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With zucchini noodles and homemade pesto, these pesto zoodles are a great healthy pasta alternative. Even better, it can be prepared in 30 minutes.
I love me some pesto dishes - from chicken pesto meatballs to pesto goat cheese mac and cheese to a chicken pesto panini. But one of my go-tos is zoodles.
You might be looking at the title and be asking what are zoodles? For those unfamiliar with this new phenomenon, it's spiralized zucchini that act as a replacement as spaghetti.
What's crazy is if you have a spiralizer, you can spiralize almost any type of vegetable and make super healthy meals with it.
It was just a few years ago when I started seeing all of these spiralized recipes when I was looking for healthy recipes on Pinterest. As I didn't have a spiralizer at the time, I didn't make any of them but that changed quickly once we got one for Christmas. Now, we probably have dinner with a spiralized vegetables once or twice a month.
If you are still really questioning these pesto zoodles, then just replace half of it with some spaghetti. That way you still get some real pasta, but some veggies as well. However, I have to say these are a great healthy alternative. I mean pesto makes everything better!
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Ingredient Notes
- Zucchini - zucchini is mainly water so it is very easy to spiralize into noodles, making it perfect for this dish.
- Pesto - while I'm partial to homemade pesto, store-bought works as well.
- Goat cheese - adds some creaminess to the sauce and additional flavor.
Step-by-Step Photos
Spiralize the zucchini. Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the zucchini, cooking for about 5 minutes.
Heat the pesto and goat cheese in a small bowl in the microwave and mix to combine and then stir in with the cooked zucchini.
FAQs
While they aren't pasta, they come close. They don't have a strong flavor so they don't contribute to a specific taste. Instead they absorb the flavors of the sauce and ingredients they're mixed with.
The fact that they aren't loaded with carbs like pasta can help contribute to losing weight. Everything in moderation is my motto. While I love pasta, I mix in these pesto zoodles every once in awhile for a healthier and lighter dish.
Yes. By adding salt beforehand, it draws out some of the excess moisture.
Watery Zucchini
In case you didn't know, zucchini 90% water by weight, therefore when you cook them, they can be a bit watery. There are a few ways to avoid this with these pesto zoodles:
- Use colander: drain the zucchini in a colander to git rid of excess moisture.
- Cook zucchini first: cook the zoodles first the cook off some of the water and then add sauce.
- Add breadcrumbs: you can add some breadcrumbs so they absorb the excess moisture.
- Don't cook too long: you only want to cook for a max of 5 minutes or the zoodles will get mushy.
Pesto Variations
Traditional pesto consists of basil, garlic, pine nuts, coarse salt, Parmesan cheese and blended with olive oil. My go-to these days is my kale pesto, but there are so many options.
The great thing is you can really mix and match the herbs and nuts.
You can also control the amount of oil, whether you want it a little thicker or thinner. I tend to like my pesto a little thicker so I don’t put as much olive oil in my pesto recipes as others.
Herbs/Greens to Use in Pesto: Basil, Parsley, Cilantro, Mint, Sage, Kale, Spinach, Arugula
Nuts/Seeds to Use in Pesto: Pine Nuts, Pistachios, Pecans, Almonds, Walnuts, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sesame Seeds
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Don't skip lightly salting and dabbing the zucchini with a paper towel so you can get rid of some of the extra water.
- If you want some protein, chicken works great. If you're vegan, chickpeas are a good option.
- Replace the tomatoes with sun-dried tomatoes for a different flavor.
Other Vegetarian Recipes
If you’ve tried these pesto zoodles or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Pesto Zoodles
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 large zucchini, spiralized
- ⅔ cup homemade or store-bought pesto
- 2 oz goat cheese
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup pistachios, chopped
- kosher salt + black pepper
Instructions
- Spiralize the zucchini and place on baking sheet with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt to help release some of the water. (Zucchini is naturally very watery so you need to do this to avoid water zoodles)
- Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil to large skillet over medium heat. Add the spiralized zucchini. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Let any of the remaining water that is released cook out.
- In a small bowl, microwave the pesto and goat cheese for about 30 seconds so it can be easily combined.
- Remove skillet from heat and stir in pesto and tomatoes. Serve with some Parmesan and chopped pistachios on top.
Notes
- Don't skip lightly salting and dabbing the zucchini with a paper towel so you can get rid of some of the extra water.
- If you want some protein, chicken works great. If you're vegan, chickpeas are a good option.
- Replace the tomatoes with sun-dried tomatoes for a different flavor.
J Sloth says
They are Zoodles and Zoodles of fun to eat!