Pasta Made From Butternut Squash

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Look no further than these colorful and fun Butternut Squash Noodles as a new low-carb noodle option. Toss them in a sauce like Alfredo or marinara, or eat them as-is with salt, pepper, and butter or olive oil. When you're done making the zoodles, you can cook them however you like: in a pot of boiling water, in a pan of sautéing olive oil, or in the oven at a low temperature.

Butternut squash preparation: slicing and peeling

Butternut squashes are long and skinny, with a wide, seeded neck. At the point where the butternut squash transitions from a tube to a wide neck, you should make your incision. That thick slice can be frozen for later preparation by peeling, seeding, chopping, and roasting.

Remove the stem end of the butternut squash so that it can be placed upright on a cutting board; then, use a knife or a vegetable peeler to peel off the skin. You can now begin making noodles. In addition, butternut squash was the most difficult vegetable I've spiralized, even more so than zucchini and sweet potato. And I worry that the little handheld spiralizers won't be up to the task.

The Paderno spiralizer, or one like it, is a good choice because it is both strong and sturdy. Also, the butternut squash needs to be fed through the processor with the thickest blade possible. The toughest part of the recipe, this should only take a few minutes if the squash is kept firm.

Instructions for Preparing Noodles with Butternut Squash

There are three distinct methods for cooking butternut squash noodles, regardless of whether you make them yourself or buy them pre-made. You can bake, roast, or roast and sauté on the stove. While microwaving the noodles is an option, I haven't found that it produces a particularly satisfying texture.

Simmer on the stove

Butternut squash noodles (which resemble spaghetti) need only 2 to 4 minutes in boiling, salted water. Although this is not my preferred method, it does the trick and is especially useful if you are adding noodles to already boiling water or if you are boiling both types of pasta in the same pot. Care should be taken to prevent the squash from becoming too soft.

Prepare a sauté on the stove.

To begin, melt some fat and sauté some aromatics. That's why you can use butter, olive oil, or any other kind of cooking oil with onions or garlic, or both. Then, for 7-10 minutes, sauté the butternut squash noodles, tossing them with tongs frequently to ensure they cook evenly. In the oven, they will lose volume and soften.

Add fresh herbs, cheese, or other toppings like sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, olives, etc. for a final touch.

Put it in the oven and let it roast

The last step in preparing the butternut squash is to roast it in the oven. Noodles made from butternut squash are delicious when roasted, just like any other root vegetable. You can bake them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, or you can put them in a casserole dish with some seasoning and butter or olive oil and bake them. It's a great hands-off method that only takes 10 minutes to roast the butternut squash noodles in the oven.

Since butternut squash is typically served as a side dish, I often decide how to prepare it based on the main course. When making pesto spaghetti on the stove, I like to sauté the noodles and shrimp. Or, if I'm going to be serving them with oven-baked salmon, I might opt to roast them instead.

Making noodle-like strands from butternut squash: some pointers

• Spiralize a butternut squash by utilizing its long, skinny neck. As a result of its irregular shape and central seeds, the bulbous bottom is not conducive to spiralizing.
• Butternut squash noodles should not be overcooked. When cooking noodles, it's important to keep a close eye on them because their texture can change rapidly from too firm to too soft. The noodles should be tender enough to twirl on a fork without falling apart.
• You can get a lot more flavor into your food if you add seasonings as you cook. Butternut squash noodles can be boring if eaten on their own. If you season them before you cook them, you can enhance the sweet and nutty flavor.

Infrequently Answered Questions

How to Prepare Noodles Made from Butternut Squash

Can you recommend a sauce for butternut squash noodles?

Butter or olive oil, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese are all you really need if you want to eat the butternut squash noodles on their own. The butternut squash's sweet and nutty flavor, on the other hand, pairs wonderfully with rich sauces like Alfredo and mushroom.

What happens if I try to freeze butternut squash noodles?

Butternut squash noodles can be frozen. However, I suggest freezing them before preparing them. Because of the high water content of squash, it becomes mushy after being frozen and thawed. Put the uncooked butternut squash noodles in a freezer-safe bag or container and store them there for up to three months.

For more delicious squash dishes:

Even more options for low-carb dinners:

Please rate and comment if you've made these healthy-ish, feel-good Butternut Squash Noodles or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie. Specifically, I'm curious about your process of creating it. Moreover, if you have any photos of it, please send them to me so that I can include them in my Instagram stories.