A top replacement for spaghetti, zucchini noodles offer the same services without the gluten or carbs. From their mild taste to their ability to be spiralized, zucchini noodles are a great stand-in for spaghetti. However, while they are a worthy contender for spaghetti, they have a tendency to be soggy. For the best possible zucchini noodles, make them in the air fryer.
Zucchinis don’t have a long cooking process. Once they’ve been spiralized, you can boil the noodles for about a minute or two. Yet, even that short amount of time can yield limp, soft noodles. Skip the boil entirely and place the noodles straight in the air fryer. With zucchini being 94% water, the air fryer is the perfect place to dry up the excess liquid in the squash. A few minutes in the air fryer yields noodles that are delicately crisp, yet still tender like normal spaghetti.
Use a spiralizer, mandoline, or vegetable peeler to make the zucchini noodles and pat them dry with a paper towel. Coat the noodles in olive oil, salt, and pepper and heat them for around 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If the noodles are still soggy or aren’t as crispy as you’d like, leave them in the air fryer for longer. Toss them in cooked pasta sauce and serve with a sprinkle of grated cheese.
How to serve air fried zucchini noodles
Zucchinis naturally possess a slightly sweet taste, so they don’t need too much in terms of sauce. Keep things simple with a brown butter sauce. Melt unsalted butter down until it darkens and takes on a nutty, caramelized flavor and scent. To thicken it, add a splash of lemon juice or mix cornstarch with water and add it to the butter. Toss the noodles in the brown butter sauce, enhancing the nutty taste of the squash.
If you’ve left the zucchini noodles in the air fryer for too long, they may become too crispy to still call them a spaghetti alternative. Salvage it by softening the noodles in a creamy sauce on the stove. Heat butter in a pan and pour in heavy cream. Once it starts to simmer, add salt, pepper, chili flakes, and onion powder. Add the zucchini noodles and gently toss them in the sauce, allowing it to boil in the creamy liquid. Sprinkle salt and cheese into the pan right before the noodles are almost done cooking.
On the other hand, you may find that your noodles are still soggy, even after spending some time in the air fryer. To prevent this, salt the noodles before cooking. Cover them in the mineral and let them sit for around 15 minutes to dry out the water.
