Zucchinis are a summer staple, and if you like pasta but avoid it due to calories or gluten, then “zucchini pasta” is a great dish to indulge in. I find that this dish is filling, healthy and it feels like you are eating a big bowl of pasta but gluten-free. It is incredibly easy to do, and you can have it as a main dish or as a side dish with your protein of choice.

This  dish tastes equally delicious hot or cold. In summer time, you can serve it cold, with a side of heirloom tomatoes drizzle with olive oil and mint. For a pasta like feel, you can sautéed the noodles for a few minutes for a firmer touch. That’s pretty much all the cooking you will perform.

 All you need to do is combine all the ingredients in a food processor (or blender) to make the pesto sauce. To make the zucchini noodles you can use a spiralizer or you can cut them julienne style.

Zucchini Pasta with Avocado/Pesto Sauce
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INGREDIENTS

Effort: Mild Medium Strong
Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8

  • 6 large organic zucchinis, spiralized

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

Sauce:

  • 2 ripe avocados

  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves

  • ½ cup of fresh parsley (if you use pistachios)

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • ¼ cup pine nuts or chopped pistachios (reserve some for sprinkling on top)

  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice

  • ½ tsp. Himalayan salt

  • 3 Tbsp olive oil

  • Parmesan cheese or grated brasil nuts for vegan option

  • Cracked black pepper to taste

PREP

  • Spiralize your zucchini and set aside in a colander to drain.

  • If short on time, lay them in paper towels so that any excess water is soaked up.

  • In a food processor, add the avocados, basil leaves, parsley, garlic, pine nuts or pistachios, lemon juice and Himalayan salt and pulse until finely chopped. Then with the motor still running, add olive oil in a slow stream until smooth and creamy.

  • Drizzle olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat then add zucchini noodles, cooking for about 1 to 2 minutes.

  • Add zucchini noodles to a large bowl and toss with avocado pesto.

  • Season with cracked pepper and sprinkle Parmesan or grated brazil nuts and the chopped pistachios.

 
TIPS:

  • Always buy organic Zucchinis since conventional ones are genetically modified.

  • I recommend investing in a small spiralizer like this, it is easy to use and you don’t need much space to store it. This other style is the Paderno, a “classic spiralizer” that most people know and use and stacks together for storage.

  • Since Zucchinis are made of 95% water, once spiralized let them drain in a colander.

  • Add the sauce once you are ready to serve to avoid “watery” noodles.

  • You can easily replace pine nuts for chopped pistachios

  • To peel the pistachios faster, toast them lightly, and when they cool, the skin will come off.

  • If you decide to go for the pistachios, add the ½ cup of parsley to tone down the sweetness

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