These easy, Cheesy Vegan Zoodles take just 10 minutes to make and only call for 6 simple ingredients. They’re low in fat, low carb and contain a whopping 19 grams of plant-based protein and 10 grams of fibre per serving! Plus, when you walk in the door hungry from from an busy day, you can have these on the table in no time with just a few minutes of prep.

Spiralize Everything

I couldn’t live without my spiralizer. As much as I hate washing that thing, it’s a healthy kitchen must-have for making lower calorie versions of all your favourite noodle dishes. Spirazling is also a great way to sneak loads of extra veggies into your diet.

It’s estimated that 75% of Americans don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. There are many factors contributing to this and it’s a scary indicator of the current state of our food systems. Hopefully things slowly start to turn around as people become more educated on nutrition and fresh produce becomes more accessible. Spiralizing is a simple step anyone can take to start incorporating more vegetables into their diet.

I used to wheat pasta at least a few times a week but it never left me feeling that great. Since those days I’ve switched to alternatives like edamame pasta, brown rice pasta, black bean pasta, kelp noodles and all kinds of spiralized vegetables! I’ve already posted quite a few zoodle recipes on the blog and really, you can replace traditional pasta noodles in any recipe with low calorie, vitamin-rich, zucchini noodles.

Other veggies that are excellent for spiralizing are beets, carrots, sweet potato, cucumber and even broccoli stalks. You can eat spirlalized veggies raw or cook them, the possibilities are endless!

If you don’t have a spiralizer yet, you can pick one up on Amazon for about $30.

About Nutritional Yeast

Those that have been following Running on Real Food for a while know how much I love nutritional yeast. If you’re unfamiliar with it, nutritional yeast is made from a single-celled organism that is grown on molasses then harvested, washed and dried. It doesn’t have the same properties as baking yeast because it’s dried with heat, which deactivates it. You might see nutritional yeast referred to as “nooch” in the food blogger world, which is a little more fun than calling it nutritional yeast. It’s not the most flattering of names, is it?

Nutritional yeast is a wonderful food for plant-based eaters because it’s fortified with vitamin B12 which can be difficult to get if you don’t eat animal products. In addition to B vitamins, nutritional yeast is high in selenium, zinc and protein and is low in fat and contains no added sugars or preservatives.

More Reading: What is Nutritional Yeast and How to Use It

How to Use Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast is easy to use and a delicious and versatile item to keep in your kitchen. It has a nutty, salty, cheesy flavour and is a great way to add a cheesy flavour and consistency to all sorts of savoury recipes and even some sweet ones!

Here are my favourite ways to use nutritional yeast:

• sprinkled on popcorn
• using in salad dressings and sauces
• making vegan cheese sauces
• to make vegan parmesan
• sprinkled on pasta or used to make pasta sauces
• flavouring tofu scrambles
• in mashed potatoes 
• for roasting vegetables

…and anywhere else I want to add a cheesy, savoury flavour!

Easy Cheesy Vegan Zoodles

Okayyy, okay. About these Cheesy Vegan Zoodles. So, to whip up this creamy, cheesy dish, it’s a quick dice, a quick spiralize, a quick cook and you’re done! All you need is onion, bell pepper, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, vegetable stock and zucchini. That’s it! This recipe came about near the end of the week when I was low on groceries but wanted something quick and healthy for dinner. 10 minutes later I was sitting down to easy, cheesy vegan zoodles!

Nutritional Considerations

This quick, plant-based meal is a nutritional powerhouse. One serving contains just 188 calories with 19 grams of plant-based protein, 28 grams of carbohydrates and almost no fat. It also provides 17% of your daily recommended amount of iron and is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and calcium. You’ll also get 10 grams of healthy fibre! So much goodness! If you want to make this more substantial, you can add crumbled tempeh, lentils or chickpeas to the mix for more protein and energizing carbs, otherwise enjoy as is for a light but satisfying and tasty meal.