This fresh zucchini noodle recipe with homemade pesto and diced potatoes is going to be your new favorite summer side dish. Bursting with flavor and easy to make, it marries perfectly with chicken or steak, or even a seafood dish. Bonus if you can get all the ingredients fresh from your garden!
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A meal from the garden
Zucchini and basil have been growing so well in my little garden this summer and there’s nothing better than cooking a meal with ingredients fresh from the garden. If you’re interested about starting your own garden, learn about how to do it on a budget here!
With an overflowing garden, comes the time to find as many ways to use all the vegetables as possible.
We’ve been eating our own vegetables every day for a few weeks now (so rewarding!!), as well as preserving some of them for the winter. Zucchini literally overflow and we’ve been trying out new recipes to use them up.
Zucchini noodles are one of our favorite way to eat zucchini and they are so versatile you can eat them everyday in a different way without getting tired of them!
Another thing I’ve been very successfull at growing this year is basil. I’m so happy I got to grow so much basil because it is one of my favorite herbs, and it’s always so hard to find good (and affordable) basil to buy around here.
Besides ading basil to pretty much everything these days, I love making pesto. Yes, of course, I’m Italian! Pesto is so tasty, rich, yet fresh, simply delicious.
The other thing I like about pesto is that is actually pretty customizable. For example, the original recipe calls for pine nuts, but you can use pretty much any kind of nuts. This time I used walnuts because that’s what I had around (and they are also much more affordable than pine nuts!). Walnut pesto has a more nutty and full taste than pine nut one, and I can say I love it even more.
I also don’t always add garlic to my pesto. Even though garlic is considered a key ingredient of pesto, you can leave it out if you don’t like it or if you find it hard to digest. Garlic-free pesto has all the wonderful taste of basil and even more!
Zucchini noodles marry just perfectly with pesto and I also added some boiled potatoes to this fresh side dish, adding a different texture and extra richness. You can leave the potatoes out if you’re looking for a low-carb or keto version!
Zucchini noodles: a healthier, low-carb, grain- and gluten-free alternative to pasta
Zucchini noodles, also known as “zoodles” are the perfect alternative to wheat spaghetti and make a brilliant base for many healthy, gluten-free, and low-carb pasta recipes.
If you’ve been following along, you might know that I’m originally from Italy. And if you think of Italy, you cannot not think of a delicious, big plate of spaghetti!
Even though pasta has never been my favorite dish, I’ve always enjoyed a nice plate of spaghetti with some fresh homemade tomato sauce, basil and parmesan cheese, or even a good spaghetti carbonara (with pancetta and eggs).
Because now I don’t consume grains as part of my regular diet, pasta is not an option anymore. Or at least, traditional wheat pasta is not. But thankfully there are many alternatives out there if you want to ditch the gluten or the carbs, or just have healthier options (for example we like Chickapea Organic pasta).
Among all the ones I tried, zucchini noodles remain my favorite. They are easy to make, light, naturally low-carb, and gluten-free, and they’re a great way to get kids to eat vegetables! They are also versatile and go together so well with pretty much any recipe.
If you’re imagining an inviting plate of traditional spaghetti and thinking that zucchini noodles just won’t do it, let me tell you a secret! It’s the sauce or the other ingredients that usually make pasta recipes delicious. Obviously, zucchini noodles won’t be the exact same, but believe me, you won’t miss the wheat!
How to make zucchini noodles
There are different options to make zucchini noodles. You can simply use a julienne peeler or mandoline and cut flat, long slices of zucchini, or you can use a spiralizer.
I highly recommend this latter option, as the result is much better, and it’s a faster way. You can get a simple and inexpensive handheld spiralizer that looks a lot like a big pencil sharpener (like this one), or invest in a more sophisticated spiralizer (like this one). There are even electric options, and there’s even a KitchenAid spiralizer attachment!
I honestly have been using my small and easy-to-use spiralizer for many years now and don’t have much to complain about. The only note I have is that it only spiralizes zucchini well (no carrots!) and that the zucchini need to be medium-small size in order to fit in the blade.
Ingredients for this homemade pesto
Makes about 1 cup (250 ml) of pesto.
- 3 cups (~60 grams) fresh basil leaves
- 2-3 garlic cloves (optional)
- 1/3 cup (~40 grams) walnuts or other nuts of choice
- 1/4 cup (50 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
How to make homemade pesto in the food processor
- Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor and process until finely minced
- Add the olive oil and keep processing until you have a smooth pesto. If your food processor allows it, slowly dribble the olive oil in while the machine is running on low speed.
- Use the pesto fresh or store it. You can store your pesto in the refrigerator for up to a week in a closed mason jar. Pour a thin layer of olive oil on top of the pesto to preserve freshness. You can also freeze your pesto for several months (an easy way is to portion the pesto into an ice cube tray and then transfer it into a ziplock bag once frozen solid)
Tips and notes for making pesto
Don’t over-process the pesto in the food processor. Pulse the ingredients rather than blend and make sure the food processor doesn’t overheat to preserve the freshness and aroma of the basil.
If desired, you can add parmesan cheese to this pesto recipe. Just add grated parmesan cheese at the end of step 2 and pulse quickly in the food processor until incorporated. I prefer to add parmesan cheese directly into the recipe rather than in the pesto sauce itself, especially if I’m preserving the pesto for later use.
Ingredients for these zucchini noodles with pesto and potatoes
- 2 or 3 medium zucchini
- 2 small potatoes (omit for keto-friendly)
- 6 tablespoons of pesto
- Grated parmesan cheese (to taste, optional)
- Sea salt (to taste)
- Extra virgin olive oil (to taste)
How to make these zucchini noodles with pesto and potatoes
- Peel and dice the potatoes in small cubes and prepare the zucchini noodles with your method of choice.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the diced potatoes and cook for about 7 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost cooked.
- Add the zucchini noodles to the boiling water with the potatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the zucchini are cooked but still crispy (“al dente”).
- Drain the zucchini noodles and potatoes over a strainer and remove any excess water.
- Add the zucchini noodles and potatoes back in the pot, add pesto sauce, extra olive oil and salt if needed (to taste) and stir with a spatula to combine everything together. Add grated parmesan cheese (if wanted) and combine.
- Serve warm with extra parmesan cheese and fresh basil if desidered.
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Zucchini Noodles with Homemade Pesto and Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 spiralizer for making zucchini noodles
- 1 food processor
Ingredients
For the pesto
- 3 cups ~60 grams fresh basil leaves
- 2-3 garlic cloves optional
- 1/3 cup ~40 grams walnuts or other nuts of choice
- 1/4 cup 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
For the zucchini noodles with pesto and potatoes
- 2 or 3 medium zucchini
- 2 small potatoes omit for keto-friendly
- 6 tablespoons pesto
- Grated parmesan cheese to taste, optional
- Sea salt to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Instructions
For making pesto
- Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor and process until finely minced
- Add the olive oil and keep processing until you have a smooth pesto. If your food processor allows it, slowly dribble the olive oil in while the machine is running on low speed.
- Use the pesto fresh or store it. You can store your pesto in the refrigerator for up to a week in a closed mason jar. Pour a thin layer of olive oil on top of the pesto to preserve freshness. You can also freeze your pesto for several months (an easy way is to portion the pesto into an ice cube tray and then transfer it into a ziplock bag once frozen solid)
For making zucchini noodles with pesto and potatoes
- Peel and dice the potatoes in small cubes and prepare the zucchini noodles with your method of choice.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the diced potatoes and cook for about 7 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost cooked.
- Add the zucchini noodles to the boiling water with the potatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the zucchini are cooked but still crispy ("al dente").
- Drain the zucchini noodles and potatoes over a strainer and remove any excess water.
- Add the zucchini noodles and potatoes back in the pot, add pesto sauce, extra olive oil and salt if needed (to taste) and stir with a spatula to combine everything together. Add grated parmesan cheese (if wanted0 and combine.
- Serve warm with extra parmesan cheese and fresh basil if desidered.
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