Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Avocado Pesto

This spiralized zucchini pasta is tossed in creamy basil and avocado pesto to make a deliciously low carb and gluten-free dinner!

I’ll be the first to admit that…I don’t always eat my vegetables. Or at least, not as many as I should. But when I got my hands on my very first vegetable spiralizers, I knew things were going to change.

Zucchini noodles (or zoodles as I like to call them), are my favorite thing to make with a spiralizer. Zucchini is soft enough to cut into perfect spirals, and its neutral flavor makes it great as a pasta substitute! And when topped with creamy avocado pesto…perfection.

Zucchini Pasta Video

How do you make zucchini noodles?

The easiest way to make zucchini noodles is with a spiralizer. This handheld spiralizer and this standing spiralizer both make great vegetable pasta! If you don’t have a vegetable spiralizer, simply cut the zucchini into ¼ inch wide strips or peel into thin “fettuccini” using a vegetable peeler. Alternatively, slice them into thin slabs to make zucchini lasagna noodles!

To make zucchini noodles, you’ll need to get yourself some zucchini. Cut off each end, then cut each zucchini in half to fit in your spiralizer. Place the zucchini half in your spiralizer so that it’s perfectly centered, then spiralize! Apply constant pressure while spiralizing the zucchini to create uniform, long noodles.

Zucchini noodles hold a lot of water, so it can be useful at this point to sprinkle the noodles with salt and let it sit for 15 minutes to let water drain out.

What is the best way to cook zucchini pasta?

Don’t treat zucchini noodles like regular noodles. While you would usually boil pasta, don’t go that route here! Boiling zucchini leaches out water-soluble vitamins (vitamin C and B6 in the case of zucchini). Instead, saute the zucchini noodles on the stove with a touch of olive oil until they are soft.

Sauce for Zucchini Noodles

But of course, no good zucchini pasta is complete without a great sauce. I wanted something creamy without, well, the cream. And this perfect avocado pesto sauce is just that: part creamy, part tasty, mostly healthy. Throw avocado, garlic, basil, and lemon into the food processor and blend, then add a dash of extra virgin olive oil and finish with a dash of salt and pepper to taste.

Other sauces that are great on zucchini pasta: romesco, marinara, or traditional pesto!

Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Avocado Pesto

4.66 from 61 votes

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 5 minutes

Total: 15 minutes

Author: Sarah Bond

Calories: 362kcal

Servings: 2 large portions

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These spiralized zucchini noodles are tossed in creamy avocado pesto to make a delicious gluten-free dinner! 

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 avocado ripe
• ▢ 1 clove garlic
• ▢ ½ cup fresh basil leaves
• ▢ 1 Tbsp lemon juice 15 mL
• ▢ 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 30 mL
• ▢ Water as needed
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 2-3 zucchinis spiralized or cut into ¼ inch wide strips

Instructions 

• Sauce: In a food processor, blend avocado, garlic, basil leaves and lemon juice until smooth, then mix in extra virgin olive oil. Add water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until sauce reaches a fluid yet thick consistency. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Zucchini Noodles: Saute zoodles with a splash of olive oil over medium/high heat until slightly soft and bright green, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain excess water.
• Serve: Toss zoodles with sauce and top with parmesan cheese (you may not need all of the sauce).

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving (half recipe) Calories: 362kcal (18%) Carbohydrates: 16g (5%) Protein: 4.6g (9%) Fat: 34.1g (52%) Saturated Fat: 6.3g (39%) Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 28mg (1%) Potassium: 1043mg (30%) Fiber: 9.1g (38%) Sugar: 4.1g (5%) Calcium: 40mg (4%) Iron: 1.4mg (8%)

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