Basil Pesto and Zucchini Noodles
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
This evening I made this amazing dish for my husband and our dear friend Todd. Unknown to me at the time, Basil is one of his favorite foods! Todd has been staying with us for the past week and every day I am exposing him to delicious raw dishes.
Tonight’s dish didn’t let us down. It was a huge hit with everyone! It is so fresh and fragrant! Not to mention the color of the sauce is so vibrant. I stumbled upon this recipe years ago, and I believe it is by Penni Shelton. One batch is the perfect amount for 2 servings.
Ingredients:
Yields 1 cup sauce
- 4 cups packed fresh basil
- 1/3 cup cold-pressed olive oil
- 1/3 cup raw pine nuts or cashews
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- Freshly cracked pepper to taste
- 4 medium zucchini’s, spiralized
Preparation:
Noodles:
- After spiralizing the noodles, place them in a shallow baking dish, spreading them out. Sprinkle with a liberal amount of salt and set aside.
- The salting process will help draw the liquid out of the noodles, making them limp-like. You will start to see them sweat and then release puddles of liquid.
- Once done soaking, place them in a colander and rinse them with hot water.
- You can warm the noodles prior to serving by placing them in the dehydrator at 115 degrees (F) for about 15 minutes or until it reaches the level of warmth that you desire.
Sauce:
- In a food processor or blender, combine basil oil, nuts, lemon juice, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Process until you achieve the desired consistency.
- If you don’t have any basil or just a little bit, you can use spinach in its place or as a mix.
- Transfer into a small covered bowl and store in your refrigerator until you are ready to use it
- This should keep 1-3 days. You can also easily freeze this pesto and thaw when ready to use.
Serving:
- You can either coat the noodles with the sauce or serve the sauce on top of the pile of noodles. I like it well mixed, so everything gets coated.
- Enjoy at room temp, chilled, or place the dish in the dehydrator to warm at 115 degrees (F).
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, sugar free, Vegan
I loved this recipe! I was looking for something yummy and quick without having to shop for special ingredients.
I took your suggestion and used half spinach, half basil, which tasted fantastic. I also threw in a few sundried tomatoes, cuz we love them. Everything went together so smoothly and was a big hit with my family.
Thank you for sharing this!
Good evening Annie,
I never thought I was pesto fan until I started eating raw and made this dish. It is very rich, filling and delicious to boot! Being able to use part spinach helps cut the costs down a bit. I just bought the ingredients today so I can make this dish later this week. Great timing. :)
My Question is this…. when and how did you cook the zuchinni?
Hi Lorie,
Great question. I added to the recipe above on how to deal with the noodles. I should have been more clear. I hope it answers your question. If not, please let me know! That is what I am here for. Many blessings, amie sue
best pesto ever :)
I agree Lucia :)
Wow, that was delish!!! Didn’t have pine nuts so I substituted with raw almond butter. Again, wow! This was ‘eyes rolling in the back of head’ good. I tossed the zucchini pasta with olive oil, garlic and onion powder and italian seasoning before putting in the dehydrator. That added a nice dimension to the flavor of the dish. This is by far the best pesto ever!
Awesome Aria! So glad you enjoyed it. It’s great to have wonderful recipes in your menu of options! Have a great day and thank you so much for sharing. amie sue :)
Good evening Amie Sue, Made this – It’s good, we loved it!! Thank you for another great recipe!!! :] Lyn
So happy to hear that Lyn… thank you for the feedback. :) Full and happy tummies make me dance. hehe