Forget Zoodles — It’s Time for Boodles, AKA Butternut Squash Noodles!
Food trends are a wonderful thing — they’ve brought us zoodles, zoats and now boodles! Silly names aside, butternut squash noodles are one of my favorite new discoveries. As with most veggie noodles, they’re a low-carb alternative to pasta, but butternut squash feels a bit more substantial than zucchini, so it’s perfect for those of us who find that zoodles never quite hit the spot. Here I dressed them up in a creamy sauce — I suppose it’s a bit of a cheater’s carbonara, and it’s super straightforward!
Ingredients:
Serves two
- 1 butternut squash
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 4 pieces sun-dried tomato, chopped
- small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
- 2/3 cup grated cheese (I used cheddar)
- 1 Tablespoon creme fraiche
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions:
1. Cut the butternut squash in half at its narrowest point. You’ll only need the “neck” piece, as it makes the best noodles — keep the rounder end for another use. Peel the squash, and use a spiralizer to cut it into noodles.
2. Heat a dash of oil over a high heat in a large frying pan or wok. Add the butternut squash noodles, and cook them for about 4-5 minutes, or until fairly soft. Be gentle with them, as they can break easily as they soften — they only need to be tossed a few times.
3. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, grated cheese and creme fraiche. Season generously. Return the pan to a fairly low heat, and toss gently until the cheese has melted to produce a smooth sauce (again, try not to break the noodles up too much). Serve warm.
Cut the butternut squash in half at its narrowest point. You’ll only need the “neck” piece, as it makes the best noodles — keep the rounder end for another use. Peel the squash, and use a spiralizer to cut it into noodles.
Heat a dash of oil over a high heat in a large frying pan or wok. Add the butternut squash noodles, and cook them for about 4-5 minutes, or until fairly soft. Be gentle with them, as they can break easily as they soften — they only need to be tossed a few times.
You’ll get a surprising amount of noodles from one squash, but they do cook down a little, so it’s best to cook more than you think you’ll need.
Remove the pan from the heat, and add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, grated cheese and creme fraiche. Season generously. Return the pan to a fairly low heat, and toss gently until the cheese has melted to produce a smooth sauce (again, try not to break the noodles up too much). Serve warm.
And there you have it; it’s so easy! The sauce is smooth and silky, and really makes you feel like you’re indulging, even though your plateful is 90 percent veggies. You could throw in whatever additional add-ins you fancy — I like using sun-dried tomatoes as they don’t require any pre-cooking, which keeps this dish nice and quick to make!
Creme fraiche is my go-to for making easy, creamy sauces, as it’s relatively low in fat and can be heated gently without splitting (unlike yogurt, which doesn’t heat very well). Guilt-free carbonara — what could be better?
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