One of the best acquisitions for our kitchen was the spiralizer. It is the type of gadget that requires a little bit of getting used to. When I first got it, the idea of dragging it out of the cabinet, setting it on the countertop, and getting my technique right so that the strands would be uniformly gorgeous… seemed a bit much. But trust me, the more you use it, the better you’ll be and the more you’ll fall in love with it. Now I don’t even blink, grab it, and try it on all sorts of veggies, broccoli stalks being the most recent. Stay tuned for that one… Should I call them “broodles?” Yeah, broodles. Mind. Blown. But anyway, zucchini is probably the number one veggie that everyone uses. They have the perfect shape and give super long and beautiful strands. Plus, they marry well with so many sauces: Oriental style like soy with peanuts plus a little fish sauce to hip-it-up, tomato based sauces, cashew cream, real cream, pesto, browned butter… Today I am sharing a recipe from a favorite food blog of mine. I’ve cooked many dishes from The Iron You. Mike raved about the combination of sun-dried tomato pesto and zoodles. He is one smart cookie. It is superb! You must try it.
ZUCCHINI NOODLES WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO
(adapted from The Iron You)
for the sun-dried tomato pesto:
½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
⅓ cup roasted almonds
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese
small bunch of fresh basil leaves
salt to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil
for the noodles:
6 medium-large zucchini
In a food processor (or blender) add roasted almonds and basil and pulse until roughly chopped. Add sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, and Pecorino Romano cheese and process until a uniform paste has formed. Season with a little salt. With the food processor (or blender) running, stream in the olive oil and continue blending until the olive oil is emulsified into the pesto and the sauce looks uniform. Pesto can be stored in the refrigerator with a thin film of olive oil on top.
Using a spiralizer create zucchini noodles using your favorite blade, thin or thick, whatever you prefer.
Boil the zoodles in salted boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and mix with the pesto sauce while still very hot. Sprinkle with additional Parmigiano cheese before serving.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: Talk about a tasty pesto! The texture of mine was not as smooth as the one Mike made, at least from the photos, but I don’t think that matters that much. If you prefer a smoother texture, process further and maybe add a little more olive oil. I used roasted unsalted almonds, so I adjusted the seasoning with salt. Mike used salted almonds and he also used garlic, which I am sure most of my readers will enjoy too. I fully agree that it was a match made in heaven with the zoodles. We enjoyed it as a side dish with grilled pork tenderloin, but of course you could make it into a fully vegetarian meal if you add a few more goodies on the plate, like roasted asparagus, a big salad, or a crostini with a smear of goat cheese run under the broiler. Yeah, that sounds about right!
Dinner is served!
ONE YEAR AGO: Caprese Salad with Toasted Walnuts
TWO YEARS AGO: Oh, my God! I think I saw something!
THREE YEARS AGO: Celebrate Wednesday with Hoisin-Grilled Chicken and Soba Noodles
FOUR YEARS AGO: The Manhattan Project
FIVE YEARS AGO: Carrot “Nib” Orzo
SIX YEARS AGO: A Sticky Situation
SEVEN YEARS AGO: The Garden
That’s looks so yummy 🙂
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it was very tasty…. I could eat another bowl of this zoodles right now…
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Gave me an idea, another way to cook zucchini. Thanks Sally!
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I love sun dried tomato! What a great idea to make pesto out of it!
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All credit goes to Mike… very nice take on pesto indeed
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Sally, I do love to receive a double-benefit when I clock onto a post! First of all ’tis lovely to read this from your page – but it is just as great, on a Friday afternoon in wintery Australia, to decide on a new blog to follow and this one sounds just ‘made’ for me! Well, I’ll never be a triathlete, but . . . great dish: may make for lunch tomorrow!!
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No triathlete here either… the swimming component would take me out, no hope of completing that part in any distance – oh, well…
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A lovely sunny dish 🙂 luckily, I have the ingredients for the pesto too, it sounds gorgeous 😀😀😀 like you xxx
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Oh, you are sweet! But I knew that already…. I shall ignore that person who was staring at me from the mirror this morning. She was in serious need of caffeine, the poor woman 🙂
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Sounds simply YUMMY! Good season for it!
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exactly! It screams summer, doesn’t it?
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Yummy! Love the sound of the sauce too! Spiralisers are great! I use mine every week. It appeals to the inner child in me who used to play with play dough! Except I’m grown up and play with vegetables!
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Excellent line! They should use it to advertise spiral cutters! 😉 Loved it!
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Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.
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Thanks for sharing…
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This really does sound great, Sally. I hadn’t thought of trying it with a sun-dried pesto, although I have used a cherry tomato pesto, Pesto Trapanese, to dress the “noodles.” I am definitely going to give it a go. Thanks for the inspiration!
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I have another pesto to try soon, cherry tomatoes roasted in the oven before “pestoing” 😉
I will use my Breville oven so that the house doesn’t get too warm… it’s been really nice and hot weather lately – maybe you can detect my permanent smile???? 😉
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