Zucchini Noodles with Nikos Feta Cream Sauce

We nearly always have crumbled feta on hand at home. It is the perfect creamy, salty addition to our salads (like this one). But I realized recently I rarely cook with it and I had to remedy that. 

It just so happens that zucchini and feta make a great pairing and this is the time of year when folks are discovering baseball bat sized squashes popping up seemingly overnight in their gardens. So with that in mind, I created this recipe as a handy way to use up some zucchini. 

First of all, you'll need a way to cut your zucchini into noodle sized pieces. I used the unfortunately named Veggetti (link in sidebar, if you're interested), but there are a variety of products out there which will noodle-ify your zukes for you.

Once cooked down, these zucchini noodles make a great base for a rich, creamy feta sauce. We gobbled up full bowls of this stuff, but this dish would also make a great accompaniment to a roasted meat main course.

Zucchini Noodles with Feta Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 zucchinis, cut into noodles
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 6 oz. crumble cup of Nikos Traditional Feta
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 6 large basil leaves, minced
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (or more, if preferred)

Instructions

1. Bring a pot off water to boil. Add zucchini for one minute. 
2. Drain water. Rinse zucchini noodles with cold water. Drain well.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat on the stove.
4. When butter has melted, whisk in flour for one minute.
5. Slowly pour in milk while whisking until no lumps of flour remain.
6. Mix in minced garlic and crushed red pepper.
7. Begin adding feta to the mix, a little at a time, while whisking.
8. Once the sauce is smooth, mix in basil and lemon zest.
9. Mix zucchini noodles in with the sauce before serving (or pour the sauce over, if you prefer!)
10. Enjoy!

And lest you think delicious cheese is the only thing you'll get when you purchase Nikos Feta, may I present my son's favorite new toy. (Seriously. He loves it.)

As if that wasn't exciting enough, Nikos Feta is also hosting a giveaway right now! One lucky contestant will enjoy a seven-day, six-night trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, during the 2015 Hawaii Food & Wine Festival (August 29 - September 13, 2015).

To enter, visit www.nikosfeta.com or the "Hawaii Trip" tab on the Nikos Feta Facebook page by July 31st, and fill out the entry form. That's it! Easy, peasy! Full contest information is available in the Official Rules.

For more great recipes and serving suggestions (and food porn!), visit the Nikos Feta Pinterest Page and Nikos Feta on Instragram.

Many thanks to Nikos® Feta cheeses for sponsoring today’s story and encouraging me to try fun new ways to add feta cheese to my menu!