A quick and easy weeknight meal, these pesto zucchini noodles take only five minutes to make and are packed with flavor!
ZOOOODLES! (read zucchini + noodles = zoodles) smothered in a dreamy vegan pesto sauce. On the menu tonight and ready in 5 minutes.
Dinner in 5 minutes? I'll take it. Any day of the week.
BUT especially after coming back from a two-week vacation with little to no motivation to cook, while also carrying around a few extra pounds (who doesn't after vacay, right?). And yes…while it would have been easy to order takeout, in the amount of time it would have taken me to place my order, I whipped up a delicious, veggie-filled summer meal.
Now THAT I can handle.
If you haven't become a zucchini noodle groupie yet, now is your chance.
All you need to turn that gorgeous green veggie into noodles is a spiralizer or julienne peeler. In moments you'll have a giant bowl of zoodles ready to be devoured.
And while zucchini noodles might be the star of today's dish, the quinoa pesto sauce surely can't be ignored.
Because inside that little jar of green goodness is where all the magic happens. We're talkin' bursts of flavor from the basil, lemon, and garlic, with a hint of salty cheese (but without the actual cheese) and mild heat from red pepper flakes.
Then to give the whole thing a little extra boost, I stirred in quinoa.
Adding quinoa to your pesto might sound little crazy but 1) by now you should I like to add quinoa to everything and 2) it helps give the dish more umph.
(because remember, I promised you only 5 minutes for dinner tonight!)
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More Delicious Zucchini Noodle Recipes To Try!
- Garlic Sesame Zucchini Noodles
- Avocado Alfredo with Zucchini Noodles
- Zucchini Noodles with Vegan Lemon Cream Sauce
- Zucchini Noodles with Lime-Arugula Pesto
- Raw Avocado Pesto Zucchini Noodles
5-Minute Quinoa Pesto Zucchini Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchinis
- 3 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup pine nuts plus more for topping, optional
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
Instructions
- Slice the ends off both zucchinis and run them through the spiralizer on the "spaghetti" blade. Trim the noodles into smaller pieces and transfer to a large bowl.
- Add basil, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice and spices into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse two or three times until the ingredients start to break down. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Scrape down the sides as necessary until you have an almost smooth pesto. Pulse in quinoa.
- Pour pesto over zucchini noodles and toss to coat.
- Garnish with additional pine nuts, nutritional and/or torn basil leaves. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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If you make this recipe, make sure to snap a pic and share it on Instagram using #SIMPLYQUINOA – I want to see your own quinoa creations!
Just made this recipe and it was delicious! I mixed the quinoa with the pesto when it was warm and served immediately so I enjoyed the dish a little warm. I also added cherry tomatoes. Pepper flakes really helped the taste! Will definitely make again!
YAY! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I made this tonight for my husband and I and we both loved it!! I stir fried some thinly sliced onions, some more minced garlic, tossed in some cherry tomatoes and let that cook for a few minutes. Then I added the zoodles already tossed in the pesto and let that warm through. Topped with extra pine nuts and it truly was amazing!! Thank you so much for the recipe!! Will definitely be a new favorite to add into the rotation. Thanks again. 🙂
That sounds incredible! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂 xo
Okay, I’m new to Zucchini noodles. Do you ever cook them after spiralizing?
yvonne marie: You don’t need to cook zucchini noodles because they will get just soft enough when you pour sauce on it that is heated up. What I don’t get about this recipe is why it doesn’t include heating up the sauce. Cold pasta dish? Hmmm…
Hi Christine – I actually really love cold pesto noodles, but you’re more than welcome to heat it up if you’d like. It’s really personal preference!
This looks so delicious…love anything with pesto!!
Thanks!! xo
You don’t need to add oil in the pesto sauce, no-oil vegans! It is yummy and works without it. If you need a little more liquid, use a little vegetable broth (preferably unsalted) instead.
Thanks for the tip!