This creamy pesto zucchini noodles recipe is truly noteworthy. The combination of avocado, broccoli, and mushrooms gives the sauce a fluffy yet rich texture that's beautiful to look at. Not a broccoli fan? Opt for a more traditional pesto flavor and use fresh chopped basil instead of the broccoli. For added flavor and texture, garnish with hemp seeds, as seen here.
Excerpted from Cook Lively! 100 Quick and Easy Plant-Based Recipes for High Energy, Glowing Skin, and Vibrant Living-Using 10 Ingredients or Less. Recipes and photos by Laura-Jane Koers. Copyright © 2017. Available from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Serves: 3 (1 1⁄2 cups sauce; noodles for 3)
Noodles
- 3 medium zucchini (or 3 servings of your favorite noodles)
Creamy broccoli pesto
- 1 cup chopped broccoli (or fresh basil)
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 avocado
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1⁄4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
Peel the zucchinis if desired. Turn the zucchini into noodles by using a spiralizer or a vegetable peeler. Set aside.
To make the pesto, place all the pesto ingredients in your blender. Add 1⁄4 cup water. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Dry off the zucchini noodles if they have released any water.
To assemble, in a large bowl, combine the noodles and sauce. Using tongs or 2 forks, toss gently until the sauce is well distributed over the noodles. Enjoy immediately.
- Also from Cook LIvely: Famous Raw Brownies
- More on VegKitchen: Raw "noodle" recipes
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Jan says
Wonderful recipe! Such a clever idea. The zucchini noodles really did have the mouth-feel of pasta. I made the noodles with my y-peeler (vegetable peeler.) Next time I will figure out the a less messy way to dry them. This time I just squeezed then noodles in bunches with a clean dish towel, dripping the water right onto the floor. I used both basil and broccoli as both are bountiful right now. The onion powder/lemon combination is key, I end up doubling it. This recipe is a delicious way to mask both zucchini and broccoli Yes, it that time of year. Thanks, Nava.
Anne says
What can I substitute for the mushrooms since I have an intolerance to them?
Nava says
Anne, since there's only a cup of chopped mushrooms, you can simply omit them, but if you want to add something that would provide a bit of moistness in place of the mushrooms, I'd recommend an equivalent amount of diced tomato.