Gluten Free Zucchini Noodles with Pesto
Fresh zucchini stands in beautifully for pasta here, delivering that satisfying tangle of noodles without a single gram of wheat in sight. The trick to keeping everything light and vibrant — not soggy — is salting the spiralized zucchini first and patting it dry, so the pesto clings rather than slides off into a watery puddle. That pesto itself is the real star: two cups of packed fresh basil blended with pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan, and a bright hit of lemon juice create something deeply savory and aromatic that tastes like it took far more effort than it did. A quick one-to-two minute toss in a hot skillet keeps the noodles just tender enough while preserving that pleasant little bite. The whole dish comes together in well under 30 minutes and serves four, making it an easy weeknight win that feels genuinely restaurant-worthy. Optional cherry tomatoes on top add a pop of sweetness and color that takes the plate from simple to stunning.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the zucchini noodles
- 4 medium zucchini (about 2 lb total)
- ½ tsp salt
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For cooking
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For serving
- cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
- extra parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Spiralize the zucchini into noodles using a spiralizer or cut into thin strips with a julienne peeler. Place the noodles in a colander set over the sink, toss with ½ tsp salt, and let stand for 10 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- 2
Combine the basil, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 8–10 pulses. Add the Parmesan, lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt, and black pepper, then pulse 3–4 more times to combine. With the processor running, stream in the ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil until the pesto is smooth and cohesive, scraping down the sides once as needed.
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