Sundried Tomato Pesto Zucchini Noodle Mason Jars
Try this Sundried Tomato Pesto Zucchini Noodle Mason Jars recipe
Try this Sundried Tomato Pesto Zucchini Noodle Mason Jars recipe
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- for the salad:
- for the pesto:
- 1 cup canned artichoke hearts drained and quartered
- 1 large zucchini blade c noodles trimmed
- 1/4 cup pitted and halved kalamata olives
- 2 packed cups baby spinach
- 3/4 cup canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 1/4 small red onion sliced thinly
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- salt and pepper to taste (about 5 cranks of a salt grinder)
- Carbohydrate 8.64639315927094 g
- Cholesterol 16.6875 mg
- Fat 19.0343850147811 g
- Fiber 1.75485002856027 g
- Protein 4.91832000231852 g
- Saturated Fat 4.76604150180783 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (50g)
- Sodium 492.482807509466 mg
- Sugar 6.89154313071067 g
- Trans Fat 0.957720000953067 g
- Calories 216 calories
Step-by-step
- Place all of the ingredients for the pesto into a food processor and pulse until creamy.
- Taste and adjust to your preference.
- If it’s not creamy enough, you can add some water or more oil.
- If eating same-day: Toss the zucchini noodles in a medium mixing bowl with the pesto.
- Top, in this order, with artichoke hearts, red onion, chickpeas, olives, feta cheese and finally the spinach.
- Refrigerate for later use.
- To serve, pour into a bowl and toss together.
- If letting sit overnight or more than 24 hours: in the bottom of the mason jar, add in the pesto.
- Top, in this order, with: artichoke hearts, red onion, chickpeas, spinach, olives, feta cheese and finally, the zucchini noodles.
- Refrigerate for future use.
- To serve, pour into a bowl and toss together.
Standard grain-based pasta salads tolerate extended steeping in vinaigrette, but raw squash operates under entirely different structural rules. Zucchini contains over ninety percent water by weight, meaning salt draws moisture out through osmosis very rapidly. Packing raw spiralized strands directly against soluble elements causes limp, watery textures within hours. Raw zucchini noodles demand strict moisture management to remain crisp during storage.
Layering order dictates success when preparing this dish in advance. Dense ingredients like drained artichoke hearts and rinsed chickpeas belong at the bottom to create a physical barrier against the dressing. Spinach acts as a sponge when positioned correctly, protecting the delicate top layer from excess humidity. Glass mason jars preserve structural integrity only when heavy elements stay separated from leafy greens.
Acid from the red wine vinegar and salinity from the feta cheese interact with the natural sugars in sundried tomatoes to balance the robust fats in the olive oil and pine nuts. Pulsing the pesto in a food processor until emulsified ensures the lipids coat the vegetable surfaces evenly. Adding one tablespoon of water to the processor blades aids in shearing stubborn pine nuts into a smooth paste without flooding the sauce with extra oil.
Consume same-day preparations within twelve hours for optimal snap, or extend storage up to forty-eight hours by isolating the zucchini noodles at the very top of the jar. Pouring the contents into a wide bowl immediately before eating reactivates the emulsification and distributes the pesto evenly across every surface.
