 18/8 Black
Sauces That Make You Forget These Aren't Regular Noodles
Plain zoodles with marinara got boring by day three. These sauces were the turning point where I stopped thinking of it as diet food.
Pour this over hot zoodles and honestly, close your eyes, it tastes like Sunday dinner pasta. No added sugar, clean ingredient list. Worth every penny compared to the watery jar sauces I used to buy.
Rao's Homemade Marinara Sauce, 24 oz
Toss warm zoodles with two spoonfuls of this and add cherry tomatoes. Done in ninety seconds and it tastes rich without any dairy. Perfect for anyone doing Whole30 who's about to lose their mind from bland food.
Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil, Whole30 Approved
Warm this up and pour it over zoodles when you're craving something creamy. Clean ingredients, no weird fillers. My kids didn't even notice they weren't eating regular fettuccine. That's the highest compliment in my house.
Yo Mama's Foods Low-Carb No Sugar Added Alfredo
Drizzle this on garlic butter zoodles for a spicy kick that wakes up the whole dish. Not vinegar-heavy like most hot sauces. A little goes far, and the bottle lasts weeks even if you use it daily like I do.
Original Hot Sauce by Red Clay Hot
Proteins That Pair Perfectly With Zoodle Bowls
Zoodles alone left me hungry an hour later. Adding the right protein turned them from a side dish into an actual meal I looked forward to.
Flake a can of this over pesto zoodles for the fastest lunch you'll ever make. Way better quality than standard tuna, no draining needed. For anyone meal-prepping on Sunday nights who needs something that takes zero effort.
EWG's Food Scores | Wild Planet Albacore Wild Tuna
Slice and brown these, then toss them into marinara zoodles. The fennel seasoning makes the whole bowl smell like an Italian kitchen. Bought these on a whim and now they're a permanent grocery list item.
APPLEGATE, Organic Sweet Italian Sausage, 12oz
Pour a little into the pan while cooking zoodles with garlic. Adds this savory depth that olive oil alone can't touch. Keep a few cartons stocked because cold weather zoodle soup is going to become your new thing.
Kitchen Basics Chicken Bone Broth, 8.25 oz. Carton
Snag this if mercury levels worry you. Lowest mercury tuna I've found and the texture is way more tender than regular canned. Break it apart over a bowl of spicy zoodles with sesame oil. Weeknight dinner in five minutes flat.
Safe Catch No Salt Added Wild Caught Albacore Tuna
Seasonings That Make Plain Zucchini Actually Exciting
Salt and pepper zoodles got old fast. These seasonings were the reason I started craving veggie noodles instead of dreading them.
Shake this over buttery zoodles and prepare to eat the entire pan standing at the stove. Garlic, sesame, salt, all in one shake. Brought this to a dinner party once and three people asked what was on the noodles.
Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Seasoning
Pinch these over finished zoodles right before eating. The crunch is totally different from regular table salt. Sounds fancy but it's the kind of small upgrade that makes home cooking taste like someone else made it for you.
Maldon Sea Salt Flakes 250g
Keep this next to the stove and add a pinch while zoodles cook. Builds slow heat without overwhelming the zucchini flavor. For anyone who finds veggie noodles boring, a little spice fixes that instantly.
Simply Organic Crushed Red Pepper, Organic
Try this instead of mincing garlic when you're too tired to chop anything. One shake and your whole pan smells incredible. Discovered it at 9pm on a Wednesday when I had zero energy and it saved dinner.
Jacobsen Salt Co. Black Garlic Salt, Kosher
Storage Containers for Meal-Prepping Zoodles All Week
Spiralizing every single night got old by week two. Prepping a big batch on Sunday and storing them right changed the whole routine.
Prep zoodles Sunday, layer them with paper towels in these, and they stay fresh until Thursday. The lids actually seal tight so no fridge smells creep in. For anyone who quit meal prep because everything went soggy by Tuesday.
Rubbermaid Brilliance Tritan Plastic Food Storage
Portion out single servings of zoodles and stack them flat in the freezer. Saves so much space compared to rigid containers. Wash and reuse forever. Paid for themselves after about three weeks of regular use.
Stasher Reusable Half Gallon Silicone Bag
Toss whole zucchini in here before spiralizing and they last almost twice as long. The carbon filter actually works. Stopped throwing away soft zucchini that went bad before I could use them.
OXO Good Grips GreenSaver Produce Keeper Large
Layer sauce on the bottom, zoodles on top, seal it, grab it on your way out the door. Shake and pour into a bowl at work. Coworkers kept asking about my lunches and honestly this jar system is the whole reason it works.
Galssmagic Mason Jars 32oz 12 Pack Wide Mouth