Zoodle Noodles with yummy walnut pesto – wow! We just made the coolest, nutritiest(hmm), easiest (we here at PuraVida Baltimore are all about the easy in the kitchen) dish.
This dish is a complete meal on its own but if you have meatosaurus’ this could easily be their side dish to some salmon or free-range chicken. Zoodles are a zucchini pasta, though it’s just zucchini so not really a pasta in the truest sense of the word. But I tell you what – it sure tastes like pasta and without that heavy weigh down of eating carb heavy. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my good carbs but this is a great switch up. One final word, this dish is packed with a great balance of all the right things – protein, carb and fat and nutrients! Ok let’s get to it.
GLUTEN FREE! Vegan version is dairy free, both versions grain free
Kitchen stuff you will need:
- Spiralizer – or a knife, anything to cut your zucchini into thin strips.
- Saute pan or frying pan
- Food processor
- A large fork for chowing down
Ingredients:
For the White Bean, Walnut Pesto-
- 1 cup firmly packed basil
- 1/2 cup cooked white beans (drained and rinsed if canned)
- 1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin olive oil
- 2 gloves garlic (we use Dorot’s frozen cubed garlic – 2 cubes)
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese – optional, leave out for vegan version (can also substitute nutritional yeast for parmesan cheese)
- Put all ingredients into food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. If dry, add more EVOO by the tablespoon. Set aside. This makes a-lot so refrigerate or freeze.
For the Vegetables:
- 1-2 cups broccoli and cauliflower florets- cut into smallish pieces
- A handful of baby bella shrooms- sliced
- 1/2 bell pepper your choice of color thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped purple onion
- 2 cubes Dorot garlic or 2 gloves diced
- Evoo to saute about 2-3 tablespoons (We like to use avocado oil too)
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Heat oil in saute or frying pan and saute onion, garlic, broccoli and cauliflower about 5 minutes until slightly tender. Then add remaining veggies and salt and pepper and sauté until tender.
For the Zoodles:
- 1 medium zucchini per bowl
- Spiralize the zucchini according to instructions. If using a knife simply thin slice zucchini.
- That’s it!! You so do not have to cook these. Now if you want to, you can microwave them for 30-60 seconds to warm them up or you can lightly saute them .
Final Prep:
- Place zoodles in bowl. Mix your pesto in, mix to cover – We use roughly 2-3 tablespoons but it really depends on how pesto-ey you want it. Add your sautéed veggies and you are done. To warm up just microwave a minute or so.
- For a vegetarian version top bowl with some shaved parmesan and a tablespoon chopped walnuts.
Zoodles
Vegetarian Zoodle Bowl
Prep Time – 20 minutes
Bake time – 0
Servings – 1 if you are like us
