Not enough veggies in your diet? Try replacing pasta with zucchini noodles

Eating lots of vegetables is the key to good health and well-being. Veggies can help lower blood pressure, improve blood sugar levels, reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease, and help prevent many types of cancer.

But most Americans eat only half the recommended amount of three cups per day. To add more vegetables to your diet and manage hunger, we encourage you to find new ways to prepare them. Spiralizing is one of those ways.

Using an inexpensive tool, you can turn fresh vegetables into noodle and ribbon shapes. The spiralizer is similar to a large pencil sharpener. Simply place a firm veggie over the grinder and crank the handle. Most spiralizers provide three or more blade options for thin, thick and flat ribbon shapes. If you don’t have a spiralizer, just use a vegetable peeler or a mandoline to make thin, lengthwise strips.

The best vegetables for spiralizing are those that are firm and long. Carrots, zucchini, butternut squash, onions, beets and kohlrabi are good choices. Avoid using stringy celery, mushy avocados, small radishes and the short stems of broccoli.

In today’s recipe for Chicken Parmesan with Zucchini Noodles, we created what we call zoodles by spiralizing zucchini. You can lightly sautée the zoodles with garlic and onion for a couple of minutes, so they are tender bur still al dente. Serve them with a lightly breaded and juicy chicken breast, topped with a flavorful tomato sauce and low-fat mozzarella cheese.

This dish tastes as good as it looks, and we’re confident your family and friends will be impressed. But most important, after you start spiralizing and eating more vegetables, you'll likely find it easier to reach that three-cup mark so you can benefit from the many health-giving nutrients loaded into vegetables.

Bethany Thayer is a registered dietitian nutritionist with Henry Ford Health. For more recipes and health information, visit henryford.com/blog. For questions about today’s recipe, email HenryFordLiveWell@hfhs.org.

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Chicken Parmesan with Zucchini Noodles

Makes: 4 servings/ Prep time:  20 minutes / Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes

2 medium zucchini

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 ½ cups yellow onion, chopped, divided

8 garlic cloves, chopped, divided

2 cans (15 ounces each) no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

4 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

½ cup plain bread crumbs

1 pound thin-cut chicken breast

¼ cup low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

Fresh basil leaves, optional

Wash and trim the ends of zucchini. Create zucchini noodles using a spiralizer or vegetable peeler; set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in medium-sized sauce pan. Add 1 cup chopped onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Add 6 cloves of chopped garlic and sauté until fragrant.

Next, add the crushed tomatoes, fresh basil, parsley, fennel seed, black pepper, oregano and sugar. Simmer for 15 minutes, then add the Parmesan cheese. While the sauce is simmering, break egg into medium-sized bowl, beat slightly and set aside. In another medium-sized bowl combine bread crumbs and Italian seasoning.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Take each chicken breast and dip it in the egg wash, then the bread crumbs. Place in skillet.

Cook chicken thoroughly, flipping every 3 minutes to ensure even browning. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in another skillet. Sauté 2 cloves of chopped garlic and ½ cup onion for 2 minutes. Add spiralized zucchini and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Divide zucchini noodles onto 4 plates and top each with ¼ of the tomato sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with fresh basil leaves, if desired.

From Henry Ford LiveWell.

410 calories (43% from fat), 19 grams fat (5 grams sat. fat), 21 grams carbohydrates, 38 grams protein, 420 mg sodium, 130 mg cholesterol, 293 mg calcium, 3 grams fiber. Food exchanges: 3 vegetables, ½ starch, 4 1/2 protein.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Zucchini noodles can help you get right amount of veggies in your diet