Zucchini noodle alfredo is made with spiralized zucchini and a homemade alfredo sauce packed with parmesan cheese. This dish is low-carb, gluten-free, creamy, and flavorful!
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Tender zucchini noodles are coated in a homemade alfredo sauce made with parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.
It's quick and easy: It only takes about 10 minutes to make alfredo sauce from scratch!
Serves: 4 people
Similar to: Zucchini Noodle Salad, How To Make Zucchini Noodles
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Zucchini - You'll need about 1.5 pounds of spiralized zucchini for this recipe. Zucchini or yellow summer squash have a neutral flavor and make a great pasta substitution, pairing well with alfredo sauce. Other great vegetables to spiralize include parsnips, carrots, and turnips. Spiralized veggies can also be substituted with about 8 ounces (dry, uncooked weight) of fettuccine to make a traditional fettuccine alfredo.
- Butter - Unsalted butter can be substituted with salted butter (reduce the salt listed in half).
- Flavor - Minced garlic, Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning add flavor to your sauce. Use freshly minced garlic for this recipe. Jarred garlic can often have a harsh, unpleasant flavor. Two cloves of garlic can also be substituted with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder if needed.
- Heavy cream - A must for this alfredo sauce. Heavy cream is thick and rich, and gives your sauce it's thick texture without the need for additional thickeners.
- Parmesan cheese - I highly recommend using freshly grated cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheeses (or parmesan cheese in a green canister) is coated in anti-clumping powder that will make your sauce grainy when melted, or prevent the cheese from melting completely.
How to make zucchini noodle alfredo
- Melt butter in a sauté pan and add spiralized zucchini. Cook for 2-3 minutes, tossing occasionally to steam evenly.
- Transfer to a colander and drain while preparing sauce.
- Add remaining butter to pan and melt. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add heavy cream and seasoning, cooking until sauce has thickened. Add parmesan cheese and melt. Toss zucchini noodles in sauce and serve.
Spiralizers
The easiest way to spiralize zucchini is to use a spiralizer. A spiralizer is a tool, often handheld, which slices your zucchini into long, thin noodles. Handheld versions are generally inexpensive and easy to find, but to require a bit of elbow grease to use. You can also find electric or hand crank options which may be best if you plan to spiralize lots of zucchini.
Spiralizer options:
- Handheld: OXO Good Grips Handheld Spiralizer (the one I use)
- Hand crank: Spiralizer Vegetable Slicer (4-in-1 Rotating Blades) Heavy Duty Veggie Spiralizer
- Electric: Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Electric Vegetable Spiralizer & Slicer
- Stand mixer attachment: KitchenAid Spiralizer Attachment, 1", Silver
How to spiralize zucchini
- Trim the top and bottom ends of the zucchini, creating a flat surface to make contact with the spiralizer.
- Align the zucchini with the center of the spiralizer and make contact. Slowly turn the zucchini by hand using light pressure, or use the hand crank to spin your zucchini (depending on the type of spiralizer you have on hand).
- If your zucchini is curved, you may find it easier to slice your zucchini in half to create two smaller, straight pieces.
- If your spiralizer is making small, moon shaped spirals instead of long noodles, remove your zucchini and realign it in the center of the spiralizer before continuing.
Frequently asked questions
No, there's no need to peel your zucchini before spiralizing. Most of the nutrients in zucchini are found in the skin, and the skin also helps your zoodles hold their shape once cooked.
Zucchini is made of over 90% water and will turn out soggy from overcooking. Only cook your noodles for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a colander to drain while your sauce cooks. Pat your noodles dry with a paper towel before tossing in the sauce to help prevent the sauce from getting watery.
The large side of a box grater can work in a pinch, creating long, rice-like zucchini noodles. You could also use a vegetable peeler to make long, wide noodles. Check out my post on 5 ways to make zucchini noodles (4 of them are not a spiralizer!): How To Make Zucchini Noodles
📖 Recipe
Zucchini Noodle Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds zucchini, spiralized
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1.5 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a 12 inch sauté pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter. Once melted and hot, add spiralized zucchini. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened slightly (but not soggy), tossing occasionally to steam evenly.
- Transfer to a colander and drain while preparing sauce.
- Wipe out pan and return to heat. Add remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add garlic and cook for up to 1 minute, or until garlic just begins to lightly brown.
- Add heavy cream, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until sauce has thickened to your liking.
- Add parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
- Pat your cooked zucchini noodles dry with a paper towel before adding to sauce. Toss to coat and serve immediately.
Recommended Equipment
Notes
- Serve fresh: Alfredo sauce does not reheat well and the sauce will separate (the emulsion breaks) when reheated. I recommend only making enough alfredo sauce for one sitting.
- Use heavy cream: Substituting heavy cream with other dairy (milk or half & half) will result in a thin sauce.
- Use fresh cheese: Use freshly grated cheese for this recipe. Pre-grated cheeses are often coated in anti-clumping powders that will cause your sauce to become grainy when melted.
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