Eating vegetable noodles instead of traditional wheat pasta is a fantastic way to increase your intake of vitamins and nutrients without compromising on taste. They’re fresh, light, low in calories, and gluten-free.

Making veggie noodles is super easy. While a regular vegetable peeler can slice vegetables thinly, it can be time-consuming. For quicker and prettier results, use a julienne peeler or a spiralizer for larger jobs.

The best vegetables for noodle-making are those that are firm and can hold their shape after cooking. Great options include carrots, beets, turnips, squash, eggplant, sweet potatoes, zucchini, parsnip, and broccoli stems.

Here are some favorite ways to use veggie noodles for healthier pasta dishes:

1. Carrot Noodles with Thai Peanut Sauce
This vegan dish features julienned carrots steamed with onions, red pepper, bean sprouts, and cilantro, topped with red curry peanut sauce and pan-fried tofu. It’s a restaurant-style meal you can make at home.

2. Spinach Parmesan Zucchini Noodles
Ready in just 20 minutes, this dish uses spiralized zucchini, garlic, spinach, parmesan cheese, butter, and a bit of salt and pepper. Pan-fry everything over medium-high heat for a quick and tasty dinner.

3. Balsamic Roasted Beets with Brussels Sprouts and Hummus Dressing
Beet noodles drizzled with balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, and olive oil are oven-roasted with Brussels sprouts. Finish with a rich and creamy hummus topping.

4. Cajun Sweet Potato Noodles
This dish combines sweet potato noodles with red peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, cilantro, and chicken, all seasoned with Cajun spices for a sweet and spicy twist.

5. Turnip Pesto Pasta with Artichoke Hearts and Kale
Pan-fry turnip noodles with kale and artichoke hearts, then toss in a creamy pesto sauce. Top with pine nuts and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

6. Butternut Squash Noodles with Sage and Brown Butter
This half-and-half recipe uses 8 cups of spiralized butternut squash and four ounces of linguine noodles. Add white beans for protein and top with a nutmeg butter sage sauce.

7. Yellow Squash Noodles with Tomato Basil Sauce
Simmer yellow squash noodles with roma and plum tomatoes, garlic, basil, fennel, dill, and sun-dried tomatoes for a light and flavorful summer meal.

8. Broccoli Rabe and Sausage Parsnip Spiralized Pasta
Mix the sweet nuttiness of parsnip noodles with spicy Italian chicken sausage and slightly bitter broccoli rabe for a bold-flavored dish.

9. Garlic Broccoli Noodles with Toasted Pine Nuts
Spiralize or julienne broccoli stems and simmer with garlic and lemon juice until tender. Finish with toasted pine nuts and romano cheese.

10. Eggplant Pasta
Use a mandolin or julienne peeler for eggplant, as it’s too delicate to spiralize. Combine with garlic, red pepper flakes, tomatoes, basil, parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs.

11. Raw Pasta Salad with Creamy Lemon and Herb Dressing
Spiralized zucchini serves as the base for this cold salad, perfect for summer barbecues. Add mixed veggies and a protein like tofu, quinoa, beans, or edamame, and toss in a homemade dressing of basil, dill, and lemon.

12. Noodle-Less Lasagne
Replace traditional pasta with thinly sliced zucchini and eggplant, layered with sausage, ricotta, and mozzarella.

13. Cucumber Mint Noodles with Ginger Dressing
Cucumber noodles dressed in mint, green onions, fresh ginger, and lemon juice, topped with sesame seeds, make a refreshing salad for hot summer days.

14. Asparagus Salad with Sesame Chili Lime Dressing
Thinly slice asparagus stems into ribbons and combine with grated cabbage, mint, and green onions. The dressing made with garlic, ginger, lime zest and juice, chili paste, honey, rice vinegar, and healthy oils gives it a sweet, sour, and spicy kick.

15. Raw Rainbow Noodles
This colorful dish combines shredded carrots, parsnip, and sweet apple, tossed in a dressing of apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and olive oil. It can be eaten on its own or as a bed for grilled chicken or salmon.