Pesto Zucchini Noodles with Asparagus
Try this Pesto Zucchini Noodles with Asparagus recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Pesto Zucchini Noodles with Asparagus recipe, or contribute your own.
- salt and pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- for the pasta:
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- for the pesto:
- 2 medium zucchinis blade d noodles trimmed
- 3 cup basil leaves packed
- 1 large clove of garlic minced
- 4 thick asparagus spears ends trimmed, sliced on an angle
- 1/4 cup jarred vegan pesto or homemade (see below)
- 1.5 talespoons pine nuts
- 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Carbohydrate 0.954 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.305399997819 g
- Fiber 0.576000008583069 g
- Protein 1.134 g
- Saturated Fat 0.163195999698847 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (37g)
- Sodium 75.1420729166232 mg
- Sugar 0.377999991416931 g
- Trans Fat 0.0730309999409383 g
- Calories 18 calories
Step-by-step
- If making homemade pesto, place all of the ingredients for the pesto into a food processor and pulse until creamy. Taste and adjust, if necessary. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add in the asparagus and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until asparagus is bright green, fork tender, and is browned.
- Meanwhile, spiralize the zucchinis and place in a large mixing bowl. Pour over the pesto and toss well. Set aside.
- When asparagus is done, toss it in the bowl with the pesto zucchini noodles and toss well to combine.
- Divide the pasta into bowls and serve.
How do you prevent spiralized zucchini from pooling water on the plate? Raw zucchini contains roughly ninety-five percent water by weight, and mechanical cell damage from spiralizing blades shears cell walls, releasing intracellular moisture immediately upon contact with salt. Salting raw zucchini noodles thirty minutes prior to dressing draws out excess liquid via osmosis, preventing the pesto from diluting into a watery puddle. Squeezing the drained strands gently in a clean dish towel removes surface moisture completely, ensuring the oil-based emulsion clings rather than slips. Heat medium skillets containing olive oil over medium-high settings until the oil shimmers; searing asparagus spears for five to seven minutes develops Maillard browning while retaining a tender-crisp interior. Combining the hot asparagus directly with the raw, dressed zucchini noodles creates a thermal contrast that slightly warms the squash without causing structural collapse or mushiness. Pine nuts, packed basil leaves, and garlic pulsed in a food processor yield a vibrant green sauce, though walnuts or pistachios substitute effectively at a one-to-one ratio if pine nuts are unavailable. Leftovers present a distinct textural challenge because raw squash continues to purge water during refrigeration, making storage beyond twenty-four hours unadvisable unless the vegetables are separated and drained before recombination. Pairing this dish with crusty sourdough bread provides a dense carbohydrate contrast to the water-dense vegetables, balancing the plate visually and texturally while soaking up residual herbaceous oil. Storing components separately in airtight glass containers for up to two days preserves the structural integrity of both the crisp asparagus and the vibrant herbaceous paste until the exact moment of service.
