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.
The recipe looks delicious and healthy, but PLEASE use a larger and/or darker font. Older eyes have a lot of trouble with the tiny, pale words and may never return.
I apologize that everything is so hard to read! My new site launches at the end of this week and everything will be much easier to read and navigate recipes 🙂
Looks great! You really need to add a pinterest button on ur pics so I can save them easily! 🙂
There actually is one, but for some reason it’s so small! My new site launches next week so all these little things will be fixed 🙂
Try a simple webpage bookmark….
I made this tonight and the flavor was great! However, it was very heavy on the pesto and way off on the calorie count by myfitnesspal measurements. Still yummy though!
I zoodle all the time. But never have I added pesto, let alone avocado pesto. This is just amazing. I have just started to like avocados so when I say it’s amazing, it’s because it is!!!
This was delicious! I made this tonight and it was amazing-boyfriend approved as well. I do have one recommendation for anyone wanting to make this- I would double up on the zucchini and use four. I found that they tend to shrink when cooked and two zucchini’s worth of zoodles was not enough for two people. Otherwise, a total hit with my boyfriend and I!
sounds deliscioso….
This looks AMAZING. Making this for dinner tonight!
Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
This made me realize how badly I need a spiralizer. I have always had a soft spot for pasta, but turned my back on it when my pants were getting too snug for my liking. But after seeing this post, you have restored hope.
I’m so glad! I really think you’ll love having one 🙂
The sauce looks so good!!
Kisses from http://poshnessary.com ❤
I just made this for dinner and it was AH MA ZING! My husband couldn’t believe how good it tasted for not being “real pasta”. Wow! And that avocado pesto… I would put that on everything!
So glad you and your hubby enjoyed!! xo