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
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’ve owned a spiralizer for over a year now and have never used it, but this recipe has inspired me! I will have to break it out and make these noodles this week!!
XO – Sarah
http://beautyandblooms.com/
Great! Let me know how you like them! 🙂
Looks yummy! How many servings does it make?
About 4 or 5, depending on the size of your zucchini! 🙂
I could put this in front of my kids and they wouldn’t know its healthy!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
http://www.sophobsessed.com
I do that with my hubby too! Works every time 😉
Ugh. I really need to get a spiralizer! This looks delicious!!
You’ll love it!
This looks delish Kelly! I actually made avocado pesto for dinner tonight – testing a recipe from a fellow blogger who just came out with a new cookbook! It’s delish!
Oh how fun! I could definitely eat pesto all day with a spoon 😛
I think i made my pesto wrong, I dont have pine nuts, a spiralizer or a food processor..I used pumpkin seeds and a blender..then used a carrots peeler to make noodles!
Looks so yummy!
I don’t have space for a large spiralizer. Do you know of any compact ones that would still work? I’d love to try making this!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
They really aren’t that big honestly, I keep mine in the box and store it in my pantry 🙂 BUT if you do want something more compact you could try this handheld spiralizer! http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/oxo-good-grips-reg-hand-held-spiralizer/1044825102
I actually have a hand held one that works great! Super small. It’s about the size of a regular coffee mug.
I have an oxo tiny spiralizer ~ $15 and very small. It works better than the $49 one from William’s Sonoma & much easier to clean!
This honestly could not look more delicious!
Pesto zoodles are my go-to quick dinner! So easy and I feel so much better than if I had a quick pasta dish. But your avocado pesto sounds so delicious, I can’t wait to try your recipe!
I should make znoodels more often. Great recipe!
Kisses from http://poshnessary.com ❤
Are you sure there is only 172 calories in 1.5 cups??! Holy moly. I feel like I’m cheating here. This recipe is so delicious!! Keeper! I’m definitely going to add grilled shrimp next time. Yum!!
I’m making my worth salmon!!