Favorite 15-Minute Zoodles Marinara

This is truly my favorite 15-minute zoodles marinara recipe. I've made it countless times (often multiple times each week) over the last three years, and it's my go-to when I'm craving something comforting yet veggie-packed. To make it, you'll simmer some of your favorite store-bought marinara sauce along with cherry tomatoes, chili flakes, and garlic powder. About five minutes later, add two spiralized zucchini to the pan and continue to simmer until your zoodles reach desired doneness. I like to up the richness by adding a simple splash of cashew cream, but you can skip that part if you'd like. Serve these flavorful vegan zoodles marinara with a generous sprinkle of nut or seed parmesan.

If I had a penny for every time I've eaten this dish over the last three years, I'd have at least a buck (and maybe even a couple bucks) on my hands.

This vegan 15-minute zoodles marinara is far and away my most repeated, beloved weeknight meal.

It's incredibly simple to make, super comforting and filling, and completely veggie-centered.

I've shared many snapshots of this go-to meal on social media over the years (Exhibit A, Exhibit B), and I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to offer up the details in an official recipe post.

Perhaps because I assumed it was too simple?

But after posting a photo on Instagram stories and receiving a surprising number of messages with requests for the recipe, I realized that maybe I'd underestimated this humble little noodle dish.

As you can tell, I like it extra saucy, and I'm convinced that's the key to creating zoodles (i.e., zucchini noodles) that are truly crave-worthy. (Note: The Instagram photos linked to earlier are indicative of how I usually enjoy the dish—I used a much more restrained hand with the sauce when styling the photos in this post.)

If you go skimpy on the sauce, you will, in fact, feel like you're eating a big ol' bowl of wannabe pasta.

However, if you throw caution to the wind and get a little more saucy than usual, those zoodles of yours will come to life in big, satisfying, pasta-y ways.

As a matter of fact, I prefer my zoodles to be so saucy that I'm forced to eat the dish with both a fork and a spoon in hand. A fork to twirl up all that noodle-y deliciousness, and a spoon to slurp up that brothy, tomato-soup-like marinara at the end.

Noodles and soup united in one big bowl.

 

To make this simple, easy, and super speedy pasta dish, you'll start by simmering the sauce.

Simply add 1 to 1 ½ cups (depending on how saucy you like it) of your favorite store-bought marinara to a sauté pan along with a handful of quartered cherry tomatoes, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, and a few shakes of garlic powder.

Simmer all that goodness for about 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to soften.

Then, add two spiralized zucchini to the pan along with a pinch of sea salt. Continue to simmer until the zucchini noodles soften to desired doneness.

Now you have a choice.

You can stop right here and keep the marinara straightforward and pure, or you can add a splash of cashew cream (i.e., raw cashews blended with filtered water) to create a slightly creamy sauce.

I consistently opt for the creamier, richer route, but you do you.

Choose whichever path you will and then spoon those hot, brothy zoodles into a roomy bowl and top with a few very generous sprinkles of vegan parmesan (see recipe notes for a homemade version).

Finally, twirl, slurp, and enjoy.

I hope this recipe for my favorite 15-minute zoodles marinara finds as welcome a place in your weekly rotation as it has in mine.

Happy cooking!