Zoodles, as they are often called, can easily be made at home if you have an interesting little gadget called a spiralizer. Mine is by OXO, and is manually turned to push fresh veggies and fruit through sharp holes to create long spirals. Sweet potatoes, apples, cucumbers -even onions and cabbage- can be fed through the spiralizer to create long spirals, wide ribbons, or fine shreds of produce. But if you’re not in the market for another kitchen gadget, I’ve been seeing pre-spiralized sweet potatoes, zucchini, and squash available in the produce section of many-a-grocery store lately.
For this dish, I sautéed the spiralized zucchini for just a few minutes in a skillet to warm it through, however you could certainly eat this tasty dish cold and skip the skillet altogether. Another note about the zucchini: there is no need to peel it first. The peel adds a bit of extra fiber and texture to the dish. If you are trying to appeal to a picky eater though, you might want to skin the squash and ditch the evidence. This will yield a more familiar, noodle-like consistency.
The pesto comes together ridiculously fast in a food processor or blender and really makes the zoodles shine. Is it just me, or is there something so sophisticated about the nutty/herbaceous combination of basil and pine nuts? I mean, any pesto is fancy and delicious, but once you make it for yourself it’s like “I. Have. Arrived.”
To add a little something extra to the dish I went for these colorful heirloom cherry tomatoes. However, if you are planning to eat this as a main dish and need a bit more protein, shrimp or chicken would be the perfect accompaniment. As it is, I think this would make a killer side dish for all sorts of meals, as well.
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PinDescription
Summery zucchini noodles tossed with fresh basil pesto and heirloom cherry tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 tablespoons fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 3 – 4 medium zucchini, spiralized with the spaghetti-sized blade
- 1 cup heirloom grape tomatoes, sliced in half
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine basil leaves, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, garlic, and parmesan cheese. Pulse until creamy.
- Heat zucchini noodles in a skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until al dente. Add in pesto and cherry tomatoes and toss until heated through.
Notes
Alternatively, you can serve the dish cold. Simply toss fresh, uncooked zucchini noodles with pesto and tomatoes. Recipe inspired by Inspiralized.
Keywords: pesto zucchini noodles zoodles
