While the word “umami” attempts to describe how savory a dish is, how do you describe savory? To me, it’s this dish. It’s sweet, but also spicy, and it fills in that fifth sense you didn’t know you were looking to satiate.

This Red Curry Coconut Zucchini Noodle dish is inspired by the classic Thai combination of red curry and coconut. I absolutely love the combination of those two flavors. The third critical ingredient to the trifecta is fish sauce. But that’s as far as the authenticity goes, and I’d certainly never try to recreate a Thai masterpiece. Instead, this dish is packed with unsuspecting veggies.

And in fact, this sauce is so lip-smackingly addictive, that you’ll be able to dress anything in it. I am using butternut squash because I love the contrast of caramelized butternut squash up against this gently spicy sauce, but you can also add pan-seared chicken if you like.

Once you try this Red Curry Coconut Zucchini dish, I know you’ll love it. Follow it exactly and don’t skip any of the ingredients. Trust me!

Red Curry Coconut Zucchini Noodles

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Red Curry Coconut Zucchini Noodles are the perfect combination of umami: sweet, spicy, and a world of flavor.

• Author: Amanda MacArthur
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Entrées

Ingredients

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• 2 cups uncooked white rice
• 4 cups water
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 cups butternut squash, cubed
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 small Vidalia onion, sliced thin
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• 14oz can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 large carrot, grated (1/2 cup)
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp lime juice, and zest (1 tsp)
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 8″ zucchini, zoodled
• Garnish: any greens like celery greens, cilantro, or basil

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Instructions

1. Prepare your rice in advance. Rinse your rice, then bring four cups of water to a boil. Add rice and butter. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off burner, keep covered for five minutes, then fluff rice, and it’s ready to go. Or, use a rice cooker.
2. Prepare your vegetable in advance also. Peel and cube your butternut squash. Grate your carrot, use a mandolin to finely slice your onion, and use a spiralizer to create zucchini noodles. Put “zoodles” in a strainer over a bowl. Toss with a few sprinkles of salt to extract water out of the zoodles. Let sit in the strainer until the rest of the recipe is ready.
3. Preheat oven to 400F, then toss cubed butternut squash on a baking sheet with melted coconut oil or olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt. Bake for 20-40 minutes until soft, then remove from oven.
4. In a large skillet over medium heat, add coconut oil. Add thinly sliced onion and cook for 10 minutes or until translucent, browned, and soft. 
5. Move onions to side of the skillet, then add red curry paste and toast for about 1 minute. Next, add coconut milk, grated carrots, 1 tsp fish sauce, lime juice, and honey. Let simmer for about 15-20 minutes over medium heat until thick and creamy.
6. Add zucchini noodles to skillet and cook for about a minute. Add lime zest and toss, then sprinkle with garnish. Serve over rice, topped with hot butternut squash.

Do you want to grow your own squash this year? Squash have been a popular crop for 10,000 years! With our Winning Winter Squash Gardening Guide and our All You Need to Know About Growing Summer Squash Gardening Guide you’ll have everything you need to know about growing and enjoying squash of many varieties — from planting to eating!

Once you make this recipe, let me know what you think!