Zoodles with Pesto

Zoodles with Pesto is an easy, no-cook vegetarian dinner that’s sure to please. No need for a special spiral cutter!

No need for a spiral cutter, use a julienne or regular vegetable peeler for these zucchini noodles. Both are inexpensive and work well to create any vegetable noodle without a big, bulky spiralizer. Paired with a fresh pesto sauce, this no cook dinner is perfect for summer nights when you don’t want to stand by the stove. 

What Is Pesto?

Pesto is an oil-based sauce from the Genoa region of Italy. It’s made with fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, Pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano, and pine nuts.

Using toasted pine nuts is important because they give the pesto a more developed flavor and better texture. Pine nuts are typically sold in small jars in the spice aisle, in small packages in the baking aisle, or in the aisle where other nuts are sold. If you’re unable to find them toasted, that’s easy to do at home. You can quickly toast pine nuts on the stove in a skillet and then let them cool before adding to your pesto.

How To Make Zoodles

To make the Zoodles with Pesto, begin by making the zucchini noodles. If you don’t have a spiral slicer, a julienne peeler works well, and is what I use. A julienne peeler looks like, and is used just like a regular vegetable peeler, but it has tiny “teeth” notched into the blade which creates the noodles. It’s one of my favorite tools for making zucchini and butternut squash noodles. You can also use it for making shredded vegetables like carrots for salads or spring rolls, or potatoes for hash browns.

Once the zucchini noodles have been created, some of the moisture locked inside needs to be drawn out, which is easy to do with a little salt. Transfer the zoodles to a colander and place the colander into a bowl. Sprinkle the zucchini with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and toss everything to distribute the salt. You’ll see the zucchini start to “sweat” a little bit as the moisture comes to the surface. Skipping this step will cause the moisture to be released after the pesto is added, making the pesto watery and dull.

Set the zucchini aside for the few minutes it takes to make the pesto, but don’t leave it unattended for too long or the salt will make the zucchini noodles mushy. Five to seven minutes is the perfect amount of time to draw out excess moisture while still keeping the noodles “al dente”. It’s also about the same amount of time it takes to make the pesto.

How To Make Basil Pesto

For the pesto, add the toasted pine nuts and garlic into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse these together first to give them a head start. You’ll want these to be in much smaller pieces than everything else so that the pesto doesn’t end up with oddball, large pieces of pine nuts or garlic.

Then, you’ll add your basil and other ingredients and continue to pulse. Be careful not to overprocess your pesto using the food processor though. Use quick pulses to mince the ingredients until they look like the size of crushed red pepper flakes. The consistency of this sauce should be thick, with just enough oil to help it glide over the zoodles, without it sliding off.

A standard food processor can easily make a double batch of pesto. Use half for the zoodles and store the other half in the refrigerator up to three days. You can also store in the freezer up to one month. If storing in the refrigerator, transfer the pesto to a glass or ceramic jar and top with extra olive oil to prevent exposure to the air, then cover. In both the refrigerator or freezer, the basil will darken slightly, but is still safe to eat and is delicious.

Learn more about pesto and how you can customize it with different ingredients in my Fresh Basil Pesto post.

Serving Zoodles With Pesto

As soon as the pesto is ready, discard any moisture that accumulated in the bowl while the zucchini was draining. Then, dry the zucchini as well as you can using paper towels. Transfer the zucchini into the same bowl that was used for draining, and add the pesto. I prefer to toss everything together using my hands, but the next best tool to use is a pair of tongs.

This dish is best served at room temperature. Serve on its own or with grilled chicken or veggies. I’ve served mine with grilled tomatoes, but you could also just toss in cherry tomatoes.

It can also be gently warmed in an oven or on the stovetop. Use a low temperature so that the zucchini noodles do not become overcooked or mushy. If microwaving, cover the dish or bowl, as this has a tendency to splatter.

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