With fresh basil pesto, homegrown zucchini and tomatoes, this easy zucchini pasta pesto recipe is paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
The basil is still going strong in my garden. I had more than enough left to make another batch of pesto with grilled garlic. And fresh basil pesto goes so well with homegrown zucchini and tomatoes. This quick and easy zucchini pasta pesto is gluten-free, dairy-free, and perfect for summer.
The key to this recipe is making sure you take the time to drain the zucchini noodles. I skip this step for some recipes, but for this dish it's important to drain the zucchini before tossing it with the pesto. This keeps your pesto sauce from getting to watery. Spiralize the zucchini pasta first and let it drain while you make the pesto. This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. You can read our full disclosure policy here.
I use my dairy-free walnut pesto and cherry tomatoes to make this simple zucchini pasta. It's one of my go-to spiralizer recipes and it's perfect with fresh summer produce.
This zucchini pasta pesto it great on its own, but you can always top it with grilled chicken, shrimp, or your favorite protein. Pretty much anything would taste good with fresh basil and roasted garlic.
More easy paleo dinner recipes
Zucchini Pasta Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini
- 2/3 cup roasted garlic walnut pesto
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- fresh basil for garnish
- sea salt
Instructions
- Spiralize or julienne the zucchini to make zucchini noodles. Lightly salt and drain zucchini in a colander for 20 minutes to remove excess liquid.
- Toss zucchini noodles and tomatoes with pesto until well combined. Garnish with fresh basil.
Notes
More paleo spiralizer recipes
Kristen J
September 12 at 9:49 pmSo is this served cold then? You don’t cook it? Interesting!
Lisa
September 12 at 10:13 pmThank you Kristen! Cooking is entirely optional. I serve this raw and at room temperature.
snixykitchen
September 13 at 2:38 amI’ve now officially spent the past 40 minutes researching the best spiral cutter for making zucchini noodles! I’m also considering purchasing the julienne attachment for my cuisinart food processor. Dying to make this!
Lisa
September 14 at 4:38 pmI love my Paderno spiral vegetable slicer. Once you start spiralizing zucchini noodles you’ll be hooked. They are so easy and work with so many sauces!
Jennifer
September 16 at 11:14 amThis looks amazing!
Lisa
September 16 at 12:41 pmThank you Jennifer!
madison
January 29 at 11:52 amSimply looks tempting! I have to try this and I will try to put shrimps on top. Happy and healthy Tummy!
Mary
February 2 at 5:41 pmI sautéed the zucchini spirals in some grapeseed oil. Added some coarse pepper and roasted garlic powder. When the spirals were al dente, I turned off heat, added pesto and cherry tomatoes and sprinkled with sliced fresh basil and a dash of parmesan cheese.
Janice
August 24 at 4:02 pmDo you cook the zucchini? When… before or after you spiralize it? For how long.. .or do you eat it raw? Would you please email me so I can be sure to get this response? I am in the middle of cooking it right now!!
Lisa
August 26 at 6:11 pmHi Janice, spiralize the zucchini while it’s raw. After it’s spiralized, you can either cook it or eat it raw – it’s completely up to you. Here’s a post on how to make zucchini noodles.