Zucchini zoodles tossed with toasted almond pesto and sweet heirloom cherry tomatoes is a fast, refreshing, and healthy summer meal!
I just love zoodles, don’t you?? We are trying to eat healthier around here lately, as we eat pretty darn well and… let’s just say, there’s too much of us to go around these days. Ha! Zoodles are so fantastically easy to make and are a great substitute for heavy, carb loaded pasta. Toss them in a soup, salad, or saute pan – they’re delicious!
We take our pesto seriously around here. We have a dozen basil plants, five different varieties, growing in our garden for the sole intention of making pesto! I like to make a ton of it and then freeze it for the winter months, however it never seems to last until winter. Go figure. Over the years, I’ve moved away from the tradition pine nut recipe of pesto and have found that I prefer almonds, walnuts, and pecans over the bland pine nut. I like them raw or toasted in the pesto, it just depends on how much time I’m willing to invest that day. For these zoodles, I loved the toastiness and crunch of the almonds in the pesto. It really adds an extra depth of flavor.
The beautiful thing about this zoodle recipe is that everything can be made in advance. The pesto can be made 5 – 7 days ahead of time and kept in the fridge. Zoodles, if stored in a zip top bag with a paper towel, will last about a week. Honestly, they last longer than a unprepared zucchini will in my fridge. That makes this a great quick weeknight meal that I can have on the table in less than 10 minutes. Pretty impressive!
Look how stunning this dish turned out! You won’t miss the pasta, I promise you. The zoodles have a nice texture to them that is like an al dente pasta, as long as you don’t over cook them – that happens fast and then they become mushy and watery. Don’t cook them for more than 3 – 4 minutes. Serve them straight away and you’ll all have fun slurping up the noodles as you would linguine. Have you ever made zoodles before? I’m obsessed with them!
Kitchen Gadget Essentials for Toasted Almond Pesto Zoodles
- 2 large Zucchini
- 1 cup Grape or Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups basil, rinsed and dried
- 1/2 cup Almonds, raw
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated - plus more for topping
- 1/4 cup and 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Spread almonds onto a baking sheet, place into oven and heat to 350 degrees. There's no need to preheat it as they will toast while the oven is heating. Toast for about 10 - 15 minutes. Usually when I can smell the faintest hint of almonds, they're done. Cool.
- In a food processor, puree almonds, parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, garlic, 1/2 lemon zest, lemon juice, basil leaves, salt and pepper, until desired consistency. I like mine a little chunkier than most, but that's just me! Add more olive oil if the mixture seems a little dry.
- Store in the refrigerator until needed. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before using.
- Using a vegetable noodler, zoodle 2 zucchinis.
- Place zoodles in between a couple sheets of paper towels. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, to absorb some of the moisture.
- In a small bowl, lightly salt the tomatoes.
- Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan to medium high heat.
- Add zoodles to the pan. Using tongs, turn the zoodles a few times to make sure they are evenly heated. Cook for about 3 - 4 minutes, you want the zoodles to still be al dente and not mushy.
- Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup pesto, tossing until well coated.
- Serve immediately!
- This can be made a week in advance. It also makes far more than you'll need for this recipe. Enjoy on pasta, pizza, sandwiches, or swirl in a soup.
- Raw zoodles can be made up to 5 day before and stored in a zip top bag with a paper towel inserted to absorb moisture.
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i’ve always strayed away from zoodles, until I finally tried them, and they’re not bad at all! Pesto goes perfect with them, so I’m betting this is a hit!
What great timing – we’ve just harvested our first courgettes so I really must try your delicious recipe. I like how you use almonds instead of pine nuts in your pesto, a great idea.
I’m jealous! We are still waiting for ours to come in. I can’t wait!
I love this pesto recipe. Perfect with zoodles for a healthy and delicious side.
You know, I have a spiralizer but I have never used it. But the idea of pairing zoodles with pesto might win me over, as “green spaghetti” has always been a favorite in our house! And while I LOVE pine nuts, using pecans or walnuts is a great idea, and lets you pick whichever the cheaper nut is at the time – bonus! 🙂
YES I do love zoodles. They are fun to make and delicious to eat. Your pesto sounds awesome, and the perfect pair to the great zoodle noodles.
I love both pesto and zoodles, delicious 🙂
What a brilliant idea! Since the usual pine nuts can be quite expensive… this is perfect! I love a new twist to a classic recipe!
I love zoodles and I recently discovered that my local grocery store carries them which is a huge bonus since my spiralyzer is in an inaccessible storage unit. Love how you topped them with pesto. I’ve never actually made my pesto with pecans or almonds (just pine nuts or macadamia nuts). . .but I love both of these nuts so i’m sure using them in pesto would be right up my alley.
I have to try that pesto recipe! I’ve used walnuts, but not almonds, so now I’m curious!
And zoodles with tomatoes sound lovely.
Wow, this meal looks so flavorful and I’m sure delicious as well. I need to try Zoodles sometime soon because I have been seeing quite a number of good flavors lately.
What a great way to make pesto healthier! My hubby loves pesto so this will be great!
I love that you added purple basil. Many people have no idea there even is such a thing! I grew a ton of it this year in the garden.
I received a vegetable noodler as a gift for Christmas from a friends and…. never used it! What a shame ! I will print your recipe and try it out soon! Love to experiment with pesto too!
I am totally obsessed with zoodles. I don;t know who invented them, but they are a genius. They are so delicious.
This looks delicious! I know it is something my husband would really like, and I think my daughter would enjoy it as well
This looks delicious! I love using tomatoes in recipes and this one is unique and different. Saving to use soon!
I have never heard of zoodles before but they seem like a healthy alternative to pasta. Pesto is ana rt in itself and also very healthy, will give it another try.
This looks so yummy. I love zoodles, they’re such a great alternative for low-carb diets.
They’re a great alternative to any diet really! lol. We don’t low carb, but some nights we need a carby break!
This sounds delicious! I have yet to have zoodles, although I’ve been thinking about getting a zoodler for some time. I’d love to get one and make this!
I don’t use zoodles enough in my cooking! This recipe sounds really tasty and I love the combination of flavours – perfect healthy weeknight dinner!
I have never heard of zoodles. That looks like a really good recipe. Would love to try it for the fam.
This look delicious and refreshing for the hot summer days when grilling! Would definitely pair great with grilled seafood or chicken. I’ll have to try this.
I’ve never made zucchini pasta before, I think it’s a very good alternative to pasta especially if you’re trying to avoid carbs. This pesto recipe looks so good! I’m definitely keeping the recipe!
I’ve never had almond pesto that I know of. Thanks for the recipe! I will give it a try.
This looks like a dish my daughter would love. I am all about the zoodles and pesto!
I’m a huge pesto fan so I can’t wait to try out this recipe. Love the idea of adding toasted almonds and mixing them with noodles. Such a healthy and light summer meal.
I’ve always wanted to dry zoodles, I even have the machine. But never did.
Yum! That sounds and looks delicious! An almond pesto sounds REALLY good – especially as fall nears! So cozy!
I’ve never made almond pesto before. That’s really interesting! The dish looks so good and I’d love to give it a try. I’ve always wanted to see how the kids would react to zucchini pasta.
I am a big fan of anything pasta. Now you had me at pesto! I definitely need to try this asap.
OH, I just love anything with Pesto! I love your photos, everything looks delish! 🙂
I have never tried zoodles. But I love the idea of being able to make it days ahead and storing them. This would be a great meal for a busy week.
This looks like it would taste amazing! I need to try this out with my family.