Garlic Butter Zoodles with Herbs

I’m the kind of person who’s terribly suspicious of people that don’t like garlic.
I don’t really mistrust them, but it certainly raises questions as to whether they’re vampires or not.
Plus I have found that the people I’m closest to do love garlic as much as I do.
Like there’s some sort of kinship among garlic lovers. We love garlic taste and we’re not bothered by the bad breath/odor: HA!
Seriously though, people that appreciate garlic fries, garlic breadsticks, bruschetta, garlic mashed potatoes, garlic steak, or garlic shrimp know what’s what. Those who don’t, well…they’re missing out on something IMO.
And I’m not even mentioning how healthy garlic is; it’s like the superfood of superfoods.

Still, I suppose I'm one of those people that likes garlic TOO MUCH.
I have to admit that sometimes I get self conscious of holding a conversation after having a garlicky meal.
That’s why I brush my teeth religiously and always carry with me a pack of Altoids or Tic-tacs.
And when I feel like I had waaaay too much garlic, I go for a long run (or bike ride) and sweat it out.
I don’t know how scientific this is, but it works every single time -> break a sweat and no more garlic smell/odor on you, I promise.
One thing I wanna do one day, is go to the Gilroy Garlic Festival in northern Cali.
It’s a major all-garlic event where they even serve garlic ice-cream (which I’ve been told is amazing.)

If you like garlic as much as I do, you’re going to love these Garlic Butter Zoodles with Herbs.
They’re buttery and garlicky and full of green goodness and so delicious.
It’s like green stuff over green noodles in a rich and super-flavorful sauce.

I used zoodles because you know, I’m into that stuff.
But you can use regular spaghetti or linguini or you could eat the sauce by the spoonful. It’s greens sauteed in garlic butter, you know, kind of amazing.
All in all, this is a yummy, quick, and easy meal that will win raves in your house. Unless you’re a vampire, then you’re pretty much on your own.

Garlic Butter Zoodles with Herbs                                                                            Print this recipe!

Adapted from PinchOfYum

Ingredients
Serves 4

6 zucchini
6 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, minced (use 6 if you love garlic like me)
2 large handfuls fresh basil leaves, chopped
5 large handfuls fresh baby spinach, chopped
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Using a spiralizer or a peeler create zucchini spaghetti (always read the directions for your spiralizer as they vary by brand - I use this spiralizer.) If you don't have a spiralizer use a regular vegetable peeler to vertically peel long, thin strips of the zucchini. This will form more of a wider "noodle" from the zucchini, like fettuccini.
Heat one tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add zucchini noodles and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, until zucchini noodles are tender but still retain some crunch.
Let the noodles rest for about 3 minutes so that they can release all of the moisture. Transfer noodles to a colander and drain the excess water from the pan.
Wipe the pan and melt the remaining tablespoons of butter over low heat. Add minced garlic and saute’ for about 5 minutes, until fragrant.
Keep an eye on the garlic the whole time, you don’t want it to brown or it will turn bitter (use the smallest burner you have if necessary).
Add chopped basil and spinach to the skillet and stir until wilted about 1 minute.
Turn the heat to medium-high, add zoodles and saute’ for 2 minutes, stirring constantly until heated through.
Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 262 calories, 19 grams of fat, 19 grams of carbs, and 9 grams of protein.