Spiralising: 10 easy and delicious ideas

Spiralising – the simple art of turning vegetables and fruits into curly noodles – has become a trend for a good reason.

Colourful and delicious, spiralised fruit and vegetables give you an easy way to pack more nutrients into your meals. You can use them to create lighter versions of your favourite pasta and noodle dishes, or add them to a whole variety of salads, breakfasts and desserts.

Best of all, it's quick and easy to do. There are a few different kinds of spiralising devices around, and a simple one to get started with shouldn’t cost more than $20. Then all you need to do is stock up on your favourite veggies, get creative and experiment.

So what exactly can you spiralise? Zucchini is one of the most popular options, and is definitely a good place to start. The texture of “zoodles” is similar to noodles and pasta, so they work well as a replacement in those dishes. Beyond that, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, celeriac, cucumbers, turnips, apples and pears all spiralise well.

To get you started, here are some of our picks for delicious and easy spiralised dishes.

1. Zucchini pasta

Spiral up some zucchinis, flash fry them with salt and pepper and serve with your favourite pasta sauce – a creamy walnut pesto, a rich Bolognese or a fresh veggie primavera with cherry tomatoes and basil. Or, try replacing the zucchini with sweet potato, celeriac or a mix of all three.

2. Spiralised stir fry

Ribbons of zucchini, carrot or sweet potato pair deliciously with Asian stir fry flavours. Try a ginger, lime and peanut sauce – or soy, garlic and chilli – throw in some veggies and chicken or tofu, and serve topped with cashews.

3. Beetroot salad

Create a colourful salad of beetroot curls, dark leafy greens, walnuts and a little goat's cheese. Finish with a zesty vinaigrette of mustard, olive oil and lemon juice.

4. Sweet potato curly fries

Toss spiralised sweet potato with a little olive oil and sea salt (or maybe some paprika, cumin, mustard powder and black onion seeds) and bake in the oven for around 20 minutes until nice and crispy.

5. Pear and yoghurt breakfast

Make ribbons of pear and serve with Greek yoghurt, a little granola, honey, walnuts and a dash of cinnamon for a fresh start to the day.

6. Coconut and ginger carrot

Whip up a fragrant Asian-inspired sauce with a few tablespoons of coconut milk, some lime juice, a little peanut butter or crushed peanuts and fresh ginger and garlic. Toss carrot ribbons in a fry pan with coconut oil, then stir the sauce through.

7. Easy potato side

Stir fry spirals of potato with onion, garlic and a little olive oil. Delicious side dishes don’t get more simple than this!

8. Apple and celeriac salad

For a fresh and juicy salad, spiralise a small celeriac and a green apple and toss with mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, honey and apple cider vinegar. (Tip: add lemon juice to the apple ribbons straight away to stop them from turning brown.)

9. Butternut pumpkin casserole

Drizzle thick ribbons of butternut pumpkin with olive oil in a baking dish. Throw in some shallots, add whatever vegetables you like, and pour over some low fat cream. Sprinkle with parmesan and sage, and bake until golden and delicious.

10. Noodle soup

Ginger, scallions, shitake mushrooms, vegetable broth, tamari sauce and red chilli flakes all go in a pot. Add zucchini noodles and stir over heat until you have a steamy, comforting soup.