Fresh, raw zucchini noodles tossed with basil pesto and cherry tomatoes make a delicious, healthy, veggie-packed meal. Make this recipe for lunch or dinner, or even serve it as a side! Recipe yields 4 generous main dish servings.
INGREDIENTS
Basil-pumpkin seed pesto
- ½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped*
- 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves (arugula works, too)
- ½ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), toasted**
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, to taste (or lemon juice)
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Salt, to taste
Zucchini noodles
- 3 large zucchini
- Salt
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (whole or halved)
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnishing
INSTRUCTIONS
- To prepare the pesto: In a food processor, combine the onion (if using, see notes), garlic, basil, toasted pepitas, olive oil, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Blend until smooth and season with salt, to taste.
- To prepare the noodles: Spiralize the zucchini with a spiralizer (many available on eBay or general kitchen shops). Toss the zucchini with pesto until well coated, and season with salt.
- Transfer the pesto noodles to a large platter and sprinkle with the cherry tomatoes. Tuck the fresh basil in to the corners to garnish.
NOTES
*If you’re sensitive to the flavor of raw onion, just skip it.
**To toast the pepitas, pour them into a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the seeds are fragrant and the pepitas are starting to make little popping noises, around 5 minutes.