Zucchini Noodles with Creamy Avocado-Basil Sauce
Is the heat getting to you yet?
Does the thought of turning your oven on make you want to cry?
Don’t fret! This simple no-cook meal is bursting with farm fresh flavors and doesn’t require heating up your kitchen with a hot oven. Major win!
In an effort to keep dinner easy during this heatwave I decided a simple zucchini noodle pasta was in order. We may be cranky and hot but hundreds of our summer squash and zucchini plants can’t get enough of this weather and they are cranking out fruit like crazy!
Not only are the zucchini plants happy but we have cherry tomatoes making their seasonal debut at the farm and they taste better than candy!
This zucchini “pasta” is perfect on a hot summer night when you are craving fresh ingredients but don’t want to cook. The creamy avocado basil sauce adds a lot of flavor and healthy fats which makes this a very substantial meal. I hope you all enjoy this as much as we do. Stay cool and eat up!
Zucchini Noodles With Creamy Avocado-Basil Sauce
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 0 minutes Serves: 4
- 2 large zucchinis, julienned or spiralized
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, julienned
- salt and pepper to taste
- crushed red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 medium avocado, pitted
- 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil + more to thin if necessary
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Preparation
- Prepare the sauce by combining all ingredients in a food processor and processing until smooth. Taste test and adjust seasonings as necessary. Add a little more oil if too thick and set sauce aside.
- Place the julienned zucchini noodles in a large bowl and toss with 1/2 of the avocado-basil sauce. Add cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, basil, salt and pepper. Taste test and add more of the avocado-basil sauce if necessary.
- Serve at room temperature and enjoy.
Notes
*Use this recipe as a guide. Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary. *Taste test as you go
We have an abundance of cherry tomatoes. So many, in fact, that I’m having trouble keeping up. Love this creamy salad. Yay for not having to turn on the oven!
Wonderful & perfect raw summer meal! Yum
Oh, I love this combination of flavours and it’s so pretty – will definitely be making it when it is zucchini season again down here.
This looks wonderful. Love the avocado, basil, and lemon combo. I think a spiralizer needs to go on my order list. 😉
Looks wonderful. So will be trying this one. I always read ingredients before I pin them.
I love this avocado basil sauce idea!
This looks delish. I have a zucchini on the counter that was born, no, grown for this dish. Now I’m wishing I didn’t eat that avocado earlier! Off to the grocery store…
Just had a heaping mound of this last night.. it was excellent. Your blog is always such a great place for starving me 🙂
I have been thinking about zucchini as “pasta” for a long time, but never found a recipe that was as easy and delicious as this! The avocado lends a rich creaminess that blends so well with the basil and garlic. The cherry tomatoes lent a sweetness to the acidity of the dish. I used raw cashews that I toasted instead of pine nuts, and incredibly, It almost had a cheese flavor. Fabulous recipe. Thank you!
This looks amazing! I want to make it for a small potluck (7 people). Will it last overnight in the fridge? Or should I toss the dressing on top right before serving?
I’d add the dressing right before serving. Let me know how it turns out!
Hi! Do you mix the noodles with both the avocado sauce and the pesto together ?
Thanks!
M
Hi Michele,
There is no pesto it’s just the avocado basil sauce that you mix the noodles with. Sorry for the confusion. I hope you enjoy this meal as much as we do!
Thank you!! Can’t wait!!! 🙂
Another great recipe! Perfect on a hot summer day.
Such a fresh idea! Sounds wonderful, and I have everything I need in stock or in the garden. I have a question about the pine nuts, though. Are they supposed to be processed in the sauce or only used for topping? The picture shows whole pine nuts in the dish.