Zucchini noodles tossed together in a creamy avocado pesto for a delicious healthy weeknight dinner that is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan and can be easily made in under 20 minutes!
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Happy Meatless Monday!
No I’m not a vegetarian, but sometimes I just love having a day where the only thing I fill my body with are fresh fruits and veggies, especially after a big Super Bowl weekend! Yup. My diet yesterday pretty much consisted of beer, chicken wings, cheesy dips and pizza…..uh I think my body is screaming for a serious detox, but you know what, I enjoyed every second of it! Especially the commercials. And Beyonce. I mean the Super Bowl only comes once a year so I totally welcome the little, err BIG splurge that comes with it!
This recipe is perfect because it’s super filling, crazy healthy and the best part is you feel like you’re eating a big bowl of pasta! It’s also incredibly quick and easy to make too (literally under 20 minutes), especially the creamy avocado pesto that’s gets drizzled over the top. No need to heat up either!
See how easy that is??
Just throw everything into your food processor
and blend away! I think I could literally eat that whole thing too in one sitting, just hand me a spoon. To make the zucchini noodles, all you need is a spiralizer
(or you could julienne them, but seriously who has time for that??) I highly recommend investing in a spiralizer because you’ll really get so much use out of it, not just zucchini, and you can get one at around $30 or less!
I also love zucchini noodles because they don’t take that long to cook either. Now zucchinis are made up of 95% water – crazy right?! – so it’s important to try and get out any excess water so you don’t have soggy noodles. The easiest way for me to do this is by putting them in a colander in the sink, sprinkling them with a little salt and letting the water drain out. Then I just pat them dry with a paper towel and they’re crisp and ready to go!
Now this dish honestly tastes just as good cold too, especially if you like crisp raw veggies, but since I prefer my zoodles having that “pasta-like” feel, I simply sauteed mine for a few minutes on the stove and then just tossed them with the pesto sauce. Super simple!
Just a quick note: avocado tends to brown easily so if you do want to enjoy any leftovers, make sure to wrap tightly with plastic wrap (making sure the plastic wrap is pressed up against the pesto sauce) to prevent from browning. This tastes best served immediately though – enjoy!
Zucchini Noodles with Creamy Avocado Pesto
Ingredients
- 6 large zucchini, spiralized
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
For the Sauce:
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Spiralize your zucchini and set aside on paper towels so that any excess water is soaked up.
- In a food processor, add avocados, basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice and sea salt and pulse until finely chopped. Then with the motor still running, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified and creamy.
- Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat then add zucchini noodles, cooking for about 1 to 2 minutes until tender.
- Add zucchini noodles to a large bowl and toss with avocado pesto. Season with cracked pepper and a little Parmesan, serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I had a bought a food processor because it was very well priced but did not really know what to make with it.
Then i found your recipe and it tasted wonderful.
I had no idea how easy it is to make such good tasting healthy food.
Thanks, Jan
http://www.carpettilewholesale.co.uk
Your recipe is absolutely ideal for me because i love tasty food that does not put on the pounds.
It is so low on fat and sugar and tastes really good.
We are so often told that tasty food can be bad for you.
This recipe breaks that rule. It is delicious.
https://www.carpettilewholesale.co.uk
I didn’t have any pine nuts, so I used pecans. Even with the substitution, this dish was a HIT. Delicious through and through.
Because of my mother’s heart health, I have been trying to cook WFPB meals for her. I’m just getting started building a recipe base. I’m rating the recipes that I try as hits or misses. This is definitely a hit. I’ve made it 3 times already. I made it oil free by using aquafaba from garbanzo beans instead of the oil and then, I’ve added the garbanzo beans with the zoodles. And I toasted a few pine nuts to garnish with when I serve. So very yummy. Thanks for this recipe
OMG. One of the best meals I’ve ever had. I’m DEFINITELY cheating. Sharing this recipe with all of my lady friends. Hope you all feel the same way about this recipe:)
I really appreciate how you use just all natural, fresh ingredients. this sauce looks absolutely yummy!! and I gotta say I love your little pinterest peach icon hehe looks soo cute 😉 !
How would you reheat these for leftovers? Throw it all in a skillet or would a microwave work as well?
Either way would work just fine 🙂 This also actually tastes great cold!
Yum, Yum, YUMMO!!! We ate ALL of it! I first “scampied” some shrimp in butter, garlic and a little italian seasoning then removed from the pan and continued with the recipe. The only change was subbing walnuts because I didnt have pine nuts on hand. My husband actually MOANED when he took his first bite. I doubled the pesto and am going to try freezing the extra. Thanks for a wonderful meal!
BEST ever! Loved it and will make it over and over! Well done. I love this website