If you are looking to start you new year right and get more veggies into your diet, this is a super easy recipe to get you started! This healthy zucchini pesto noodle dish is full of flavours and very easy to create and you will feel great eating it too! If you are not a fan of pesto, you can always just use a tomato based sauce!
What are zucchini noodles? (Are they Good for you?)
A lot of people are trying to eat more vegetables and one fun way to do so is to spiralize it (or in simpler terms, just cutting it in a fun way!) If you dont’ have a gadget to spiralize your zucchini or any other veggies, you can simply shred it with a grater or simply slice them into thin strips. Zucchini noodles has a nice crunch and absorbs flavours very well so they make for an ideal noodle substitution. This is a great option for people that are adapting to a gluten free diet.
What is Pesto? How do I store it? Is it healthy?
If you haven’t tried pesto, you are missing out! It is a very simple sauce that works great on pasta, fish, chicken, and really any protein! The best thing about pesto is that it is actually very easy to make. It usually includes olive oil, parmesan cheese, a type of nut and a fresh herb. My favourite is olive oil, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and fresh basil. The best part about making pesto is that it is fast to make (only a few seconds in the blender) and you can store it in the fridge for a few days or even freeze it for months so you always have delicious fresh pesto sauce in your kitchen. If you are looking to cut back on rich, buttery sauces, a great alternative is pesto. It will give you tons of flavour and it is relatively good for you still!
Healthy Zucchini Pesto Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic
- olive oil for cooking
- 2 bunches fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup olive oil You may need more to make the pesto sauce consistency
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
For Zucchini Noodles Prep
- Cut tomatoes in half and set aside
- Cut zucchini into strips or if you have a spiralizer, you and create spiralized zucchini noodles
- Finely chop garlic cloves
Pesto Sauce
- Add to a blender olive oil, parmesan cheese, basil leaves, and 1/2 the amount of garlic cloves
- Blend until sauce comes together, if it is too thick, add a little more olive oil until the sauce is at your desired consistency
Putting it all together
- Add olive oil in a pan set to medium heat and add remaining garlic
- Let garlic cook a little until slightly golden in colour and add cherry tomatoes, cook until they are slightly soften
- Add zucchini and cook for a minute
- Add pesto sauce, coat zucchini noodles and turn off heat
- Serve with extra parmesan cheese and pine nuts if desired!
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