The pasta with zucchini pesto is a light and simple to prepare first course, a delicious alternative to the classic Genoese pesto and other similar sauces, such as the Trapani pesto, the asparagus pesto, or the eggplant pesto. With its delicate and fragrant flavor, pasta with zucchini pesto is perfect for a summer lunch and is also quite quick to make. In many recipes, zucchini pesto is prepared using raw zucchini, a method I would like to try sooner or later. This time, however, I opted for a different approach: I prepared the zucchini pesto with just sautéed zucchini in a pan with a drizzle of oil, then blended into a cream in the mixer along with almonds and various aromatic herbs. Among these, mint is certainly the ingredient that gives the zucchini pesto its characteristic flavor, making it a fresh and pleasant dish even on the hottest days. Zucchini pesto can be used to dress any type of pasta, both fresh and dry. Personally, I chose simple penne rigate, which match perfectly with the creaminess and delicate taste of this summer sauce.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
Ingredients for the pasta with zucchini pesto
- 13 oz pasta (gluten-free for me)
- 10.5 oz zucchini
- 1.75 oz blanched almonds
- A few leaves mint
- A few leaves basil
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp pecorino romano (grated)
Tools
- 1 Pan non-stick
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Pot
How to prepare pasta with zucchini and almond pesto
To prepare the zucchini pesto, wash and trim the zucchini, then cut them into fairly small cubes (1). Put the almonds in a non-stick pan without seasoning and toast them for about a minute over high heat, stirring often to avoid burning them. Remove them from the heat and set aside.
In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, then sauté the zucchini for 4-5 minutes (2) until they are slightly golden (3). Salt them and let them cool.
Bring a pot of plenty of water to a boil, and when it boils, pour in the pasta. Put the almonds in a mixer and chop them finely enough (4); add a pinch of salt, the mint, the basil (5), and the zucchini (6), then give a first chop.
Also add the pecorino and 2 tablespoons of oil (7) and chop again until you get a rather creamy mixture (8) (I like to still see the zucchini pieces, but you can blend it a bit more if you want a more homogeneous color cream).
Add 3 or 4 tablespoons of pasta cooking water, rich in starch, which will give your zucchini pesto a creamier consistency without needing to use a lot of oil; mix well with a spoon to blend it with the pesto (9).
Drain the pasta and season it in a salad bowl with the zucchini pesto, mixing it well. If necessary, dilute it further with a little cooking water. Serve the pasta with zucchini pesto immediately, garnished with mint and basil leaves.
Storage
You can store the zucchini pesto in the refrigerator, closed in a glass jar, for 3 days. To preserve it longer, you can freeze it.
Tips and Variations
You can replace the almonds, in whole or in part, with pine nuts.
