I’ve been making lots of veggie noodle dishes lately. While it’s not necessary to own a closet full of kitchen gadgets to eat well, this gadget is fun and won’t break the bank.
And if you want to get kids involved in cooking, this vegetable slicer (also known as a spiralizer) rivals a Play-Doh factory, in my humble opinion. Just be careful of the blades. If you don’t have this handy slicer, a hand-held vegetable peeler or julienne peeler will do the trick.
My love of pesto is much deeper than that of pasta. Besides eating it by the spoonful straight from the food processor, I add pesto to stir-frys, soups and slow-cook recipes. The same goes for salsa. Don’t discount these nutrient-packed sides and condiments. They can make all the difference in the flavor and health benefits of a meal. One of my favorite condiments to have on hand is roasted cherry tomatoes, so I’ve added that recipe below as well.
My latest dairy-free pesto concoction uses avocado for an ultra creamy texture. Pesto is best when made using a food processor, but you can get by hand-dicing all the ingredients very finely and it will be more of a salsa than a pesto. If you’re looking for a more traditional pesto without avocado, try one of the pesto recipes in my cookbooks, this kale pesto recipe, or the dairy-free version of the kale recipe mentioned in the headnotes using pine nuts and salt in place of Parmesan.
Zucchini Pesto Noodles
Ingredients
- 4 zucchinis about 150 g each, or one zucchini per servings
- 1 cup pesto recipe below
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare the pesto.
- Use a vegetable slicer, peeler or julienne peeler to prepare the noodles.
- Warm a skillet on a medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Add the zucchini noodles to the skillet and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook them until they're the texture you prefer.
- Turn the heat off and add the pesto to the noodles and mix with a fork to blend well.
- Serve with roasted cherry tomatoes (recipe follows), or your favorite topping.
Nutrition
Avocado Kale Pesto
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1 kale bunch about 6 large stalks; remove the leaves from the stalks
- 2 green onions trimmed
- 1 avocado peeled and pitted
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add about 4 cups of water to a saucepan and bring to a steady low boil. Alternatively, you can set up a steamer to steam the kale.
- Turn the heat off of the water and add the kale to the boiling water for just a minute or two, and then remove them using a slotted spoon or tongs.
- Add the kale, onions, avocado, garlic and lemon juice to a food processor and pulse until mostly chopped and somewhat creamy in texture. Add more lemon juice or some water if it's too thick.
Nutrition
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C or gas mark 6).
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl and toss to coat the tomatoes.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick mat and spread the tomatoes across the baking sheet.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the tomatoes are beginning to caramelize but not burn.
- Cool and store sealed in the refrigerator for a week or so.
this sounds great since you normally need sooo much basil to make pesto and we have lots of garden kale! do you think i could substitute garlic scapes for the g.onion and garlic? and have you previously or do you think the roasted tomatoes would freeze well?
thanks 🙂
I’ve just planted lots of zucchini for future zucchini noodle dinners. We enjoyed many last summer, often with fresh tomato sauce. I would toss the noodles in the hot sauce at the very end and that was all that was needed to take the raw, slippery feeling away from the zukes. Also want to mention: nice big carrots make good noodles with the spiralizer (I have the same one as above photo). Again, a little simmer in a sauce will cook the carrot enough.
Nice tips! thanks. Yes to carrots!
My love for Zucchini runs deep! This is amazing. I can’t wait to try it. What would your recommend for a little protein punch to this recipe?
Update: just had this dish with pan-fried shrimp! Just cooked the shrimp in a skillet with some butter and minced garlic for about 6 minutes. Good question on the protein: for omnivores, chicken strips or diced up chicken fingers, grilled chicken, grilled fish, or even a side of grilled steak would be good. I usually don’t worry about the protein on this dish for myself even though I don’t eat meat too often – it fills me up. I might sprinkle some Parmesan over it or goat cheese.
This is EXACTLY what I’ve had on my mind to make this week. I recently got the spiralizer and want to break it in with a basil pesto. I hadn’t thought of using avocado for a dairy-free version. Perfect! Thank you so much, Erica. I look forward to trying the roasted tomatoes too! =)
Do try the tomatoes, they are my favorite!