35 Healthy Recipes with Vegetable Noodles

Updated December 07, 2020

Put down that box of pasta and try vegetable noodles instead. With a spiralizer or vegetable peeler, you can create ribbons or strands of nutrient-packed veggies that are lower in calories than pasta. Firm vegetables, like carrots, beets, winter squash or sweet potatoes, hold their shape best. Eating more vegetables is just a twirl away with delicious recipes like Zucchini Noodle “Pasta” Salad and Carrot-Peanut Noodle Salad.

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Zucchini Noodle "Pasta" Salad

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This healthy zucchini noodle salad has all the flavors you love in a classic Mediterranean pasta salad but we've swapped in zoodles for wheat pasta, which makes the salad lighter, lower in carbs and gluten-free. Serve it with grilled chicken or fish for a light and healthy summer dinner.

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Thai Tofu & Vegetable Curry with Zucchini Noodles

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For this quick Thai curry recipe, we've combined tofu and plenty of veggies with a flavorful sauce made with red curry paste, lime juice and coconut milk. Serve the curry over lightly warmed zucchini noodles to get even more veggies in your weeknight dinner. Bonus: Everything is cooked in one skillet, so there's only one pan to wash after dinner.

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Butternut Squash Alfredo with Chicken & Spinach

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If you're not feeling like regular pasta tonight, turn to butternut squash noodles. These delicate veggie strands are a great base for any number of sauces and toppings, like this creamy and decadent Alfredo sauce with chicken, garlic and silky spinach.

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Shrimp Scampi Zoodles

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Classic garlicky shrimp scampi gets a low-carb makeover in this easy dinner recipe. Zucchini noodles, also known as "zoodles," are a healthier alternative to traditional pasta--they mimic the texture of pasta while taking on the flavor of whatever sauce you serve them with. Make sure you salt and drain the zoodles, otherwise your final dish will be soupy and the flavor will be diluted.

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Zucchini Noodles with Pesto & Chicken

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This healthy summer dinner subs zoodles for pasta to help use up your zucchini bounty--as well as slash calories and carbs. Once the spiralized zucchini has time to soak up the herby pesto sauce, this chicken and pesto pasta makes particularly good leftovers.

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Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Pesto & Shrimp

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Cut some carbs and use spiralized zucchini in place of noodles in this zesty pesto pasta dish recipe. Top with Cajun-seasoned shrimp to complete this quick and easy dinner.

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Carrot-Peanut Noodle Salad

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This crunchy salad is made with spiralized carrots instead of noodles. Make sure to use unrefined peanut oil, which is way more flavorful than its refined counterpart and is one of the trio of peanutty ingredients that makes this simple salad stand out. Look for it with other specialty oils or in the Asian section of your grocery store.

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Coconut Curry Cup of Noodles with Spiralized Butternut Squash Noodles

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This untraditional spin on Thai red curry features spiralized butternut squash noodles in a cup-of-noodles-style mason jar soup, but you could also use spiralized sweet potatoes or fresh egg noodles.

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Raw Vegan Zoodles with Romesco

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Trying out a raw vegan diet or just looking for an easy no-cook recipe? This spiralized zucchini noodle dinner with red pepper sauce is refreshing, satisfying and oh-so-delicious! Plus, it couldn't be easier to make. Just whir up the 5-ingredient sauce in your food processor or blender, toss and serve!

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Kielbasa-&-Swiss Spaghetti Squash Casserole

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Zesty sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and rye bread add Reuben-esque flavor to this surprisingly addictive spaghetti squash skillet recipe. If you can't find seeded rye bread, add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon caraway seeds to the mixture in Step 2. Serve with a green salad tossed with red-wine vinaigrette.

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Spaghetti Squash Lasagna with Broccolini

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In this low-carb spaghetti squash lasagna recipe, garlicky broccolini, spaghetti squash and cheese are combined for a healthy take on a favorite casserole. This bakes right in the squash shells for a fun presentation. Serve with a big Caesar salad and some warm and crusty whole-grain bread.

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Garlic Shrimp with Cilantro Spaghetti Squash

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Garlicky shrimp are served on top of buttery, cilantro-flecked spaghetti squash in this quick, healthy dinner recipe inspired by shrimp scampi. Pair with a side of sautéed greens, such as kale, collards or spinach.

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Pork & Turnip Miso Ramen

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Ramen gets a healthy makeover in this “spiralized” vegetable noodle recipe. We swap noodles made from mild turnips for ramen noodles, but other vegetables, such as zucchini or yellow squash, would also make noodles perfect for this Asian-inspired recipe. Serve with sriracha hot sauce for a kick.

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Sweet Potato Carbonara with Kale

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In this healthy carbonara recipe, “spiralized” sweet potato noodles take the place of traditional pasta. Kale is added for fiber, flavor and crunch, but any dark leafy green, such as spinach, chard or collards, would also be a nice addition.

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Summer Squash Pad Thai

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In this “spiralized” vegetable noodle recipe inspired by pad thai, zucchini and summer squash replace the rice noodles, pumping up the vegetables while reducing calories. Top with stir-fried chicken, shrimp or tofu for added protein if desired.

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Seared Chicken with Mango Salsa & Spaghetti Squash

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A quick mango salsa gives this easy chicken dinner recipe a tropical flavor boost. A generous serving of spaghetti squash rounds out the healthy meal.

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Spaghetti Squash with Ginger-Miso Dressing

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Mild-flavored spaghetti squash is a great swap for noodles, but here it's showcased on its own dressed with a healthy dressing spiked with salty miso. Serve with roasted chicken or fish.

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Chicken Curry Cup of Noodles

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Make your own cup of instant soup at home with this chicken curry zoodle (spiralized zucchini noodles) recipe. Pack several jars at once to take to work for easy lunches throughout the week.

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Shrimp Piccata with Zucchini Noodles

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The tangy lemon-caper sauce in this healthy Italian makeover recipe is a natural with shrimp. Serving it over zucchini noodles (aka zoodles) keeps the dish summery and low-cal, but it's also delicious with whole-wheat spaghetti.

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Vietnamese Spiralized Sesame Noodles with Scallops

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Spiralized zucchini noodles are the base for this healthy sesame noodle recipe. Shrimp or baked tofu can be swapped for the scallops if you prefer.

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Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs

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With this spaghetti squash and meatballs recipe, you can reduce the carbohydrates and increase the vegetable servings by skipping pasta and serving the Italian-seasoned turkey meatballs and quick, homemade marinara sauce over thin strands of cooked spaghetti squash instead. Cooking the squash first in the microwave and then in a skillet to cook off the extra moisture, gives the squash a more spaghetti-like texture.

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Noodle-Less Lasagna

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The lasagna that cuts carbs, boosts your veggie servings and is gluten-free: this easy dinner recipe uses slices of roasted eggplant and zucchini as the "noodles" in this healthy lasagna.

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Vietnamese Cucumber Noodle Salad

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Spiralized cucumbers stand in for rice noodles in this pretty and healthy salad recipe. The dressing for our cool cucumber noodle salad is inspired by the Vietnamese dipping sauce nuoc cham. Use your spiralizer's thick noodle attachment to keep the vegetables crisp and prevent the salad from getting too soggy.

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Shrimp Pad Thai Salad

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Transform pad thai into a healthy salad by swapping sliced cabbage "noodles" for the rice noodles--and save more than 100 calories. Look for sustainable shrimp certified by an independent agency, such as the Marine Stewardship Council. If you can't find it, wild shrimp from North America is likely to be sustainably caught.

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Lemongrass Pork & Spaghetti Squash Noodle Bowl with Peanut Sauce

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In this Asian-flavored spaghetti squash recipe, thin slices of lean pork tenderloin are marinated with lemongrass, ginger, brown sugar and soy sauce. The flavorful marinade is then cooked with peanut butter and coconut milk to make a delicious sauce for this low-carb noodle bowl.

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Sweet Potato Carbonara with Spinach & Mushrooms

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Loaded with veggies, this spiralized sweet potato vegetable noodles recipe--our healthy take on a traditional carbonara recipe--achieves superfood status with the addition of spinach and mushrooms. Look for large, straight sweet potatoes to make the longest veggie noodles.

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Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Tomatoes, Beans & Almond Pesto

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Looking at a tangle of spaghetti squash tricks your brain into thinking you're about to eat a serving of eggy noodles, when in fact, you get a nice calorie and carb savings in this healthy recipe. Giving tomatoes a stint in a hot oven makes them candy-sweet.

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Zucchini Noodle Bowls with Chicken Sausage & Pesto

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Cut down on prep time for this meal-prep zoodle recipe by using premade zucchini noodles from the produce section. Canned beans and precooked chicken sausage heat in about 5 minutes and add protein, while store-bought refrigerated pesto serves as a fast and flavorful topping.

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Zucchini Noodle Salad with Chicken

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Load up on vegetables, but not on calories, with this healthy zoodle salad. Look for zucchini noodles with other prepared vegetables in the produce section or make your own with a spiralizer.

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Zucchini Noodles with Quick Turkey Bolognese

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Forgo regular pasta (and most of the carbs) for spiralized zucchini "noodles" in these make-ahead meals. The zoodles quickly turn tender-crisp as the veggie-packed Bolognese warms in the microwave.

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Spiralized Beet Salad

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Impress your guests with this stunning beet salad that's quick and easy to make. Because the beets are sliced so thinly by the spiralizer, you don't have to worry about cooking or painstakingly chopping veggies. Regular red beets look great, but striped Chioggia beets, golden beets or a mix of any of the three would make the presentation even more gorgeous.

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Zucchini Noodle Primavera

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This primavera recipe cuts carbs by swapping out the pasta for zucchini "noodles." This quick vegetarian dinner is chock-full of colorful vegetables smothered in a light, creamy sauce. We like using prepackaged spiralized zucchini noodles to keep this recipe ultra-fast, but if you have a spiralizer and zucchini on hand, you can easily make your own.

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Use-All-the-Broccoli Stir-Fry

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Spiralized broccoli stems transform into tender noodles in this lo mein-inspired vegetarian recipe. Serve on top of brown rice or buckwheat soba noodles.

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Tofu Poke