I’m making dinner in 30 minutes!
It really is that simple. This zucchini noodle dish comes together quickly, so set a timer and open a bottle of wine if you’d like — dinner will be on the table in no time.
I’ve been getting into zoodles lately — finally — and I’m excited because they make it easy to add more vegetables into my meals. I try to include at least one vegetable at every meal, but some days I end up with mushrooms in my morning scramble and tomatoes with avocado toast at lunch and then completely forget to add anything green for dinner. Making zucchini noodles once or twice a week has been an easy fix: sometimes I mix them with regular pasta, other times they stand on their own. Either way, we’ve been loving them.
I have to tell you about the sauce I used. I picked up a can of tomato sauce with whole cherry tomatoes — the little whole tomatoes are adorable and add a great texture. You don’t need that specific brand or type of sauce; whole cherry tomatoes from the market work just as well if you want the same look and pop. The essentials are a good tomato sauce, cream (or half-and-half), and lots of garlic.
This recipe uses plenty of garlic, so if that’s a concern for post-dinner smooches, feel free to reduce it to suit your preferences. The dish is also generous with parmesan and finished with garlic butter breadcrumbs — a crunchy, salty topping I keep coming back to. The combination of crunchy breadcrumbs, creamy sauce, and shaved parmesan delivers a perfect balance of textures and flavors.
When the tomato sauce and cream combine, the sauce develops a lovely pink hue that looks especially pretty on the plate. It also makes the dish feel festive — green zucchini, red tomatoes, and a pink cream sauce — so it’s a sweet option for a light holiday or Valentine’s Day dinner. And yes: the vegetable component balances out the cheese and cream, so you can enjoy it with less guilt.
Zucchini Noodles with Cherry Tomato Garlic Cream Sauce
2 to 4
30 minutes
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Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini squash, spiralized into spaghetti-like noodles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 28 ounces tomato sauce with whole tomatoes, mine were cherry
- 1/3 cup half and half or heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
- freshly shaved parmesan cheese
Garlic Butter Breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup torn crusty bread pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
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Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the olive oil and butter. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, dried basil, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, stir, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
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Stir in the cream or half-and-half and the grated parmesan. Add the zucchini noodles to the skillet and toss gently but thoroughly in the sauce. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes. Top with the garlic butter breadcrumbs and freshly shaved parmesan, then serve.
Garlic Butter Breadcrumbs
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Add the butter and olive oil to a saucepan. Once melted, add the torn bread pieces and stir to coat. Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until the crumbs are golden and toasty.
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I appreciate you so much!
All those veggies = extra cake for dessert too.