Well friends, it’s officially zucchini season, both in my garden and in my weekly CSA box.  This year, I bought myself a spiralizer to prepare for the occasion, and I finally got to use it for my first overly-large zucchini last night! 

This was my first foray into making zucchini noodles (also known as zoodles), and I was honestly so pleased by how these turned out.  I decided to bake them on a sheet pan to get a little bit of roasted flavor into the zucchini and sauce, and I figured that this method would minimize stirring and to maximize ease.  I added plenty of my favorite Italian flavors (fresh garlic, dried oregano, thyme, basil, and parsley) to make sure these zoodles were anything but bland.  Finally, I tossed the zoodles with a can of drained diced tomatoes and topped with some finely grated parmesan cheese that melted into the sauce as everything baked.  It was a perfect sheet pan dinner that was totally hands-off after assembly, and it filled my house with incredible Italian aromas as it cooked.  I can’t wait to make this again and again throughout the summer season!

I topped my zoodles with some slices of leftover chicken parm that I happened to have on hand, which was a totally delicious accompaniment to the zoodles.  Other options that would be great here include some Italian sausages that can be easily roasted along with the zoodles, or any leftover or frozen meatballs that you may have.  Any of your favorite proteins will work great here, and of course feel free to go completely plant-based to keep this meal totally vegan!

The recipe down below is just for the zoodles, as any toppings or meat sides can be up to you!  This recipe does bake for a while to ensure all of the noodles are cooked through and the sauce is nicely absorbed, but all of that cooking time is completely hands-off for you, so you can do other activities while dinner is in the oven!

This made enough for 2 people for one nice dinner, so feel free to scale up for a bigger family or meal-prep.  I would recommend using two sheet pans if doubling this recipe to ensure that everything gets fully cooked through and nicely roasted – if the pan is overloaded with zoodles, the cook time may be longer and they may come out to be watery.

Recipe down below, along with photos!  I’m sure I’ll have some more recipes featuring zucchini soon, I have a lot of them to get through! Happy summer, friends!

Sheet Pan Zoodles

Ingredients:

• 1 large zucchini (or 2-3 small/medium zucchinis)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp dried rosemary
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp dried thyme
• ¼ tsp dried parsley
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Cut the zucchini into 4 large sections to make it easier to manage while spiralizing (to do this, remove the top (stem end) and bottom end of the zucchini, then cut in half (crosswise), and those halves in half again, creating four round quarters.
   1. If using smaller zucchinis, remove the top and bottom, and cut in half (crosswise) to create manageable pieces.
3. Using a spiralizer on a thin (2 mm) setting, spiralize each of the zucchini pieces, and add them to a large bowl.  If there are any remaining chunks of zucchini after spiralizing each section, cut into small pieces and add those to the zoodles.
4. Open and drain 1 can of diced tomatoes, and add to the bowl with the zoodles.
5. Smash and roughly chop the garlic, and add to the bowl with the zoodles.  Add olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, black pepper, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and parsley to the bowl with the zoodles.
6. Using tongs, stir the zoodles until everything is fully combined, and the zoodles are evenly coated with tomatoes and spices.
7. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet, and add the zoodles on top.  Spread the zoodles into an even layer to fully cover the baking sheet.
8. Place the baking sheet in the oven, and bake at 375F for 30 minutes, until the zoodles are tender and beginning to brown.  After 30 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle with an even layer of parmesan cheese.  Return the tray to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the zoodles are golden brown.
9. Top with any toppings/proteins of choice, and grab a bowl to serve!  Enjoy!

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