Easy Homemade Pesto with Gluten Free Zoodles

This post is dedicated to everyone who is gluten intolerant and will never know what it’s like to be in a carbo-loaded coma. My heart goes out to you, really.

Personally, I crave carbs. There is nothing more satisfying than eating a big bowl of pasta and then curling up for a nap. And don’t even get me started on the free bread baskets at restaurants. I could go through the whole thing by myself, and I typically do.

The only problem is, my clothing likes to punish me for binging on carbs. My pants won’t let me fit into them the next day, which is a serious problem because pants are necessary for going out in public.

So I am making a big effort to say “no!” to (most) carbs. We can all admit though that sometimes saying “no!” can be really hard. My solution: the Veggetti!

I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials by now. “The Veggetti is the fun, easy and extremely fast way to turn veggies into delicious spaghetti in just seconds!” My mom bought a Veggetti, so I tried it out last week. I have to admit it is really freaking awesome!

I used a zucchini to make “zoodles.” It was super easy to twist, and it didn’t take much effort at all. In just about a minute or two I had a full plate of the zoodles. I sautéed the zoodlesfor just a few minutes, and then I tossed it with a homemade pesto sauce.

It was seriously delicious.  My biggest concern was that the zoodles would be mushy and have a different texture than real noodles, but that wasn’t the case at all. I was very impressed. In fact, I didn’t miss real spaghetti at all! I am not exaggerating! It was that good!

The homemade pesto was also superb, and I’m so excited to share that recipe with you today! It is sooooo much better than the store-bought version (as most things are). 

So all of you gluten-free folks, rejoice! This zoodles with pesto recipe is the answer to your prayers!

Easy Homemade Pesto with Gluten Free Zoodles

Yield: Makes about 8, two tablespoon servings

Ingredients

For the Pesto

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Zoodles

• 1 zucchini

Directions

For the Pesto

1. Add basil, pine nuts, garlic, and Parmesan to a food processor. Turn the machine on and blend for about 20 seconds.
2. Add the olive oil to the food processor and blend again until completely combined, or about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Store the pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

For the Zoodles

1. Use a Veggetti to make zucchini noodles.
2. Sauté the zucchini noodles in pan with non-stick cooking spray for 4 – 6 minutes.
3. Combine with 2 tablespoons pesto. 

Recipe adapted from Damn Delicious. This post was in no way sponsored by the Veggetti. I just really enjoy the product!