Zucchini Noodles with Pesto Recipe

The finished product – steak and zucchini noodles!

How to Make Zucchini Noodles with Pesto

I’ve had zucchini noodle pasta envy for quite some time now. I’ve seen a bunch of friends make these beautiful noodles and post pics of them on Instagram. I always wanted to be able to make zucchini noodles too, but I never had the right tool to make them. Now I do and I’m excited to share with you my first zucchini noodle recipe. This one is zucchini noodles with homemade pesto sauce. And it’s all whole30 compliant and paleo friendly. Woo hoo!

Here’s What You Will Need:

• Zucchini (2 is more than enough. 3-4 if you want leftover noodles for future meals)
• 2 Cups Basil Leaves
• 3-4 Garlic Cloves
• 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
• 1/3 Cup Pine Nuts

First you will need to make the zucchini noodles. If you’ve ever wondered how people make these noodles. it’s easy. But it does require the right kitchen tool. You can make zucchini noodles using a julienne peeler, vegetable spiralizer, or a mandoline. I have been envious of these kitchen tools for awhile and recently bought myself the Paderno Vegetable Spiralizer. It’s what I used for this recipe.

Set up your julienne peeler, spiralizer, or mandoline, and make your noodles. I like to make a lot at once and store them for future use. Set aside. One thing to note about these awesome veggie noodle making machines: THEY ARE VERY SHARP. Be careful and please use with caution! I would be crazy to not alert you of this because the blades are sharp and I’ve cut myself on it and know other people who have too. Please be very careful and keep away from small children when using these devices. Okay, warning over.

Next, you are going to make your pesto sauce. Grab a food processor (here’s the one I use) and add the 2 cup basil leaves (washed and firmly packed), garlic, olive oil, and pine nuts. Mix together and set aside.

In a large frying pan heat up ghee (clarified butter). Olive oil will also work. Put in your zucchini noodles and lightly cook them. After about 3-4 minutes, add the pesto sauce. Cook until they are done to a point of your liking. The first time I made this recipe I didn’t cook long enough and the noodles were a little crunchy. But I was okay with that. It’s a personal preference.

Once you are done, you are ready to serve! This is great as a side dish or could even be served on its own. I made mine as a side dish next to a nice steak. Yum yum.

Eating healthy never tasted so good!

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means I earn a small commission if you choose to buy any of the products I wrote about using my link. 

What about you? Have you ever made Zucchini noodles? Do you own a veggie spiralizer or other similar kitchen tool? Post in the comments and let me know!