Marinating the spiralized zucchini in an olive oil scented with basil and oregano before it meets the sauce is the detail that keeps these noodles from tasting like plain raw vegetable. By the time you plate it, the herbs and salt have had time to soak into every ribbon. The marinara pairs fresh tomatoes with sun-dried tomatoes and a spoonful of coconut nectar, which rounds out the sharpness of raw tomato with a natural sweetness and brings the result closer to a long-simmered sauce than a simple raw blend. The onion and pepper never see a pan: the food processor takes care of chopping them, pulsed briefly to keep some texture, or blended longer for something silkier. Since nothing goes near the heat, this is a genuine hot-weather dinner, ready in the time it takes to spiralize two zucchini and run the processor for a few minutes. Fresh basil and oregano scattered on at the end carry on what the dried herbs in the sauce started. Next to cooked pasta draped in marinara, this version trades heaviness for a lighter, more vegetable-forward bite, without losing the tomato-basil pairing the dish is known for.
Raw Zucchini Noodles with Sun-Dried Tomato Marinara
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Ingredients
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- 6 pieces of sun-dried tomato
- 1 small onion
- 1/2 red pepper
- 1 tablespoon coconut nectar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 medium zucchini, spiralized and marinated
Preparation
- Combine the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, onion, pepper, coconut nectar, olive oil, basil, oregano, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Blend for a few minutes for a silky sauce, or pulse more briefly if you prefer it chunky.
- Spiralize the zucchini, then toss with a spoonful of olive oil scented with basil and oregano and a pinch of salt; let marinate for about an hour.
- Plate the marinated noodles, top with the marinara and finish with fresh basil and oregano.
Tip
Don't skip the zucchini's marinating step: even twenty minutes changes the result, but a full hour gives the oil and salt time to draw out some of the zucchini's water and firm up the texture. For a chunkier sauce, pulse the processor in short bursts rather than letting it run continuously.
FAQ: your questions about raw zucchini noodles
How do you make noodles out of raw zucchini?
The idea is to turn the zucchini into long, even ribbons, then treat it like pasta: salt, fat, resting time. Unlike pasta, it's never cooked — it's the salt and oil that draw out a bit of water and give it a texture close to al dente.
What tool do you use to make zucchini noodles?
A spiralizer is the fastest option and gives the most even spirals. A julienne peeler works well for small amounts, and a mandoline with a julienne blade gives wider, tagliatelle-style ribbons. By hand with a knife is possible but takes much longer.
Can you eat the skin of spaghetti squash?
Careful not to confuse two different things: spaghetti squash, whose flesh separates into strands when cooked and whose thick skin isn't eaten, and zucchini noodles, which are made from ordinary zucchini cut into ribbons. This recipe uses the latter, and its thin skin is perfectly fine to eat.
What's the recipe for zucchini pasta with tomato sauce?
The cooked version sautés garlic and zucchini in olive oil, adds a tomato sauce and serves it over pasta. This raw version keeps the same flavor logic — tomato, garlic, herbs, olive oil — but swaps out both the pasta and the cooking: the vegetable becomes the pasta, and the sauce stays raw.
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