These zucchini noodles are the perfect gluten-free substitute for this cold pasta dish. If you want you can also serve this warm by sautéing everything for a couple of minutes. Want to turn this into a 5 minute meal? Use store bought pesto instead of making your own. It is zucchini season  – go grab some zukes and turn them into zoodles!

 

Ingredients:

 

Basil-pumpkin seed pesto

 

  • 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
  • 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves (arugula works, too)
  • ½ cup green pumpkin seeds, toasted *
  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup of parmesan cheese
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

 

Zucchini noodles

 

  • 3 large zucchini
  • Sea salt
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • Fresh basil leaves, for garnishing

 

Preparation:

 

  1. To prepare the pesto: In a food processor, combine garlic, basil, toasted pumpkin seeds, olive oil, parmesan, lemon juice and red pepper flakes. Blend until smooth and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  2. To prepare the noodles: Spiralize the zucchini with a spiralizer or grate the zucchini the long way on a large box grater. Toss the zucchini with pesto until well coated, and season with salt.
  3. Transfer the pesto noodles to a large platter and sprinkle with the cherry tomatoes. Tuck the fresh basil in to garnish.

 

* To toast the pumpkin seeds, pour them into a skillet and heat over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the seeds are fragrant and the seeds are starting to make little popping noises, around 5 minutes.