In case you haven’t yet come across the nomenclature, ‘zoodles’ is the American word for courgette (‘zucchini’) noodles. It was introduced to me by a student, and it has stuck.
I love my spiral peeler, but not only are they not the cheapest gadget on the market, but they are ridiculously hard to get hold of. I finally tracked one down in a specialist cook shop in Edinburgh last Christmas. I have the least expensive kind, which is a bit like a pencil sharpener with two ends, and works in the same way. It is my new best friend! If you don’t have a spiral peeler you can still make this recipe by cutting the courgettes into fine strips.
This recipe uses only 5 ingredients. It is one of my budget recipes, so I only used the basil because there was some in the fridge, and I hated to see it going to waste. It is very tasty, but it’s certainly not a balanced meal as it contains no protein. If you are not on such a tight budget you could rectify that by adding a little grated cheese, a tin of tuna or some grilled chicken. Freshly ground black pepper would really add to this dish, but I didn’t have any available when I made it.
For 2 People:
Zoodles make a quick and healthy light meal. The cost of this dish was about 90p per person.
1/2tbls Olive Oil
1 large Onion
150g Mushrooms
3 large Courgettes
Fresh Basil
1. Warm the oil in a large, flat pan. Finely slice the onions, add to the pan and cook until soft and lightly browned (about 10 minutes).
2. Slice the mushrooms and add to the pan. Fry for a couple of minutes until cooked, but not soggy.
3. Spiralise the courgettes directly into the pan and stir into the mushroom mixture. Cook them for about a minute to warm them through. Do not cook for more than a minute or two, or they will give off water, and the dish will become sloppy and slimy. Stir through the basil at the last minute.