Zucchini Noodle Stir Fry with Mongolian Beef Sauce

This one pot zucchini noodle stir fry combines flavorful Mongolian beef sauce, & tangy pineapple, with zoodles, to make a healthy, easy, complete meal.

WHAT THE HECK ARE ZOODLES?

Maybe you’ve seen zucchini noodles floating around before – filling your Pinterest feed, perhaps, leaving you to wonder, “what are these funny-sounding “zoodle” things, and why should I eat them?”.

“Zoodles”, short for zucchini noodles, are just what they sound like. They’re noodles made from zucchini.  Zoodles are a great substitute for wheat-based pasta, perfect for people trying to avoid gluten, or following a paleo diet.  They are fairly simple to make, and don’t even need to be cooked!

All you need to make your own zoodles is a spiralizer, or julienne peeler, and a few zucchini (not hard to find this time of year; one of your neighbors is probably dying to give away one or twenty).  Soon, you’ll have a bowlful of beautiful green zoodles, and you’re on your way.

We use the KitchenAid Spiralizer that attaches to our mixer, but there are a lot of different ones available depending on the variety of noodle sizes you want, hand crank or electric, and how much space you have.

SPIRALIZERS WE’VE TRIED

We’ve tried a lot of different spiralizers, and ended up going with the KitchenAid one because it tucks away in a cupboard nicely and cleans easily. But any of these spiralizers were easy to use and would be a good purchase. By clicking one of these links, we get a small commission on anything you buy from Amazon, without it costing you any extra. Thanks for supporting our family business!

ZUCCHINI NOODLE STIR FRY (AKA ZUCCHINI WORMS WITH BEEF)

Our family LOVES zoodles, and this zucchini noodle stir fry with Mongolian beef sauce is one of our favorite ways to eat them.

In fact, the kids devour this meal!  They get so excited to have pineapple in their dinner, and pretend they are baby birds eating zucchini worms. Yep, nothing like calling mom’s food worms to make dinner time fun!

The kids also love that the beef is incredible tender and easy to chew, thanks to being thin sliced against the grain. Make sure to watch the video if you’re not sure how to find the grain and slice against it. You’ll never slice beef any other way again!

What’s your favorite way to eat zucchini noodles?

Zucchini Noodle Stir Fry with Mongolian Beef Sauce Recipe
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Yield: 6 servings

Zucchini Noodle Stir Fry with Mongolian Beef Sauce

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This one pot zucchini noodle stir fry combines flavorful Mongolian beef sauce, & tangy pineapple, with zoodles to make a healthy, easy, complete meal. Make sure you start by getting your beef sliced and marinated, then you can prep your veggies and sauce while the beef is chilling. Adapted with permission from Food.com

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

Beef

• 2 pounds flank steaks
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• oil

Sauce

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup light soy sauce
• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger

Vegetables

• 4 medium zucchini, spiralized
• 4 medium carrots, julienned
• 1 cup pineapple
• scallions and sesame seeds, optional garnish

Instructions

1. Slice steaks against the grain, into slices 1/4-inch thick.  Watch video for demonstration.
2. Combine steak with cornstarch, sesame oil, salt and pepper.  Let marinade for 30 minutes.
3. Whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil in a large saute pan or skillet on medium high heat until pan begins to get smoky.  Add beef; allow to sear and cook until all sides are brown (1-2 minutes).  Remove to a plate.
5. Return plate to heat.  Cook pineapple until slightly browned and softened (around 5 minutes).  
6. If cooking zucchini noodles, add with other vegetables and beef.  Be careful not to cook for more than two minutes, or zoodles will become mushy.  Stir fry can also be served over raw zoodles if desired.
7. Add carrots, beef, and zucchini noodles if desired to the pan, and pour in sauce.  Toss with tongs to coat vegetables with sauce.  Cook 1-2 minutes (zucchini should be just tender, but still firm).  
8. Serve immediately.  If desired, garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

Notes

GLUTEN FREE: Use gluten free soy sauce and hoisin sauce if you are making this for a gluten free diet.

LOVE THE ZUCCHINI BEEF COMBO? TRY OUR SLICED ZUCCHINI BEEF SKILLET!