These delicious, buttery, garlicky, zucchini noodles are the perfect low carb summer dish. Made with spiralized zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, and topped with pine nuts and parmesan cheese make this a light yet flavorful meal that is perfect for anyone on a keto, vegetarian, and gluten free diet.

Want to learn how to cook zoodles? Then these vegetarian, keto, and gluten-free friendly zucchini noodles are a recipe you must try! They are full of flavor and veggies in each bite! Learning how to cook zucchini noodles is a breeze and is so simple and healthy - anyone can make it!
It is absolutely perfect for lunch or a light dinner. All you need is a spiralizer, julienne peeler, or a mandoline slicer to get the zucchini into nice long pasta-like strips. Mix it with your favorite sauce and you've got a low carb and keto meal ready to be devoured.
This nutritious veggie noodle recipe is delicious as is but also super easy to customize to fit your palate. Try adding in your favorite vegetables or sauces. You can recreate this dish differently each time with just a few simple swaps.
Total Time
- Preparation time: 10 minutes
- Cooking time: 10 minutes
- Total: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini
- 2 cups packed spinach
- 4 large cremini mushrooms, sliced
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt & pepper, to taste
- pine nuts, to garnish
How to cook zucchini noodles or zoodles
Zoodles can be made with spiralizer, julienne peeler, or mandoline slicer. I will be using a mandoline slicer.
- Cut off the end of each piece of zucchini. Adjust the mandoline and slide the zucchini over the mandolin a couple of times until you get close to the seeds. Then turn your zucchini over to the other side and do it again. Repeat for all sides. Discard the core with the seeds.
- Dice the onions, mince the garlic, and slice the mushrooms.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and add the garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add olive oil, onions, mushrooms, salt and pepper, and saute for about another 5 minutes until mushrooms have browned.
- Add in the zucchini noodles and spinach. Gently toss and cook until spinach leaves are wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Make sure you don't overcook the zucchini. We like the noodles on the firm side so we only cooked them for about 2 minutes.
- Add a portion of the zucchini noodles to each plate and sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese and pine nuts. Enjoy!
Tips For Success
- You don't want the zucchini to be too soft otherwise the dish will be mushy. Remove from the heat before it gets translucent. It will continue to soften from the heat even once plated.
- You can use different ingredients in your dish to compliment the noodles. Try garlic, tomatoes, carrots, or chopped nuts.
- This recipe doesn't use an additional sauce. It's made simply with butter and olive oil. However, if you want to add a sauce, try pesto, roasted red pepper sauce, a cream-based sauce, or marinara.
Storage
- Store uncooked zoodles in an air-tight bag in the fridge for up to 3 days. This is a great way to make the noodles ahead of time and use them to make a quick dish.
- If you have leftover zoodles, they will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days as well.
- This dish doesn't freeze well, so be sure to make it fresh each time.
Equipment
- Spiralizer, julienne peeler, or mandoline slicer
- Kitchen knife
- Chopping board
- Large skillet
FAQs
What are zoodles?
Zoodles are short for zucchini noodles and are the healthy, gluten free, low carb solution to your pasta cravings!
How do you make zoodles?
Zoodles are made by using a mandolin slicer or a spiralizer to cut zucchini into thin spaghetti like strips.
What do you eat zoodles with?
In our recipe, we combine it with spinach, mushrooms, and parmesan for a winning taste combination. This combo is a classic! It's the perfect meal for those busy nights when you need something healthy and quick.
What do zucchini noodles taste like?
Zucchini noodles have a very mild and subtle taste so the flavor will depend on the sauces you use. They get soft very quickly so you should make sure not to overcook it.
While it doesn't taste quite like pasta, it is a great low carb substitute for you to get your "fix" in.
Can you use marinara sauce?
You can create and cook any kind of zucchini noodle "zoodle" recipe that you want. It is quite easy and simple to make substitutions. Whether you want to make it with marinara, a garlic butter sauce, or pesto, give it a try!
How do you make zoodles not watery?
If you salt the noodles prior to cooking, give a quick sauté, and remove the noodles before they become translucent, it should not become too watery. If you cook them with a different method, you can put them in a paper towel and gently squeeze out the water.
Should I salt zoodles before cooking?
Salting you zoodles prior to cooking is great because it draws out the excess water which helps the zoodles to not be too watery in the dish. It also adds flavor.
Are zoodles good for weight loss?
Yes, they are a great healthy low carb substitute for egg and flour-based pastas!
Zoodles With Spinach, Mushroom, and Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini
- 2 cups spinach
- 6 large crimini mushrooms
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ½ medium onion diced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts to garnish
Instructions
Zoodles can be made with a spiralizer, julienne peeler, or mandoline slicer. I will be using a mandoline slicer.
- Cut off the end of each piece of zucchini. Adjust the mandoline and slide the zucchini over the mandolin a couple of times until you get close to the seeds. Then turn your zucchini over to the other side and do it again. Repeat for all sides. Discard the core with the seeds.
- Dice the onions, mince the garlic, and slice the mushrooms.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and add the garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add olive oil, onions, mushrooms, salt and pepper, and saute for about another 5 minutes until mushrooms have browned.
- Add in the zucchini noodles and spinach. Gently toss and cook until spinach leaves are wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Make sure you don't overcook the zucchini. We like the noodles on the firm side so we only cooked them for about 2 minutes.
- Add a portion of the zucchini noodles to each plate and sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese and pine nuts. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
* This nutrition card is calculated by a third party app and is only an estimate. The numbers will vary based on the specific ingredient amounts and brands you use in making this recipe.
Did you try this recipe?
Please let me know how this Zoodles with Spinach, Mushroom, and Parmesan recipe turned out for you! Leave a comment and rating below and don't forget to sign up for the newsletter if you want to receive recipes, meal plans, and special offers in your inbox.
Hi! I'm the founder of Speak Veggie To Me, a fun health and food blog where I share my favorite mouthwatering vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Marinela
This recipe uses a few of my favorite ingredients for all time: zucchini, spinach and mushrooms! Excellent! I felt good putting all those healthy ingredients in my body for lunch! Thank you for taking time developing this wonderful recipe Anaiah!
Natalia
It’s only recently that I have tried zoodles. This version does sound delicious. The perfect meal for a hot summer day on the patio. Super easy to make too. Thanks for sharing!
Moop Brown
I love how this recipe utilizes zucchini for the noodles lessening the overall carb intake and bringing a unique flavor and twist to this dish.
Amanda Dixon
This made for such a wonderful dinner! We have a ton of zucchini right now, and this was such a delicious way to use them. It was really easy and fresh tasting.
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
So loving this recipe! It’s guilt-free and absolutely DELICIOUS!!! It’s the perfect summer “pasta”
Marisa Franca
We have this vegetable side every week. Not only is it delicious but it's so easy to make. It is loaded with flavor but the calories and fat are miniscule. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Jacqueline Debono
Love this zoodles recipe. The combination of zucchini, mushrooms, spinach and parmesan is so tasty!
Gunjan Dudani
This sounds so healthy and refreshing especially in this summer. Definitely on my to do list.
Alex
A mandolin slicer! How cool. I didn't even realize that was a thing. I can't wait to try these! My kid loves zoodles and would devour these.
Erin
I love how quick and easy this is to make! And the ingredients sound so tasty together. It's time to get out the spiralizer!
Freya
A great way to give zoodles a bit of flavour!
Oscar
I love zoodles and using my spiralizer. This was great with the spinach and mushrooms. Will make again.
Addie
Great way to use up zucchini! So yummy!
Jeri
I love zoodles, but they never turn out properly! So I decided to try again using your great instructions, and they turned out beautifully! I always have a ton of zucchini to use up every summer, so I will be making this a lot! Thanks for the great recipe!
Jere Cassidy
This is the perfect recipe so I can use up all the zucchini I havest. I love how easy the recipe is and it's perfect for a summer meal.
Andrea White
Zoodles are always a fun dish!
Jeannie
I love zoodles because they are easy to prepare and healthy too.
Kayla
Love these zoodles! Perfect for a low carb dinner!