6-Ingredient Easy Cheesy Vegan Zoodles
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.
Print6-Ingredient Cheesy Vegan Zoodles
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
Description
This simple dish makes a low-carb, high-protein alternative to traditional pasta.
Ingredients
- 4 small zucchinis, spiralized into noodles (750 g)
- 1/2 cup diced onion (75 g)
- 1 cup diced red pepper (130 g)
- 3 tbsp vegetable stock (water is ok if you don’t have stock)
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 3/4 cup nutritional yeast (45 g)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add the zucchini, onion and red pepper to a pan with the vegetable stock. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes.
- Add the garlic powder and nutritional yeast and cook for a few minutes until everything is combined and creamy.
- Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
- Calories: 188 calories
- Fat: 1.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 19 g
Keywords: low-carb, gluten-free, oil-free, high-protein
Multiplied this recipe by two for me and my fiance, since we aren’t restricting calories. I added rosemary, paprika, and cayenne. Delightful!
★★★★★
This was SOOO easy and REALLY tasty.
I sauteed the peppers and zoodles a bit before adding the water because I need to dry those zoodles out.
I also added black olives and spinach.
So yummm! The low calories and high protein aspect of the recipe makes it even better!
This will definitely be on rotation.
So yummy!!! I added no water and added concentrated veggie stock and added asparagus 🙂
★★★★
So glad you liked it! Good call with the veggie stock.
Made this for lunch today. I scaled the recipe down for 1 and used only 1 zucchini, because that’s what I had, but this was great! I also used 1 tbsp. water instead of broth and chili garlic powder instead of regular and it had a nice kick. 🙂
★★★★
I was looking for a tasty veggie dish without fat as I am on a rotating diet that doesn’t allow any fat for a couple of days a week. This fit the bill! I only had one zucchini so I also spirilized cucumbers, and also didn’t have a red pepper and used chopped broccoli and mushrooms..Very tasty, especially with some flaked red peppers sprinkled on top. Thanks so much for posting!
★★★★★
You’re very welcome. Glad you liked it!
Just made this and it’s delicious! This will become a staple for me because it’s so quick and easy! Thank you!
So happy to hear that, Jill. I agree, it’s great when you need something quick and easy!
I made this with almond milk instead of vegetable broth and just added a little salt for flavor. It helps with thickening the sauce. Also, if you really want to thicken it up, add onions first with a tad bit of broth or almond milk and sprinkle with a bit of flour + mix. Then carry on with the recipe. Bueno!
★★★★★
Thanks for the tips, that’s awesome!!
I tried to make these zoodles few weeks ago and they didn’t turn out to be so pretty like yours but they were delicious! I will just have to practice more 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
You’re welcome! As long as it tastes good I guess the prettiness factor doesn’t matter too much! 😉
Hey there! I did the recipe exactly to a T but mine came out watery! I was so excited to eat it too ????
★★★
Sorry about that, it does come out a tiny bit watery, especially if you overcook it…but you can just drain the excess water off and it should still have plenty of flavour. Total cooking time should be about 5-6 minutes. Sorry you didn’t like it!
It was okay. I don’t like the taste or smell of nutritional yeast so that kinda ruined it for me maybe I won’t add so much next time
★★★
Haha, ya nutritional yeast is the main ingredient so if you don’t like it, then this may not be the dish for you! Thanks for the feedback 🙂 Sorry you didn’t love it.
Pretty good as is. I’d add some sautéed mushrooms and top with cashew “parm” for a little added richness.
★★★★
Yum, sounds amazing with cashew parm!
I definitely need to get my hands on some nutritional yeast!
Totally!! It’s a must-have! You can always buy it online if can’t find it in your area.