You’ll feel amazing all over when you dig into a bowl of these gorgeous Spinach Basil Pesto Zucchini Noodles. Throw it in a jar for the perfect portable lunch or add a protein for a delicious dinner. Thank you to BrightFarms for partnering with me on this project. 
Is this the most perfect bowl of green you’ve ever seen? I’m always amazed at how incredible a big bowl of perfectly seasoned veggies can make me feel.
We just got back from a week-long family spring break trip that included a Caribbean cruise followed by two days in Miami Beach. After eating our way through the Caribbean, we came back home to freezing temperatures and mountains of Easter candy. Needless to day, between the indulgent food and wild weather changes, my whole system has been feeling a bit out of sorts.
Good thing I’m working with local salad grower BrightFarms again on another television segment. For our first partnership, Lillian and I shared tips for turning kids into salad lovers on FOX Good Day Chicago (Be sure to check out the FREE PRINTABLE Salad Bar Ingredient Cheet Sheet that I just added over on that story).
This time, I appeared on WGN Midday News during their Lunchbreak segment with Ideas to Spring Clean Your Family’s Diet.
During the segment I shared a few fun, creative ways to sneak more produce and greens into everyday meals, including this fantastically simple recipe for Spinach Basil Pesto Zucchini Noodles.
Pesto has long been one of my secret weapons for sneaking more greens into our life. Traditional basil pesto is fantastic, of course, but its such a wonderful medium for adding in fresh produce from asparagus to edamame and, of course, baby spinach.
This Basil Spinach Pesto is particularly wonderful for kids because the spinach has such a mild flavor and bright color that blends perfectly with sweet, fragrant basil. I keep it very traditional, blending with toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese and a couple of garlic cloves. You could easily swap out the nuts for pistachios or walnuts, or leave them out all together if you prefer. This pesto comes together in the blender in less than a minute and can be stored in an airtight jar in the fridge (or in ice cube molds in the freezer) for up to a week.
For the television segment, I tossed the pesto with fresh (raw) zucchini noodles, not only because its the easiest way to serve it on live television but also because the zucchini noodles have a wonderful, mild taste and perfect crunch when served raw. If you prefer them hot, just toss in a hot pat for a few seconds after adding the pesto or mix the raw zucchini noodles and pesto with freshly cooked, hot spaghetti. The pesto is also incredible dolloped on to grilled chicken, steak or shrimp or smeared onto toasted bread. No matter how you serve it, this meal will have you feeling all the spring feels (even if the weather is not).
Spinach Basil Pesto Zucchini Noodles
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Vegetarian Main Dish
Description
You’ll feel amazing all over when you dig into a bowl of these gorgeous Spinach Basil Pesto Zucchini Noodles. Throw it in a jar for the perfect portable lunch or add a protein for a delicious dinner.
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini, ends trimmed
- 4 cups spinach
- 2 cups basil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted and cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
Instructions
- Use a julienne peeler, mandolin or spiralizer to slice the zucchini into noodles. Set aside.
- Place the spinach, basil, garlic, garlic, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. Turn on the machine and blend for 30 seconds. Slowly stream in the olive oil while the machine is running. Process until smooth.
- Combine the zucchini noodles and pesto. Toss until zucchini noodles are well coated with pesto. Garnish with additional parmesan cheese and chopped basil, if desired. Serve room temperature or chilled.
