By: Lauren McRae

If you’re a pasta fan but you don’t want all of the calories, zoodles are a great substitute. These vegetable noodles are great to use if you're on a gluten-free diet, watching your carbohydrate intake to manage diabetes or looking for ways to make your meals healthier.

Atara Schayer, Registered Dietitian at NorthShore, shares a basic recipe for zoodles and how you can incorporate them into your diet.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 cup of mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp of pomegranate seeds 
• 1 cherry tomato for garnish 
• Basil for garnish 
• Salt, to taste
• Garlic powder, to taste

Directions:

1. Spiralize zucchini using a spiralizer – such as a Veggetti – and place on a paper towel and cover with paper towel to absorb some of the water to prevent from becoming too soft.
2. Lightly grease pan with canola oil spray and sauté a medium onion and 4-5 mushrooms sliced.
3. Add spiraled zucchini and sauté on a low flame until zucchini is cooked but not too soft.
4. Lightly salt or season with garlic powder. Top with a sliced cherry tomato, basil or pomegranate seeds for extra freshness. Enjoy! 

Other ideas to incorporate zoodles into your meals:

• Use in place of noodles in your favorite chicken noodle soup recipe.
• Use in place of angel hair pasta in your favorite pasta salad or add to angel hair pasta dish to bulk up.
• Use in place of lo mein noodles for chicken and beef lo mein dishes.
• Try creating zoodles out of squash, sweet potatoes or beets. 

Have you prepared zoodles before? What is your favorite way to mix them into your meals?