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.
Just made this and it was incredible! I will definitely be adding this as a staple in my home!!
I didn’t have a spiralizer so I just bought pre-made zoodles. My dish came out pretty good, just the zoodles were a big wet mess with the pesto. I tried to make them al dente so it was more like pasta but yeah.. Idunno… definitely didn’t look like the picture :(.
I’m so sorry your zoodles didn’t work out for you! Next time you could try to really soak up any excess water from the zucchini with paper towels or a cheese cloth, squeezing out any water. You could also place the zucchini noodles in a colander and sprinkle a little salt on them which will help bring out any extra water too. Just some ideas!
Do you need to peel the zucchini before you spiraling them?
I always keep the skin on, but that’s up to you!
Excellent recipe!!! I put lemon basil chicken and tomatoes on top. My new favorite!!!
I am thinking about making this for dinner this week. Since it is avocado based does it turn brown after a day or two?
It can, but I like to wrap it with plastic wrap pushing the plastic wrap into the sauce so that no air can get to it which helps! 🙂
I made a triple batch of the pesto expecting a crowd of 25-30 but used vegetable pasta instead of zucchini noodles. Everyone at the picnic, both vegans and non-vegans, loved it. It’s absolutely delicious! I will definitely make this again.
Omg So Simple and So tasty! Loved it! and Will cook it with rice next time 😉
Will make this recipe, just got a Veggie Bullet and want to make all kinds of things with it.
is this whole30 friendly?
Yes it is!
Found this on Pinterest this morning and just made it – OMgoodnes!!! I’m inhaling it as we speak. Sooo good. Definitely hits the creamy pasta craving. Thank you! Thank you!