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How to Make Julienned Zucchini Pasta

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How to Make Julienned Zucchini Pasta
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How to Make Julienned Zucchini Pasta
by Stephanie Dray

For diabetics and low carb dieter, pasta is probably off your menu. Even so, you likely find yourself pining for a good old-fashioned bowl of spaghetti. Perhaps you've even tried the low carb noodles on the market and found them not to your liking. Luckily, there is another option. You can serve zucchini pasta for dinner!

Zucchini is a delicious low carb vegetable that is healthy for diabetics because of its glycemic index. But while generally inoffensive, in large chunks, zucchini can be overpowering. Certainly, this green veggie isn’t likely to fill your mind with thoughts of a great Italian feast. But when you cut zucchini into thin, pasta-like strands, it fades into the background and becomes a neutral conveyor of your favorite sauces.

The technique of cutting zucchini into matchstick lengths is also known as a julienne cut. The best way to make zucchini pasta is to use a julienne peeler. (You can pick one up from Bed, Bath & Beyond for about seven bucks.) A julienne peeler looks like a potato peeler turned on its side, and has very sharp blades to cut your zucchini into low carb pasta-like strips.

To make low carb zucchini pasta, wash your zucchini and cut off the ends. Don't bother to peel the skin off. Using long strokes with the julienne peeler, shred the zucchini from top to bottom. If you find that the length of your zucchini is becoming unbalanced as you peel, use the julienne peeler on the thicker half of the zucchini until you have a flat plane once again. When you get to the middle of the zucchini, if you can no longer hold it easily in your hand, lay it flat on your cutting board, and continue to make light work of it with your julienne peeler.

If you don't have a julienne peeler, take the zucchini, wash it, and cut off both ends. Then use a knife to cut it in half, lengthwise. Lay it on the cutting board, flat side down, to keep it from rolling. Then start cutting the vegetable into thin long wedges, which you will then turn to cut into even thinner matchsticks. You won't get the same results by hand as you would with a julienne peeler and your thicker zucchini pasta will need longer cooking, but it should still be delicious.

Once your veggie is cut up or shredded, take your zucchini pasta and begin to sauté it until it reaches a texture that pleases you. Smother with your favorite sauce, serve, and enjoy.

Whether you're a low carb dieter or a diabetic, you may find that zucchini pasta becomes your spaghetti substitute of choice.