Spring brings a whole host of wonderful greens to eat. You can still get the hearty greens that were around in the winter like kale, collards, and chard, but you can also get a number of other greens that are a little more delicate and start showing up at this time of year. You can find arugula year-round too, but it’s usually bagged or boxed up. In the spring, you can often find it with the roots still attached, which I think is really lovely. There’s something about knowing that your greens came from the ground and that you need to put them in a tub of water and swish them around a bit that makes me appreciate them even more.
I have always liked adding greens to noodle dishes, but I sort of forgot about it since transitioning to zoodles. The other day I started thinking about tossing some in with my zucchini noodles, and I was not disappointed. Sticking with a simple treatment that mellows the arugula a bit and goes well with zucchini was my goal. I happen to love the peppery bite of arugula, but if it’s a bit too spicy for you, then grab a handful of baby spinach. I’m sure that would be just perfect in this.
Zesty Zoodles with Wilted Arugula
2 medium zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tsp. Aleppo pepper
1/2 a bunch of arugula, about 3 oz. or 4 cups
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. chives
salt and pepper
Directions
1) Julienne the zucchini and yellow squash or put it through a zoodler. Place in a strainer over the sink and salt generously. Let sit for at least 20 minutes. Rinse and shake dry.
2) Rinse and dry the arugula (it’s okay if some water remains on the leaves) and roughly tear into large bite-sized pieces.
3) Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium to medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add garlic and Aleppo pepper. When they are fragrant, about 30 seconds, add the zucchini noodles to the pan and toss to distribute the oil and garlic throughout. Cook for about 8 minutes, continuing to toss. Once cooked to your liking, add the arugula and toss with tongs until wilted, about 2 minutes.
4) Remove from the heat and add lemon zest, chives, additional teaspoon of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 2-3
Balancing Paleo 
Does letting the zoodles sit in the strainer help them loose some of the liquid?
Recipe looks yummy – I recently got some Aleppo pepper and haven’t seen many recipes that call for it. I’ll have to give this a try!
That’s exactly what the sitting does, Kristin. They’ll lose a lot of volume too so if you have a bunch of zucchini that you need to use, this is a great way to do it. Once they’ve released their liquid, you can rinse them and store them in the fridge for a couple days too. Easy!
That is SO good to know! I tried a few methods for getting the zucchini to release the liquid, but nothing has worked too well, yet. I’ll definitely try this method next time I make zoodles!
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