Enjoy noodle soup without pasta, courtesy of the Spiral Slicer.

At last, a healthy, fresh, and natural spaghetti noodle! Doesn’t that sound perfect? Noodles and soup belong together I think. Of course noodles seem to well with most everything. But I’m trying to eat more vegetables and less pasta. When I bought one of these little spiral vegetable slicers, it became much easier.

I was delighted at how easy it was to use the spiralizer. I tried zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, carrots, and potatoes, and ended up with strands of vegetables, some over a foot long. It even looks like spaghetti. It’s wonderful served with your favorite pasta sauce, with meatballs or sausage, or in a white sauce. Combine it with pasta, half and half, if you aren’t ready for the one hundred percent vegetable version.

It is also a terrific way to include (aka sneak) more vegetables in your family’s diet. Most kids love spaghetti noodles How fun it will be for them to eat their vegetables this way.

This week it was cold and rainy, which meant it was time for soup. I wanted noodle soup, but without the noodles. Out came the spiralizer.

This is a soup packed with vegetables. That makes it very low in calories but very high in nutrition. One of the great things about soup is its versatility. You can add anything to it you like, or leave out any you don’t like. Except the squash! Even if you don’t think you like zucchini, I hope you will try it like this. You’ll be surprised at how tasty it is when it is spiraled.

Here’s the recipe. I suggest you have all the ingredients prepped before you begin. It is a fast fix once you start. It only takes about 20 minutes. The ingredients here serve 4.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
3 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can)
2 cups broth, vegetable, chicken or beef
1 to 2 cups water
3 cups spinach
1 zucchini
1 crook neck squash
Salt and pepper
Your favorite seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS

First step, spiralize the squash.
In a large skillet or dutch oven, heat olive oil.
Saute garlic, onion, celery, and carrots for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add chopped tomatoes, broth and water.
Add your favorite seasonings, including salt and pepper.
Simmer 5 minutes.
Just a few minutes before serving, add the spinach and the squash spirals.
Heat for 3 to 4 minutes, then serve immediately.
Sprinkle with parmesan or romano cheese as garnish.

If you are a vegetarian, vegetable broth works well. I’ve tried it with chicken and beef broth too. It adapts well to whatever you prefer. It’s a very quick soup to make too. Prep the vegetables earlier in the day if you want to speed up the process at dinnertime. Serve rolls or garlic bread alongside the soup and you have a hot, satisfying meal.

Interested in another recipe using the Spiralizer? Check out this link.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Merry Citarella, often writing as Merrci, writes on a wide range of topics. Recently relocated to the Oregon Coast in the northwest United States, she frequently writes travel features on the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She specializes in health and aging, Alzheimer’s Disease, food, lifestyle, and book reviews. For more information you can see her on The Writers’Door. You can read more articles here or at her websites Alzheimers HQ and Simple Living Ideas