Zucchini Pesto Pasta
This zucchini pesto pasta recipe features your choice of al dente pasta and tender-crisp bites of zucchini tossed with fresh pesto, but not just any pesto. It's made with basil, garlic, almonds, olive oil, AND zucchini. Full of goodness and veggies, It's the perfect variation of classic pesto for summer.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 490kcal
Ingredients
- 12 oz dry pasta - 360g
- 2 pounds zucchini - 800g
- 1/3 cup almonds - 45g – or cashews, walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios
- 1 cup basil - 35g
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of ½ lemon - optional
- 1/2 cup pasta cooking water - reserve before draining
- Salt
- pepper
- Parmesan cheese - optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season it with salt.
Prepare the zucchini pesto
- Wash the zucchini, trim the ends, then cut them into small cubes (around 1/3 inch). You can cut them into bigger pieces, but it’ll take longer to cook them.
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large pan. When hot, add the minced garlic, turn the heat down to medium, and sauté for 30 seconds. Then add the zucchini, season immediately with salt (this will help release the water from the zucchini), and pepper. Cook for about 5-8 minutes until slightly soft but still a bit crisp.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the almonds, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and half of the cooked zucchini – no need to cool (reserve the other half for the pasta). Pulse until you get a creamy, smooth zucchini pesto (note 1).
Prepare the pasta
- As soon as the water comes to a boil, add the pasta, stir, and cook according to package instructions. Once your pasta is cooked al dente, reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain.
- Add the pasta to the large pan with the cooked zucchini, add the pesto, and gentry stir, adding a bit of pasta cooking water at a time until you get a creamy, velvety consistency.
- Serve hot, although this zucchini pesto pasta is also delicious at room temperature or cold. You can top it with grated parmesan for cheesy flavor (vegan or not).
Notes
Note 1: If your food processor isn’t very powerful, you can add the almonds first and pulse until they resemble a fine meal. Then add the other ingredients.
Note 2: You can keep this pesto in the fridge in a small glass container for a day, but make sure to cover the top with a bit of extra virgin olive oil to avoid having the top turning brown (basil tends to oxidize once cut – it’s still good to eat, just not as vibrant and pretty). I prefer to freeze it, as it’ll keep its color. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using it.
How to Store: You can keep this pesto in the fridge in a glass-sealed container for a day. Fresh basil leaves tend to oxidize once cut, so drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top to keep the pesto from turning brown quickly. It’s still delicious even when not as vibrant and pretty. The pasta will keep well in the fridge for 1-2 days and can be eaten cold or a room temperature.
I don't recommend freezing the whole dish, but you can freeze extra zucchini pesto in a freezer-safe container or ice cube trays for up to 6 months. Just thaw it in the fridge 24 hours before using it.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate per serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 490kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 15g | Sugar: 8g