These Zucchini Noodle Bowls are great for a quick, easy, and healthy dinner or a make-ahead lunch. They’re vegan and gluten-free and loaded with fiber and nutrients.
I want to thank all the amazing, wonderful readers who took the time to fill out my first-ever reader survey! The blogging world can be tough and sometimes get you down, but you’ve all made me feel really happy and excited about what I’m doing here!
I loved reading all your responses and am taking the feedback to heart. I’m also super excited that the majority of you want more quick and easy dinner recipes, because that is exactly the direction I want to go. As a big thank you to you all and in celebration of this recipe, I thought it would be fun to give away a spiralizer to one lucky reader! Scroll to the bottom of the post for giveaway details!
I’m excited to share this recipe with you today because it takes me out of my cooking comfort zone. As you may have noticed, Mexican food is a favorite around here, and I make it a few times a week. While I do love many different cuisines, I don’t have as much experience making them. However, I’m trying to change that! This orange-ginger sauce was so much easier to make than I expected, and it’s so good! I’m already thinking of other things to put it on.
Orange Ginger Zucchini Noodle and Chickpea Bowls
- Zucchinis – I used two large zucchinis in this recipe. This is a great summer meal, especially if you have a bounty of zucchini in your garden. If you don’t have a spiralizer, you can use a grater or a shredder to shred them.
- Chickpeas – This recipe calls for one can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
- Rice – I used white rice; feel free to substitute with brown or another grain of your choice.
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Garnish – I used sesame seeds and green onion for garnish, but they’re optional.
- Orange Ginger Sauce – The sauce calls for water, tamari (or soy sauce), toasted sesame oil, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, and cornstarch.
How To Make These 30-Minute Asian-Inspired Zucchini Noodle Bowls
- Cook the rice according to package directions. Add all orange ginger sauce ingredients to a jar or small bowl and whisk until combined.
- Spiralize the zucchini. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil, followed by the zucchini. Season with a pinch of salt and cook zucchini until tender, 5-7 minutes.
- Next, add the chickpeas and pour in the sauce. Cook until sauce is thickened, 8-10 minutes.
- Divide the rice into four equal portions, and then top each portion with an equal amount of zucchini and chickpeas. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion, if desired.
Recipe Tips and Thoughts
- This recipe is vegan and gluten-free.
- Since these Orange Ginger Zucchini Noodle and Chickpea Bowls only take 30 minutes to prepare, they make a great quick and easy dinner recipe.
- This is also a great meal-prep lunch! It’s light and flavorful and won’t leave you feeling like you want to take a big nap after lunch 🙂
- To make as a make-ahead lunch, equally divide the rice and zucchini mixture into four containers and store them in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- Store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days.
Thank you again to all of you who took the time to provide me with feedback!
Have a question about this recipe? Ask me in the comments, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
Looking For More Flavorful Asian-Inspired Recipe Ideas?
Asian-Inspired Crunchy Cabbage Salad
Chickpea Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce
Sweet and Spicy Stir-Fry Noodles
Coconut Red Thai Curry Noodles with Vegetables
Print
30 Minute Orange Ginger Zucchini Noodle & Chickpea Bowls
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchinis
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup rice, uncooked
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Sesame seeds for garnish, if desired
- Chopped green onion for garnish, if desired
Orange Ginger Sauce:
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons tamari, or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic, grated finely
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated finely
- 1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to package directions. Add all orange ginger sauce ingredients to a jar or small bowl and whisk until combined.
- Spiralize the zucchini. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon olive oil and the zucchini. Season with a pinch of salt and cook zucchini until tender, 5-7 minutes.
- Next, add the chickpeas and pour in the sauce. Cook until sauce is thickened, 8-10 minutes.
- Divide the rice into 4 equal portions and then top with equal portions of the zucchini and chickpeas. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion, if desired.
Notes
To make as a make ahead lunch, equally divide rice and zucchini mixture into 4 containers and store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dinner, 30 Minute, Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Vegan
I really like strawberries and tomatoes.
zucchini/squash are actually my favorite summer ingredient! or, for not cooking, fresh berries & white peaches!!
love the super simple orange ginger sauce. & so much better than any restaurant! though, i dont think i’ve ever ordered orange-something. i’d make this but probably slice the zucchini, makes more sense to serve it over rice for me 🙂
thanks for the giveaway!!
Tomatoes have to be my favorite! I haven’t tried to spiralize anything yet, but love kitchen gadgets!
I can never get enough zucchini and yellow squash in the summer. Thank goodness my Uncle grows a nice big garden every summer with an abundance of green and yellow and red veggies. Yum. Would love to win this awesome spiralizer so I can try out zucchini in a new way. 🙂
I like beets and zucchini the most
My favorite summer ingredient is tomatoes from my garden. YUM 🙂
xoxo
Watermelon! All day, everyday!
I enjoy tomatoes like everyone else, but I also like cucumbers and zucchini
Raspberries and sungold cherry tomatoes, because the kids will eat those nonstop!
BTW, made this recipe tonight with quinoa instead of rice and lime juice/maple syrup instead of orange juice (ran out of oranges) – it was FANTASTIC … too bad the kids didn’t agree. You can’t win them all though, right?
Thanks for all the great recipes!!
Yah! So glad you enjoyed it! And I like your substitutions 🙂 Sorry the kids weren’t fans, maybe in a couple of years!
Sweet corn with BLT’s! Thanks for the chance to win.
That’s so hard to pick!! For me, it’s between zucchini, heirloom tomatoes, and watermelon! I probably eat tomatoes the most in the summer, so I’ll go with that!
Snozzberries!!! ???????????? The fruit of dreamers ????????????????
I love Colorado Palisade peaches when they come in season. They can be made into salsa, pie, a complement with pork or chicken, or any number of other sweet or savory dishes. Eating fresh is nice, too, but that really isn’t an ingredient!
Watermelons I love em, wish we could get them year round.
I love zucchini and yellow squash, you can cook them so many ways. Yay summer veggies!
What a great giveaway Izzy! And this recipe is delicious! I can’t wait for zucchini season.. I’ll be spiralizing every last one I can get my hands on! No doubt, blogging can be somewhat isolating… but it’s great that you reached out to your readers about what they’re looking for! Hooray for feedback! 😀
I was literally just looking at this spiralizer online yesterday!! I would say heirloom tomatoes are pretty high on the list, and also tomatillos! They’re fun to pick and add a little zest in stirfries. Also great for salsas and pickling!
Maybe you’ll get lucky and win it! 🙂
Honey! Its quite versatile in meal prep & its healing properties are phenomenal. Thank you for sharing your recipes-you give me great ideas to expand my cuisinal horizons! ????
I love spiralized zucchini in the summer. An all-plant meal makes me feel light and energized.
I made this tonight for my husband and I and we both loved it! Very different taste, but something about it just made me want more. My man especially loved the homemade taste of the ingredients in the dressing (he squeezed the orange juice from the orange himself, so I think he’s especially partial to it 😉 ) It makes a really pretty dinner, as well as a delicious one (not too hard to prepare either!)
Yah! I’m so glad you both enjoyed it! And awesome that your husband squeezed the orange juice himself, haha 🙂
Mango is my favorite sunmer ingredient. It’s a great way to dress up salads, salsas, and even proteins! A unique flavor that isn’t available all year long. I wait patiently all winter for mangoes!
Your “zoodle” bowl looks so yummy and easy! Ginger always adds such a great pop of flavor 🙂 my favorite summer ingredient is peach ???? they’re around for so little time so I try to eat them raw, cook with them and freeze them while they’re around!
My favorite summer ingredient is watermelon! I love it plain, but it’s so yummy in smoothies and salads! I love finding new creative ways to use it 🙂
I love cheap and sweet mangos ????
Raspberries freshly picked from the bushes in my yard.
My favorite summer treat is a tough one as I love everything at the farmer’s market right now! Fresh zephyr squash is at the top of the list.
Baby spinach strawberries and pomegranate seeds in salads summer heaven
I love baby spinach and strawberries also pomegranate seeds in salads
It’s so hard to choose! I think tomatoes. No, corn! But wait, green onions. You know what? I can have all three at once!
I love the complexity that roasted peppers can give to a dish, and peppers are so cheap in the summer!
grilled corn on the cob
heirloom tomatoes, on avocado toast, tacos, salads…and eaten right in the garden! yum…
I love blueberries the most. I love biting into them raw but the flavor they impart in desserts is amazing as well!
that’s a toughie! i’ll go with fresh-off-the-vine tomatoes–they just taste so good!
my favorite summer ingredient is fresh corn on the cob – so fresh it hardly needs cooking and can be cut off the cob and added to all kinds of salads.
BEETS! I love making beet risotto. Thank you for your blog! You’ve been such a help in meal planning and cooking healthy meals for my husband and me.
My favorite summer ingredient is fresh sweet corn on the cob!
Zucchini is my current favorite but I also love tomatoes. Thanks for the chance to win giveaway!
My favorite summer ingredient is zucchini. I love it practically every way imaginable. And thank you so much for this website-I’m just starting to eat more plant based meals and you have been a tremendous help.
Fresh picked Heirloom tomatoes! Only available for a short time and oh so delicious ????!
My favorite summer food is watermelon and corn ( I know that is two but I could not choose)!
Well tomatoes would be my fave, but these noodles from squash, zucchini, butternut squash, etc. sure make a great complement and easy healthy meal!!!!
Thanks for the orange ginger sauce recipe, will be delish!!!
My favorite summer ingredient is….arugula!
Just one! I love summer veggies, I guess my most favorite is zucchini. It is so versatile and affordable. Now that I have learned about spiralizing I sub zucchini in place of pasta all the time.
fresh basil, snipped from herb garden just outside kitchen door…makes
everything fresh and delicious.
Thank you, Isadora for your wonderful work! I so enjoy your photos and
foods and humor! Love!
Our favorite is grilled corn ! Here in the Midwest, our sweet corn is so yummy !
I love cooking with summer squashes & baking with berries! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity 🙂
I am in love with spiralized noodles like this. They are so good in stir fries with a yummy sauce on top. I’ll go with zucchini as my summer favorite!
love cherry tomatoes!
It’s hard to pick just one favorite summer ingredient. I would have to say blackberries. I use them in both salads and desserts.