The other day I spontaneously bought a small tub of pesto (I know, wild times in my world, right?) while food shopping and had no idea what I was going to do with it. A few days go by and I realise I need to use it up before it expires but I still haven’t got a clue. After seeing a pesto pasta recipe on an influencer I follow’s Instagram story, I was inspired to do the same but with less carbs.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the #carblife but sometimes the body just craves something lighter. That’s where zucchini (or courgette for my darling UK audience) comes in.
Health Benefits of Courgette/Zucchini:
Good for your heart: zucchini is rich in potassium and vitamin c which helps with the functioning of your blood lining, meaning it supports the beating of your beautiful heart and keeps you alive and thriving. How beautiful is that?
Rich in antioxidants: similar to above, zucchini’s antioxidants help to lower blood pressure and balance blood sugar levels which stabilise hormones (especially important for women!). keep skin clear and help to detox any viral activity in the body
Low Calorie: okay maybe not everyone cares about this one, but it’s a great benefit if you’re looking to lose weight through “volume eating” which is a method of eating high volume of low calorie foods to manage your weight
Healthy Digestion: fibre is key to a healthy gut and zucchini is filled with it. Did you know it’s actually considered a fruit because of the small seeds? We all know fruits and veggies are the highest in fibre so adding zucchini to your diet once in a while is a great addition to help keep things moving… if you know what I mean!
Strengthens your vision: this makes me want to eat more courgette. I love a good eye health fruit/vegetable. The vitamin c and beta-ceratone is what makes the retina of your eyes stronger, your vision clearer and a reduced risk of age-related eye diseases.
So now we have a little low-down on how great this fruitgetable(?) is, let’s create the pesto pasta recipe:
You Will Need
1 whole zucchini/courgette
1 garlic clove (chopped)
Small tub of pre-made basil pesto (can be found in the cheese section of any supermarket) OR make your own with my DIY pesto recipe posted below
Salad greens
Cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup seeds of choice: I used pine nuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
Salt, pepper and preferred seasonings to taste
*a spiraliser is definitely handy in this case if you want to make authentic “noodles” however any kind of vegetable peeler can work as well.
Instructions
In a hot pan sauté chopped garlic in a little water or oil of choice
In the same pan, add spiralled zucchini and sauté until al dente like real spaghetti
Once warmed and tender, add the basil pesto to your liking and season to taste
To a large plate add a large handful of salad greens, then top with the warm pesto zucchini and garnish with cherry tomatoes and a handful of mixed seeds
and voila! It really is the easy.
If you wish to make your own pesto, the recipe is:
1 cup fresh basil leaves
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1/3 cup grated Parmesan (fresh is best)
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
Instructions
Add ingredients to a food processor or high speed blender and blend until smooth
TO MAKE VEGAN:
omit the parmesan cheese and add 2 tbsp nutritional yeast with 1/2 lemon juiced
I hope you like the recipe and let me know if you try it in the comments!
M x