A Zucchini Pesto Sauce You’ll Want to Share

Wondering how to make the kids eat their veggies? No, seriously, this recipe is so tasty and it doesn’t even taste like you’re eating a whole zucchini.

I LOVE a homemade pesto sauce! I put this sauce on spaghetti and added a couple sautéed, sweet grape tomatoes. Pair it with some white wine and you’ve got yourself a five star dinner! (Look at you already, turning into a little chef)

I used a recipe from Nourish and Fete. Here’s a little breakdown of how the process went.

OR check out my 30 second (quite cute and funny) video on my Instagram of the whole cooking process here!

Ingredients

1. 2 cups, or 2 small/medium zucchinis, shredded
2. 2-3 cloves garlic
3. 1 cup of fresh basil leaves
4. 1 cup of spinach
5. 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
6. 2-4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
7. salt and pepper to taste, a pinch or two

The Process

I’ve made pesto before, so I kind of knew how it’d go. First, get out that immersion blender or mini food processor (I have a mini food processor, it all works just the same).

Get to work shredding the zucchini! Cut off the butt end and shred from the end of the zucchini with a cheese grater. I used just about 2 full, medium-sized zucchinis to get 2 cups of the shredded veggie. Once it’s all shredded, use a paper towel to blot out some of the extra water, or strain it in the sink. Zucchinis hold a lot of water and we don’t need all the extra liquid!

My food processor is small, so I knew I couldn’t fit all the ingredients into it at once. I blended the zucchini first so that I had more room for everything else.

I then added some cut or minced garlic (you don’t have to fully mince it because the blender will chop it up well) along with a cup of basil. Blend whenever you need to or if you’re running out of room.

Then add in a cup of spinach. I also ground up a little bit of Himalayan pink salt and black pepper into the blender. I blended once again until it was a nice, moist and thick consistency.

I then shredded up some parmesan cheese (fresh is best, but whatever you’ve got will work!) and added 1/4-1/2 cup of it into the blender along with 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil. Blend until it’s consistent, not too thin, with no chunks. Add more olive oil if needed. Mine came out pretty much perfect so I didn’t think it needed the extra oil. If you want a thinner sauce, add another teaspoon or two.

Here’s what my plate looked like. Pretty yummy, right? The SUPER SWEET tomatoes really added to this dish. And the white wine?? Amazing.

Now, get cookin’! Give this post a like if you decide to try out this meal!

Yours Truly,

Cat Taylor