Southwestern Zucchini Noodle Bowls-Zoodles with black beans, charred corn, tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro vinaigrette. You will love this light and refreshing zucchini noodle recipe! Perfect for a light lunch or dinner!
Favorite Savory Zucchini Recipe
My love for zucchini is still going strong, but we are taking a break from zucchini bread and chocolate zucchini cake to enjoy a savory zucchini recipe today. You guys are going to LOVE these Southwestern Zucchini Noodle Bowls. The bowls are light, refreshing, and full of flavor. I have been making these zucchini noodle bowls for the past week and I am in love. I think this is my new favorite savory zucchini recipe. Add this recipe to the top of your list now. You should probably make it for lunch today. Why wait?
How to Make Zucchini Noodles
If you are a regular reader, you know I am a HUGE fan of zucchini noodles or zoodles, whatever you want to call them. If you haven’t gotten on board with the zucchini noodle trend, you need to. I have a feeling you will become a fan too, especially if you make this recipe first.
Let’s talk about how to make zucchini noodles, it isn’t hard, especially when you have an Inspiralizer. This is my favorite way to make zucchini noodles. This kitchen gadget makes it SO easy! I highly recommend getting one. It doesn’t take up a lot of space and we use it all of the time to make zucchini noodles, cucumber noodles, sweet potato noodles, carrot noodles, etc. The options are endless! And pro parent tip, kids tend to eat vegetables better when they are in fun spiral shapes, at least our boys do:)
If you don’t have an Inspiralizer or other zucchini noodle maker, you can use a julienne peeler to make zucchini noodles. Apply light pressure with a vegetable peeler along the sides of the zucchini. You can also use a mandoline. KitchenAid also makes a stand mixer attachment that makes zoodles.
Most grocery stores also sell zucchini noodles now, so if you want to save time, you can always buy them already made.
Zucchini Noodle Bowls, Perfect for Meal Prep
Once you have your zucchini noodles, it is bowl time! I love making bowls because you can pack so many fun ingredients and flavors into one bowl. My favorite way to eat! I love these zucchini noodle bowls because they have:
- black beans
- tomatoes
- charred corn
- avocado
- red onion
- queso fresco (can leave out if vegan or dairy-free)
- cilantro lime vinaigrette
You don’t have to cook the zucchini noodles, just add them to the bowl and top with all of the tasty ingredients. I like to char the corn to give it extra flavor, but you can use raw corn, right off the cob, it is good raw. If you can’t find good, fresh corn, you can use frozen corn.
The cilantro lime vinaigrette adds a ton of flavor. You can keep the vinaigrette in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This is a great meal prep recipe, you can have all of the ingredients in the fridge and make the bowls throughout the week. I love eating them for lunch or dinner. So easy and so healthy! The PERFECT summer meal!
Feel free to add grilled chicken or steak to the bowls if you want to bulk them up!
You definitely need to make this healthy zucchini recipe, the perfect way to use up the garden zucchini!
If you like this zucchini noodle recipe, you might also like:
Southwestern Zucchini Noodle Bowls
This easy and healthy zucchini recipe is perfect for summertime and a great meal prep recipe. Prep all of the ingredients and keep them in the fridge so you can make the zucchini noodle bowls all week!
Yield: Serves 2-4
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:10 minutes
Total Time:25 minutes
Ingredients:
For the cilantro lime vinaigrette:
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 cups packed fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed
- 1 large clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
For the bowls:
- 2 medium zucchini, spiralized
- 1 ear corn
- 1 (14 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large avocado, sliced
- 1/4 cup queso fresco
- Cilantro, for garnish
Directions:
- To make the cilantro lime vinaigrette: In a blender or food processor, combine the shallot, cilantro, garlic, vinegar, lime juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
- To char the corn: heat a griddle pan or grill to high medium-high heat. Rub the corn with olive oil and chargrill for 7-10 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender. Remove and let cool. Use a sharp knife to remove the corn kernels.
- To assemble the zucchini noodle bowls: Add the zucchini noodles to a large bowl or individual bowls. Top with charred corn, black beans, tomatoes, red onion, avocado slices, queso fresco. Drizzle with cilantro lime vinaigrette and toss. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Note-if you don’t want to char the corn, you can cut the corn off the cob and eat it raw. If you can’t find good fresh corn, you can use defrosted frozen corn.
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Photos by Jess Larson
