Pesto with Zucchini “Noodles”
I have a confession to make – I am a basil freak. Yep… I love it! And one of my favorite things to make with basil, why of course, pesto! If you haven’t had the chance to try pesto yet, you are so missing out and really should try the recipe below ASAP. This recipe will change your life! 😀 OK, maybe not change your life, but you get what I’m saying…
So usually pesto comes in handy when you want to turn a boring pasta dish into something quite amazing. However, since I am no longer eating pasta, I had to get creative and zucchini noodles came to mind. I made my zucchini noodles with this rockin’ gadget. I love this thing. It’s super user-friendly and clean up is a breeze. You gotta get one.
After making my “noodles”, I threw them into a bowl and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Then I set them to the side to focus on making some delicious and simple pesto.
Simple and Delicious Pesto
(Makes enough sauce for about 5 zucchinis)
Ingredients:
2 bunches of fresh basil (about 4 to 5 cups)
3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano Cheese (you could use Parmesan, but I love Romano!)
Freshly squeezed juice from 1 lemon
2 to 3 cloves of garlic
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (possibly more or less)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon black pepper (possibly more or less)
1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
Place all ingredients (except for the olive oil) in a blender or Vitamix. Gradually drizzle in the olive oil while blending until you reach the right consistency. Make sure to taste, as you may need to add more or less salt and pepper.
Nuke the zucchini noodles for a couple of minutes and make sure to drain any water that has formed in the bottom of the bowl. Throw Pesto sauce over the noodles and toss until evenly combined. I topped my pesto “noodles” with some additional grated Romano cheese and diced tomatoes… so delicious!
And yes, I am cheating a bit on Whole 30 by having the Romano Cheese… but I couldn’t help myself! 🙂
YUM!!!!!!!!! I want some!!!!
What an awesome idea!! I definitely have to check out that gadget 🙂
Wow, that looks really tasty, I wish I had a machine like yours, I wonder how I can make noodles without one. I don’t blame you a bit for cheating, honestly I don’t know how you’ve gone this long, I would cheat a few times a day!!!!! I’m hoping to see you on “Chopped” someday, you’re turning into quite a Chef! 🙂
I was wondering the same thing, “how can I make this with out that cool gadget?” Looks and sounds fantastic!
I’m not sure how it works on zucchini, but with squash you can cut them in half spoon out the seeds, cover in olive oil bake until soft then use a fork to scrap out the squash and it will come out to a stringy noodle.
Zucchini doesn’t make “noodles” like spaghetti squash.
Grate them along the length of the zucchini on a grater for long threads. Or if you have a mandoline, they’ll be more noodle-like.
Well I am glad to see you “cheated”..It is very difficult to maintain a too restrictive diet..no matter how good you feel..you wouldn’t want to “fall off the wagon” completely! But a little bit and you don’t feel so guilty! I am speaking from experience:) When can we see the meatloaf recipe? :))
Hi Collin–how do you work a full time job, have a family and come up with new recipes that are paleo friendly (and take pictures too!)? 🙂
I wonder the same thing!
LOL! I’ve got some great sidekicks and an awesome hubby who all help out BIG time! 🙂 I don’t know what I’d do without them.
Never knew Colin works a full time job! She is a super woman!
Me either, I never knew she worked!! Wow – I could never work full time, and do everything she does………..Super woman, or maybe she’s magic!!!
I think (although I’m not Collin) that by “full-time job,” she meant being the founder and primary contributor of this blog. (At least that’s what I’ve gathered from following this blog for several years.) Correct me, Collin, if I’m wrong! 🙂
Hi Steph–yes–I meant that Colin does this blog full time and everything else–she’s amazing 🙂
Yes, she is very deligent hard-working super mom and wife!
yes …..simply amazing……….
Oh and also wanted to ask opinions on the amazon price of coconut oil..right now its 18$ and down to 15.?? with subscribe and save..is that good?
We have found that our Walmart has the very best deal on coconut oil. 32 oz for $9!!
great find! what brand was it? Also where is coconut oil located in the score?
I wouldn’t worry about the cheese – you are eating tons of healthy veggies and fruits. I tried Paleo but have gone back into Whole Foods – but Paleo recipes are still good and still part of what I eat.
Romano & Parmesan cheese— yuck! I can not stand them. Just the plain zucchini and then we are talking or the pesto w/o the parm … Yummy!
There is nothing better than REAL Romano or Parmesan, not that fake stuff Kraft sells in a bottle! I bought it once b/c I had a coupon, nevahhh again! I buy a block from a little local grocery store and grate it myself or slice it real thin to top salads. I’m Italian so I grew up eating it, very salty though so a little goes a long way!
Use a veggie peeler, it makes great slivers!
Wow i read this like 15minutes ago and it’s on the first page of the food section on pinterest coool!
I am going to do whole30, keep the recipes coming, that looks delicious! Also let us know if the vegetable slicer is on sale 🙂 It looks awesome but I can’t spend too much on one!
that looks great …You have also great equipment in a kitchen ….
looove that vitamix with a knob ….and that zuchini slicer …..omg
this all awesome…..wow
thank u
Gosh now I want that zuchinni slicer even more..!!!!!!!!!!lol
.I m thinking to buy it for like last few last months …..not sure if i ll ever use it…………..
Is the price it’s at now–$31.75–a good deal, or wait for it to go lower??
I want to know that too! Colin, did you buy it from Amazon too? Also, I have hard time finding fresh basil at supermarkets in Winter…. It costs gold if it is USA organic, but I do not want to buy Columbia or Peru conventional becuase you cannot imagine how long it has been since it was packed! Do you grow your own? If so, how can you keep it grow in such a cold weather?!
For those of you that like pesto (like myself), if you haven’t before, grow your own basil! It is seriously the easiest thing in the world to grow and it will keep producing all season long when you keep removing the mature leaves. We ate fresh pesto all last summer and even froze some for the winter and we only had about 5 basil plants. We go through pesto fast (DH and I only eat non dairy so we make a special variety) so I’m planning to eat least triple that. Even at a farmer’s market, basil can be pricey and so spending 50 cents on seeds and buying a little planter is way more price friendly!
We swear by growing basil through the summer too. We don’t start with seeds though (I don’t plan ahead that well, lol). We buy a plant that has just sprouted for $2.00 or so, plant it, and in a couple weeks it just takes off! Then we can cut off the plant all summer. We do it with thyme, chives and rosemary too. I find that we use those frequently in eggs, marinades, potatoes, pastas, salads, etc. And not buying fresh herbs each time saves $$$$$. Great idea on the “noodles” – We’ll have to grow zukes this year too!
thats a great idea
Would love to have the recipe for the non dairy version!
I would love to know non daily version too! Also, do you grow basil inside the house? Or outside? I mean, in Winter I wonder how you can keep them alive… But I am afraid of the bugs if you grow it inside of the house.
You can grow basil inside the house during the winter (and summer!), just leave it near a window so it gets some light! I have never had bugs from my plants! Make sure and trim any flowers as soon as they show though, otherwise your Basil gets yucky tasting.
I was just going to say the same thing, you can grow all kinds of herbs inside as long as they have a sunny place, fresh herbs year round!!
Looks super yummy!!!
Have you ever had spaghetti squash? It’d be a great alternative for those who don’t have “the gadget”. It’s easy to cook and the fleshy part can be eaten just like noodles!
Yep… I agree! I LOVE spaghetti squash too! I used it in this yummy recipe…
https://hip2save.com/2012/02/09/spaghetti-and-meatballs-paleo-style-yum/
Hey Collin! Do you find the the veggie”spaghettis” fill your craving at all for real pasta??
Made spaghetti squash with arugula pesto recently — sooooo good!
Would love the recipe for the arugula pesto! Not a fan of basil but like to try different types of pesto.
I would love to know too! I love Arugula!!
Just switch the Basil for Arugula!
I don’t use a recipe, per se. Like Collin’s recipe, but use arugula and a bit of parsley instead of basil. Use younger leaves for less bite. You could also use any nut, such as walnut or almond. Parmesan is standard, but any salty dry cheese such as asiago or aged gouda works well. Try adding a bit of lemon zest for a fresh taste. Pestos are so versatile — have fun with it, you can’t go wrong!
My sister tries to eat raw AND I never know what to get her for her birthday. I’m thinking she might be getting one of these slicers this year. I just ordered on for me 🙂
I waaaaant one …..
but I know it looks awesome but in reality I have now so many gadgets ….I have titan peelers and etc….not 100 % sure if I ll use it……
I wish someone would sell one used one really cheap…so Im checking ebay
I also have 2 food processors …what U can do is cut zucchini in Your food processor ..
it will not be that pretty but it will kind of taste the same ……
till the good sale ll come…..lol
I have a “Saladacco” spiral slicer! Been using it for years. We actually had zuchinni and yellow squash “pasta” last night with marinara sauce and cottage cheese on top 🙂 healthy, great for vegans, rawfoodist, and those with alergies to wheat!
I want one of those too………….lol
For those who own this slicer, can they be really used for zuchinni? I read through reviews on Amazon, and some people said that it does not work well with zuchinni since it is too small… In this season, zuchinni is very small…. so I am wondering if I should order it now or wait until it gets warmer.
yes I read those rewievs too and Im not sure if this is something I cant live without ….
hhhhhmmmmm…….
I just bought one on ebay for $29.95 Free Shipping. Oops! Now I see that https://www.buyspirooli.com has the best price for $19.95 plus $8.95 shipping and a 2nd one for half price, no extra shipping. A penny saved… 🙂
I have the same spiralizer from Amazon. I love it so much. I dont nuke my zucchini, its really not necessary. I make a raw marinara sauce with fresh and sun dried tomatoes. Its so good, I purr when I eat it! If you eat raw, its a must-have gadget.
Kim, what type of noodle do you pair with raw marinara sauce? Yummy! Never thought about using sun dried tomatoes for raw pasta sauce… Gotta search recipes for that!
I don’t get it, Collin, you don’t eat dairy products now, right? So what’s with all the cheese? Was it some non-dairy cheese?
I keep seeing ads for some almond cheese in our local New Frontier’s ad (Not sure if it’s a nationwide chain) and I’ve been really curious to try it. But they never have it!
Hi Collin,
I missed it….why aren’t you eating pasta anymore?
Thanks for the yummy recipe!
She is eating a Paleo lifestyle!
oh, Thanks, Jen. What prompted the change?
She did it for health reasons.
What is that gadget? Please tell!
Has anyone tried cooking the zuchinni any way other than using a microwave? I don’t actually own one. Could you steam the noodles for a few minutes? I wondered what they would do to the texture. Collin, that you for sharing another delicious looking meal!
Should be “thank you” not “that you!”
I just went and purchased that “rocking gadget”!!!!
THANK COLLIN
Collin I just wanted to tell you that I REALLY appreciate all these recipes. I have been doing primal eating since December so I have really cut back on my coupon usage, it seems like there are too many coupons for unhealthy foods out there. I still appreciate all the online bargains and all your money saving tips. I never knew about the amazon where house section. I made your home made taco seasoning today and it was fantastic! Thank you for using your blog to help inform people about healthy eating, You are making a huge impact. I am struggling with getting my kids to adapt to our healthy new eating. They will eat some of the things i make, but not most of them. Do you have this problem with your kiddos? What are some of your kids favorite grain free dinners?
Woohoo! I had one of those gadgets in the cabinet but had never used it. I will now for sure. Got it at a thrift store to use for slicing but will try the “noodle” attachment as well. Never knew what it was for.
Thanks for all you do, Colin. You are an inspiration.
I LOVE the gadget. Bought one when you posted about it…AND..I am ADDICTED to zuchinni pasta!!! I have never made “home made” pesto..but I LOVE this pre-made pesto in a jar..I add it to my zuchinni and waaalaaa..LOVE it!! OR add Ragu spaghetti sauce or vodka sauce or alfredo sauce..but yes I LOVE this gadget..ppl u must get it!! I havent tried to use it for anything else yet, but I did just bought a butternut squash..I want to try and use that..but it seems so hard..do I have to cook it first ? has anyone tried this? let me know thanks!
Carrie- I tried to “blanch it” like boil it for a second then quickly put it in cold water then drain..didn’t turn out that great..When I steamed it in the microwave for 2 mins it came out perfect.