This lime-arugula pesto over zucchini noodles is a raw vegan dish that is perfect for summer. It can be whipped up in about 5 minutes and is naturally gluten-free too!

Is there anything better than pesto smothered noodles? Pretty much my ideal dinner every single day!
As it turns out, part of my Italian roots goes back to the area in and around Genoa, a city on the northern Italian coast and inventors of pesto. Not saying that my family actually invented pesto, BUT classic basil pesto originates from that area. When Matt and I traveled there a few years ago, I just had to give the pesto a taste (even though it had some cheese) and dang was it good!
Back stateside you can definitely whip up a good pesto at home, and I even have an awesome vegan pesto recipe, but there's nothing as good as the authentic stuff.
A Healthy Twist on Classic Pesto
Since I've already shared my version of classic pesto, today we're going to change things up. We're still going to use basil because you just need to in pesto, but we're also tossing in some arugula and some lime juice.
It's tangy, it's bright, it's fresh and although untraditional, it's really good.
The spicy bite of the arugula is softened by the basil. But it was the lime that really made this pesto shine. It's flavorful, fun and is the perfect summer dish!
How to make Lime Arugula Pesto
Over the years, I've made countless batches of pesto and have realized that each recipe pretty much as the same basic components:
- Basil
- Nuts
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Cheese (or cheese alternative)
- Olive Oil
And of course, some salt & pepper!
If you have those components, you can make pesto. And all we're doing differently here is adding some arugula and swapping the lemon for lime.
Simple as that!
Pesto Zucchini Noodles…for the win!
As I'm writing this, we're in the middle of zucchini season and zucchini noodles have become a staple. They're so easy to make, are a lovely way to lighten up your meal, and still give you that classic “pasta” feeling.
I use the Inspiralizer for all my spiralizing needs and it's really the best. While most spiralizers work perfectly fine on zucchini, I love that the Inspiralizer clamps to the counter so I can use it on tougher veggies like sweet potato & butternut squash, meaning I can use it all year round!
Zucchini + pesto = match made in heaven ????????
The Ultimate Vegan Pasta Recipe
When dinner is ready in under 10 minutes, you know it's going to be a good day! And that's exactly what you can expect with this recipe.
I think this is honestly the ultimate vegan pasta recipe – it's quick, it's flavorful and it's healthy.
And for those of you who don't love cold pasta, you can totally heat this up and serve it warm. Or you could also freeze your extra pesto, pull it out in the dead of winter when you're craving something summery, and whip up a fabulous dinner in minutes.
Just remember to imagine you're sitting in a small cafe along the coast of Italy enjoying your pesto pasta ????
More Healthy Pesto Recipes:
- My Everyday Vegan Pesto
- One-Pot Spring Pesto Pasta
- Sun-Dried Tomato Vegan Pesto
- Raw Avocado Pesto Zucchini Noodles
Zucchini Noodles with Arugula-Lime Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchinis
- 1 cup arugula
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1/3 cup macadamia nuts (or any other nut/seed you'd like)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- Juice of 2 limes about 2 tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water more if needed
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Using a spiral slicer, turn the zucchinis into noodles. Transfer them to a bowl and set aside.
- Combine the remaining ingredients into a food processor fit with the steel blade and process until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Spoon the pesto onto the noodles (however much or little as you would like) and toss to combine.
- Serve immediately.
I blanch if quick flash fry the zoodles. Makes them much nicer and twirlable
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Hi, I was wondering what purpose the nutritional yeast serves in this recipe. I don’t have it and have never used it so didn’t know if it was something I needed to go out and buy or if I could make the recipe without it. Thanks!
Hi there – so basically nutritional yeast is what adds the cheesy flavor. If you can handle dairy, I would simply swap the nutritional yeast for parmesan or romano cheese. Both would be lovely. Enjoy!
This pesto sounds wonderful! Thank you so much for the recipe. 😀
Thank you Carol. Would love to know if you end up trying it 🙂
Absolutely! I always come back to a person’s blog to post a comment when I’ve made a recipe that they were so very kind to share. 🙂
Zucchini noodles is such a great idea. Where did you find the spiral slicer at?
Thanks Julia! They’re really delicious. Here’s the spiral slicer that most people recommend: http://www.amazon.com/World-Cuisine-A4982799-Tri-Blade-Vegetable/dp/B0007Y9WHQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361332778&sr=8-1&keywords=spiral+slicer
What spiral slicer do you have? I am looking at purchasing one soon.
Hi Amanda – I have a really silly hand held one (which I don’t recommend), but I’m looking at purchasing this one. It has great reviews! http://www.amazon.com/World-Cuisine-A4982799-Tri-Blade-Vegetable/dp/B0007Y9WHQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361332778&sr=8-1&keywords=spiral+slicer
This looks delicious! What kind of spiral slicer did you use and where can I get one?
Hi Jill – I think you should try this spiral slicer: http://www.amazon.com/World-Cuisine-A4982799-Tri-Blade-Vegetable/dp/B0007Y9WHQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361332778&sr=8-1&keywords=spiral+slicer
Enjoy! xo
I can’t wait to try this!
What type of spiral slicer do you recommend?
Hi Nancy – try this spiral slicer. It’s reasonably priced and I’ve heard it works great (I currently have a very silly handheld one that I do not recommend) 🙂
http://www.amazon.com/World-Cuisine-A4982799-Tri-Blade-Vegetable/dp/B0007Y9WHQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361332778&sr=8-1&keywords=spiral+slicer