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prep time
1 h 10 min
cook time
30 min
ready time
1 h 40 min
Keto Crispy Parmesan Zoodle Nests
Just four ingredients make this simple and fun Keto side dish! After you’ve been on the Keto diet for a while, the list of acceptable low-carb vegetables starts to seem a little short and repetitive. This recipe is a fun little twist to put on zucchini and is similar to a small pasta side dish. The zucchini is spiralized into long “zoodles” to look like pasta. After the zoodles are dried out, they tossed with simple seasonings and tons of parmesan cheese. You can spool the zoodles into little nest shapes with a fork before baking the nests in your oven. The parmesan zoodle nests come out of the oven with crispy, crunchy tops and tender centers. Since this Keto side dish is vegetarian, you have seemingly limitless options for main courses you can pair it with.
Perfect For The Keto Vegetarian
Being a vegetarian on the Keto diet isn’t impossible, but it can certainly become a little tricky. Although minimum, the Keto diet does require a small percentage of protein. Vegetarians also have to make up for the Keto fats they’re missing out on from animal protein. This zucchini side dish recipe is great for Keto vegetarians because the parmesan cheese is a sneaky way to get some protein into your diet. The cheese adds a little fat as well! For more Keto fats, you can drizzle extra virgin olive oil or an infused olive oil over the finished zoodle nests. You can also pair the zoodles with one of Carb Manager’s cheese-based sauce recipes, such as the Keto Cheese Sauce or Alfredo Sauce.
Is This Recipe Good For Meal Prepping?
Of course, you can easily store the finished parmesan zoodle nests in tupperware or meal prep containers in your refrigerator. This recipe is best kept for up to 3 days. Make sure the finished zoodle nests are fully cooled before you store them. Any extra moisture will make the zucchini soggy over time. You can microwave the zoodle nests with the rest of your meal prep, but you are likely to lose some of the crispy texture. To keep the crispy texture, you’ll want to heat the zoodle nests back up in your oven.
Jessica L.
Net Carbs
1.2 g
Fiber
0.7 g
Total Carbs
1.9 g
Protein
2 g
Fats
1.1 g
24 cals
#1 Low Carb & Keto Diet App Since 2010
Track macros, calories, and access top Keto recipes.
Ingredients
Zucchini
9 oz
Salt
0.25 tsp
Black pepper
0.25 tsp
Parmesan cheese, fresh (hard)
2 tbsp, grated
Recipe Steps
steps 3
1 h 40 min
Step 1
Prep the zucchini noodles by using a spiralizer to make thin spirals. If you don’t own a spiralizer, you can use a vegetable peel to peel long, thin slices from a whole zucchini. Spread the spiralized ‘zoodles’ out in a thin layer on a large sheet tray. Lay one or two layers of paper towels over the zoodles so they are completely covered. Place a heavy plate, second sheet tray, or glass dish on top of the paper towels to weigh them down and soak up excess moisture from the zoodles. Let the moisture extract from the zucchini for 1 hour.Step 2
Remove the heavy object and discard the paper towels. Turn on the oven to preheat to 350 degrees. Toss the dry zoodles with salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. If the zucchini is too dry for the seasonings to stick, you can very lightly spray one layer of pan spray over the zoodles to help. When the zoodles are seasoned, use a fork to rotate them into round ‘nest’ shapes, like you would with pasta.Step 3
Bake the tray of parmesan zoodle nests for at least 30 minutes. The tops of the nests with be crispy and the zoodles will have browned edges. The inside of the nests will still be tender. You may bake for longer until you see the level of crispiness you like. For extra crispy zoodle nests, turn on the broiler for a few minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on your oven to avoid burning. Serve the hot crispy zoodle nests with extra parmesan, crushed red pepper, or dried parsley flakes at your discretion.
Comments
bash25 3 years ago
What about an air fryer??
Lisa Alfortish 3 years ago
I was wondering the same
11756mo 3 years ago
Extreme salty. I like salt. I would eliminate the salt because the cheese added just enough. I doubled the recipe and used two zucchinis. It was very good less the salt.