Raw zucchini, basil, and pine nut or almond pesto, a creamy dressing ideal for summer cold pasta dishes, the zucchini pesto is a no-cook recipe, made with raw zucchini, parmesan, pine nuts, basil, and extra virgin olive oil, all blended in a food processor for a few seconds.
If you have an abundance of zucchini besides making grilled zucchini in oil, you can prepare this creamy pesto that can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days, just like Genoese pesto; it will be very useful for seasoning pasta even at the last moment.
A very simple recipe that with the arrival of the good season cannot be missed among your preparations, a fast and easy zucchini pesto without turning on the stove! Let me know if you liked it, and in the meantime, I leave you another idea to try, gnocchi with salmon and zucchini, a real treat. Until next time!
TRY ALSO:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: about 1 lb.
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
- Energy 298.60 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 2.97 (g) of which sugars 0.29 (g)
- Proteins 6.02 (g)
- Fat 31.09 (g) of which saturated 5.60 (g)of which unsaturated 5.37 (g)
- Fibers 0.99 (g)
- Sodium 449.62 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Yields about 1 lb. of pesto
- 3 medium zucchini
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1¾ cups oz grated parmesan
- 1⅖ oz oz pine nuts (or almonds)
- oz basil
- to taste salt
Tools
- Mixer
- Grater
- Colander
Zucchini Pesto Recipe
Very quick, fresh, excellent as a condiment.
Wash and clean the zucchinis, removing the ends with a knife.
Grate the zucchinis into julienne strips
then transfer them into a colander to drain excess water.
Take a food processor and add the julienne zucchini, basil, pine nuts, grated parmesan, a pinch of salt, and slowly pour in the olive oil
while blending until you achieve a smooth cream.
Now your pesto made with raw zucchini, basil, and pine nuts is ready to use. Great as a dressing for pasta dishes, also perfect to spread on toasts, friselle, and focaccias.
Storage and Tips
Storage: Raw zucchini pesto can be stored in the refrigerator in a jar with an airtight seal for 1-2 days by topping it with a drizzle of oil.
If you use fresh products, the pesto can be frozen. I recommend placing it in single-portion containers to use a little at a time based on your needs, thus avoiding defrosting it all at once.
Tips: You can replace the pine nuts with almonds or make a mix.
