Lemon Artichoke Pesto with Zucchini Noodles


Lemon Artichoke Pesto with Zucchini Noodles


As you can see, I haven’t gotten bored with my spiralizer yet! It would actually be pretty difficult to considering all of the amazing possibilities. Take this Lemon Artichoke Pesto with Zucchini Noodles for instance. What a tasty way to get your pasta cravings in while getting your vegetables at the same time. Zucchini noodles are an awesome way to substitute pasta when you’re looking for a healthier option, especially when you combine it with a good sauce like this one. I was inspired to make this lemon artichoke pesto after having a store bought version of it on the pizza I made for my father’s birthday dinner last night. Pizza night at my dad’s is one of my favorite ‘interactive’ dinners because we all get to be a part of the cooking process by making our own individual pizzas, and we always have such an incredible variety of ingredients to try. This lemon artichoke pesto obviously was a winner for me, so I decided to make my own version of it today and share it with all of you. This would go fantastic on so many different things, it’s hard to narrow it down, but give this a try on zucchini noodles like I did, or you could also give it a try on pizza, chicken, bread, regular pasta or anything that you would use regular pesto on. This pesto is super easy to throw together, and if you’re an artichoke fan like myself, you really can’t go wrong on this one. Let me know your thoughts on it and what you decided to try it on!

Lemon Artichoke Pesto with Zucchini Noodles
 
Author: The Lean Clean Eating Machine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1-2
A deliciously unique take on traditional pesto sauce.
Ingredients
  • ***Pesto:***
  • 1 (8 oz) pack frozen artichoke hearts; thawed or 1 can organic artichoke hearts; drained
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves; packed
  • 1/2 cup raw walnut halves; chopped and toasted
  • 1 lemon; zested and juiced
  • 2 large cloves garlic; crushed and minced
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon or to taste kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon or to taste freshly ground black pepper
  • ***Zucchini Noodles:***
  • 2 medium zucchini; rinsed and dried; julienned or spiralized
Instructions
  1. Set oven to 450F.
  2. Using a spiralizer or julienne peeler, make zucchini into long, pasta like strands. If you are using a spiralizer, you may want to cut the zucchini into thirds first to make shorter strands.
  3. Place cut zucchini on a parchment lined baking sheet, and put it into preheated oven for about 5 minutes, or until zucchini is starting to slightly soften.
  4. Remove zucchini and set aside. Blot with a paper towel if zucchini is slightly damp.
  5. In a food processor, combine all of the pesto ingredients, except for the olive oil, and process to finely chop. When finished, and with the machine running, slowly drizzle in olive oil.
  6. Place zucchini noodles in a bowl, and mix with additional artichoke hearts, red pepper flakes or freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
  7. Spoon in a small amount of the pesto, and gently toss with noodles. Add in more pesto if needed to reach your desired consistency.
  8. Serve with additional toppings if desired and enjoy!
 
Notes
This pesto recipe will make a pretty large amount, so save extra by placing it into ice cube trays. Gently tap trays to make sure there are no air bubbles, then cover tightly in saran wrap and freeze. Sauce cubes will save for up to a month, just remove when ready to use and melt them into sauce form.

 

3 comments on Lemon Artichoke Pesto with Zucchini Noodles

  1. bethany
    January 3, 2014 at 8:53 pm (10 years ago)

    Can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
    • Danielle
      January 3, 2014 at 9:37 pm (10 years ago)

      Hope you like it! We just tried it on pizza tonight and it was SO good!

      Reply
  2. gina
    February 9, 2015 at 9:43 am (9 years ago)

    this looks so delicious. Can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

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