How to make courgetti
Want to get creative with courgette? Follow our guide to making a variety of spiralized courgetti dishes – getting your five-a-day has never been easier!
Replacing pasta and noodles with vegetable versions has gained traction over recent years as an easy way to cut down on carbs and get your five-a-day. Whether you buy your courgetti (or even ‘boodles’; butternut squash noodles) ready-made or spiralize the veg yourself, there’s a vast range of recipes to use it in. If getting a spiralizer is on your to-do list, check out our buying guide.
Courgetti is quick to cook whichever way you choose to eat it. Add it to stir-fries in the last two minutes of cooking time, steam it to serve with a pasta-style sauce, bulk up soups and broths by adding it in at the end and use it in a pie filling to add texture as well as flavour.
Easy ways to make courgetti
Making your own courgetti couldn’t be simpler. The relatively soft flesh of courgettes means that they spiralize easily, so unless you're going to be using your spiralizer for other vegetables, it isn’t necessary to invest in an expensive piece of kit. Spiralizing for one or two people is a doddle with the hand-held pencil sharpener type, but if you’ve got a family you may want to invest in a countertop model for ease and speed.
Alternatively, for a cheap and cheerful way to follow the trend, use a julienne peeler lengthways on the courgette. You won’t achieve exactly the same shape noodles, but the texture will be the same. For more information, see our guide on getting the best results out of your spiralizer.
Picking the best courgettes
A firm, fresh courgette that doesn’t have a woolly core will make better courgetti, so when you buy your courgettes make sure they feel both firm and heavy – and do check that they'll fit into your spiralizer!
How to store
Once you’ve made your courgetti you can store it in a food bag in the fridge until you need it. If you're following a calorie controlled diet, then a portion weighing 100g will have 20 calories. Courgetti doesn’t freeze well so make it on the day you want to eat it for optimum texture and flavour.
For more low-calorie meal ideas, see our collection of recipes under 400 calories.
Ways to eat courgetti
Courgetti is extremely versatile and is delicious whether raw or cooked.
Raw
Before using we like to toss it in some lemon juice to soften it slightly. Try it in our zingy salad with ricotta, mint & chilli.
Stir-fried
Heat a little oil in a frying pan and once hot, add the courgetti and stir-fry briefly for 30 seconds to a minute. You are looking to warm the courgetti through without wilting it. Try it as an alternative to pasta with our lentil ragu.
Poached
Courgetti works well when added to a sauce as a substitute for noodles, then simmered until heated through just before serving. Our cheat’s laska is ready in under five minutes for a satisfying meal with bags of flavour.
Baked
We find courgetti a fun way to introduce vegetables to kids. Try them shaped into courgetti fritters or baked in a parcel under a salmon fillet to liven up midweek meals.
See our collections and guides for more courgetti and spiralized veg inspiration:
Courgetti recipe collection
Spiralizer recipe collection
Best spiralizers - on test
10 new ways to use your spiralizer
Spiralizing: how to get the best results
Which courgetti dish are you most likely to try? Let us know in the comments below...
Comments, questions and tips
