Many vegetables are easily noodled: Spaghetti squash, once cooked, inherently forms tender, thin strands you can twirl onto your dinner fork; zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise, becomes long, wide ribbons; and, with the help of one of those “as seen on TV” spiral slicers, just about any root vegetable from beets to turnips can take the shape of pasta.
It’s a fun and practical way to shake up the usual vegetable routine. Raw vegetable noodles cook in minutes, thanks to their increased surface area. You can prep them a day in advance, so they make for an easy weeknight dish. You can’t go wrong simply sauteing them in a skillet with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add a handful of fresh herbs or a squeeze of lemon for an extra layer of aroma and flavor.
Or take the pasta concept more literally and toss cooked vegetable ribbons with tomato sauce or pesto. You also can combine generous amounts of vegetable “pasta” with regular noodles for a heaping main course that’s more healthfully balanced than the typical pasta dinner.
Asparagus is easily “pasta-fied” with a standard vegetable peeler. Here, inspired by of one of my most-craved spaghetti dishes, I toss the quickly cooked ribbons with garlicky toasted bread crumbs for a vegetable side dish that has decadent richness and unforgettable appeal.