Zucchini Pasta with Pesto

Name: Zucchini Pasta with Pesto
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3 zucchinis; 1/2 tsp sea salt ((Himalayan)); basil ((for garnish)); 1 cup basil ((fresh)); 1/2 cup virgin olive oil; 2 Tbsp lemon juice; 2 Tbsp pine nuts; 2 Tbsp almonds; 4 garlic cloves; sea salt ((a sprinkle of himalayan))

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Susanna Liang in Comfort Foods

Serves

Level

Easy

Ingredients

Ingreds.

Total

15min

Serves

Level

Easy

Ingredients

Ingreds.

Total

15min

This raw zucchini pasta with pesto is an amazing replacement for your traditional wheat spaghetti. Aside from pizza and ice cream, pasta has got to be one of the most popular favorite foods. Especially for kids. And for good reason. Pasta is a delicious, nostalgic comfort food that most of us grow up with in one way or another. But that stuff isn’t exactly nutrient rich, and we aren’t always looking to carbo-load.

Zucchini pasta solves all of that. It looks and feels almost exactly like old-fashioned noodles, but with all the nutritional benefits of a raw food. Looking at the pictures, you’d have a hard time picking raw zucchini pasta out from traditional noodles. The texture is so close, it’s also used to make lasagna.

The raw garlic provides much of the classic spaghetti flavour, and the pesto adds a zestful creaminess. Pasta is often a family tradition, and with this great dish you can keep it going while maintaining a healthy raw diet. This raw vegan zucchini pasta proves that comfort food can be healthful food.

Ingredients

Zucchini Pasta

3 zucchinis
1/2 tsp sea salt (Himalayan)
basil (for garnish)

Pesto

1 cup basil (fresh)
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp pine nuts
2 Tbsp almonds
4 garlic cloves
sea salt (a sprinkle of himalayan)

Servings:

Units:

Directions

Prep

15 min

Total

15 min

Use a julienne peeler or spiraliser to turn zucchini into noodle-like strips. The julienne peeler can be bought in kitchen stores, and cuts things in long strips.
Put all the zucchini noodles in a bowl and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Use your hands and stir it well, mixing the salt evenly. Allow the noodles to sit for about half an hour so that water can be drained.
To make the pesto: Combine the basil, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, pine nuts, almonds, garlic (peel first) and salt in the blender. Blend until it’s completely smooth.
Once you see water leave the zucchini noodles, drain out as much water as possible. If the noodles are too salty, you may want to rinse it. Pour the pesto into the zucchini and stir it well.
Transfer it on a plate and add some extra basil leaves on top.