zucchini pasta with parsley pesto
Sometimes a farmer needs to stop and smell the parsley.
And then get inspired to cook something really tasty!
We currently have summer squash and zucchini flooding the farm. And with the arrival of tomatoes I knew I needed to make something that would highlight a few of my favorite things.
When I first told Taylor that I was going to use zucchini in place of traditional pasta noodles he looked at me like I had two heads. I reassured him that I had made zucchini pasta in the past and that he loved it. He told me I must be mistaken because there was no way he enjoyed “fake” pasta. At this point I did what any wife would do in this situation. I poured him a beer and told him to leave the rest up to me.
The best part about this “pasta” dish is that there is ZERO cooking involved. Taylor gobbled his up and still couldn’t get over the fact that I didn’t use “real” noodles. I did however use this spiral cutter from Amazon. However, you don’t need one. A sharp knife will do the trick.
Zucchini Pasta With Parsley Pesto
Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 0 mins Serves: 2-4
- 2 large zucchini, peeled and cut into thin spirals (a spiral cutter is helpful but not needed)
- a large handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
- For the Pesto:
- 4 cups flat leaf parsley, stems removed
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- pepper
Preparation
- To prepare the pesto combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Taste test and set aside.
- Prepare you zucchini. Once it is cut into spirals place in a large bowl with cherry tomatoes.
- Toss the "pasta" with 1/2 the pesto until well combined. Add more pesto if need be, otherwise save the rest for another use.
- Season the pasta with salt, pepper, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.
Notes
Use this recipe as a guide and adjust measurements and ingredients as needed. Taste test as you go.
ha, exactly how my fiance would react if I told him I was making pasta out of zucchini. this looks delicious though!! now I want one of those spiral cutters.
LOL, I could use a little stop-and-smell-the-parsley session. Real life tends to get away from me….sounds like I need to work on a farm to bring me back to earth! Your pasta looks awesome, deary!
You have officially made me REALLY want to buy a vegetable spiralizer!!
I wish I could take a break from my job to stop and smell the parsley! You are definitely inspiring me to buy a veggie spiralizer. The texture of these “noodles” looks unreal!
Looks like we both had pesto on the brain! I love your variety…so fresh! And I have SO MUCH zucchini right now, so this is even more perfect. Thank you for sharing! I’m just now getting back to my favorite blogs, and I’m glad I was able to visit yours today! I hope you are doing well and I wish you the best of weekends!
Oh, this pesto sounds so great!
True story, I thought those were real noodles in the photos until I started reading your post! I need to try this for myself ASAP — sounds delish!
So delicious! And so pretty! Isn’t it funny when we serve 3 delicious meals a day to our husbands and then we make the mistake of telling them what we’re going to cook before we cook and they don’t trust us? I wouldn’t have told mine before I made these ‘noodles’ 😉
I have never seen these round zucchini before, they are cute! The flavors in this sound so good! I would never have thought of combining pesto with a squash stuffing.
Ugh, I want one!! I’ve never seen 8 ball zucchinis before. They look seriously incredible with all of that goodness stuffed inside and I love your photography, beautiful.
Your hats are pretty awesome too! You should get Henry one! 🙂
That is so weird, I swear the page was on your last post when I commented, lol.
Well, your pasta is pretty freakin’ amazing too! It looks like real pasta, you can’t even tell it’s zucc!
I just love your blog! The layout is so simple and the recipes all use such fresh and more importantly REAL ingredients 🙂 Those round zucchinis are too cute as well. I’ve never seen squash with that shape before.
I need to find eight ball squash!! They are just too cute – and I love how stuff-able they are. p.s. could you two be more adorable in your trucker hats?!
Congratulations on your sponsors! I hope they bring you luck and more sponsors! Love the hats, too!