Pesto Zucchini Noodles Recipe (2024)

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Want to satisfy your pasta cravings without the carbs? Well, now you can! I have been experimenting with vegetable noodles in search of a dish that offers a healthier and lighter alternative. After a few trials, we have deemedpesto zucchini noodles a promising compromise.

My pesto zucchini noodles consist of sauteed zucchini noodles paired with fresh homemade basil pesto, fresh mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes. Plus, you can add chicken for some extra protein and a more substantial dish! If you’re feeling skeptical, I was a little at first too. This quick and easy recipe yielded theclosest results to pesto pasta in all of our trials (and it even looks like pasta too). If anything, it makes a great side veggie.

Pesto can be the star of the dish, such as in a delightful pesto pasta salad or coating gnocchi with shrimp. If you’d like it to go just a bit further though, try it as an accent in a chicken panini.

How to Cook Zucchini Noodles

The key to cooking zucchini noodles is to not overcook them. In fact, you want to very lightly saute them in a pan with oil to warm them up. Overcooking will make them soggy and watery. No need to heat them for more than 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Whatever you do, don’t boil the noodles or they will turn into a soupy mush.

Zucchini is nearly flavorless, allowing the pesto sauce to really take over and carry the entire dish. This recipe is on the table in about 15 minutes if you buy preparedzucchini noodles, which are pretty common in most grocery stores. If you’re feeling more ambitiousyou can easily make your own using a spiralizer.

Tips for Making Homemade Basil Pesto

More important than anything in this entire recipe is making your own homemade basil pesto. This will add tremendous fresh flavor that will help balance the lack of real flavor and texture from delicious pasta. Homemade pesto is very easy to make at home. Here are some important tips.

• Pesto is best made in a food processor, however, I’ve been making it in a single-serve smoothie blender for a long time. The key is to pulse the blender so as to not overblend the pesto and turn it into slime. Shake the contents to help mix as needed.
• Pesto should be thick and slightly granular in appearance. If it’s too thick, add more olive oil to help thin it out a bit. Pesto can be adjusted in a bowl by simply stirring in extra olive oil.
• Always use extra virgin olive oil and FRESH ingredients. Do not substitute canola or vegetable oil.
• Do not use dried basil! Always use fresh basil leaves.
• If your pesto is too thin or runny and you’ve run out of fresh basil, you can add some baby spinach. You can also stir in a little cornstarch. This will help to thicken the sauce without adding any flavor. I would merely consider this a last resort but it works in a pinch.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Adjust pesto with additional salt afterward. The salt helps to bring out the flavor and really makes pesto pop.
• Fresh garlic is best, but you can substitute garlic powder.
• Walnuts can be substituted for pine nuts. I prefer pine nuts, but walnuts work in a pinch. You can usually find pine nuts in the baking aisle with the other nuts.

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