Zucchini Pesto (without Pine Nuts)
If your summer zucchini is starting to pile up, this zucchini pesto is one of my favorite ways to put it to some seriously delicious use. Made with sautéed zucchini, spinach, basil, Parmesan, and almonds, it has all the classic pesto flavor you love with a veggie-loaded twist that’s perfect for pasta, pizza, sandwiches, and more.
The pesto I make when I am overrun with summer zucchini….
Every summer I reach a point where I look at the zucchini on my counter and think, “Okay…we’ve made the muffins. We’ve grilled it. We’ve roasted it. Now what?”. And exactly how this zucchini pesto came to be. A moment of desperation, mostly. I didn’t want to waste the garden bounty, but also….I was kinda over my typical zucchini recipes. You know how they say boredom is the space in which creativity and imagination happen? Yeah, so is zucchini burnout.
But this zucchini pesto made me work for her. Lots and lots of testing. I so wanted this to be a no-cook recipe (because summer), but it just didn’t shine. Believe me…I tried, but the raw zucchini made the pesto watery and gave it a fresh, almost grassy flavor that just wasn’t what I was after. I found a quick sauté completely changed everything. It cooks off some of the zucchini’s moisture, gives it a lightly caramelized flavor, and makes the pesto the perfect texture, a little flavor oomph rich, and so absolutely worth that one extra step.
Once the pesto is made, the possibilities are endless. It stores great in the fridge for about 5 days, so you can make it and then toss it with your favorite pasta, spread it on sandwiches, spoon it over grilled chicken or salmon, or use it as the sauce on homemade pizza. My Zucchini Turkey Meatballs are especially delicious with this pesto spooned over them but its also pretty magical in my Pesto Pasta Salad. Also, if you REALLY want to make that summer zucchini last into the fall, this recipe freezes beautifully, so go ahead and double the batch.
Let’s make it together. Just you and me…
Tips and tricks from my kitchen to your’s
- Don’t skip the cooking. Trust me, I tried it. We tested this pesto with raw zucchini (because who wants extra steps??) and found that it was quite watery and the raw veggie flavor didn’t quite work for what we were loving. The cooking process helps to cook off some of the zucchini’s water and give it a delightful flavor…so its worth the extra step to make something thats truly tasty.
- Make it nut-free. I know some people need that I gave this a go with sunflower seeds and it worked great too! I also bet pumpkin seeds would be a great sub for the nuts too.
- Use toasted nuts for a deeper, richer flavor. It just depends on how fancy you are feeling. You can toast nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, (watching them carefully) until they are golden brown. This takes just a minute or two.
Zucchini Pesto (without Pine Nuts)
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 pound zucchini , (about 2 medium), ends removed, cut in half lengthwise, then thinly sliced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 cup packed baby spinach
- ½ cup packed basil leaves
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to medium, then stir in the garlic and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook until the garlic is lightly toasted and the zucchini is well browned, another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked zucchini the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Allow the zucchini to cool until just warm. (You could also do this part ahead of time and allow the zucchini to cool fully before making the pesto.).
- Once the zucchini is cool, add the spinach, basil, nuts, parmesan, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Blend until creamy and mostly smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Taste and add more salt and/or lemon juice as you’d like. Use the pesto right away or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
Notes
- Toss with your favorite cooked pasta to use as a sauce. For pasta salad, whisk a little extra olive oil into the pesto then use as the dressing.
- The pesto can be used as a spread in a sandwich or for the sauce on the base of a pizza.
- You can also use the pesto as a dip for raw veggies and crackers.
- You can make this pesto nut-free by replacing the nuts with seeds such as pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
- For a dairy-free pesto, leave out the parmesan cheese and add additional salt to taste. The pesto will still be delicious without the cheese.
- Toast the nuts for a deeper flavor. You can toast nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, (watching them carefully) until they are golden brown.
Could you use walnuts instead?
Sure!
This pesto is amazing! I consider myself a pesto expert, planting lots of basil each year and freezing homemade pesto for use throughout the year. Pesto pasta is a favorite of my four grandchildren, all 5 years old and younger. I’ll have to plant more zucchini next year!
So happy to hear you loved this recipe as much as we do! Thanks for taking the time to share, Tammy!
Sounds really yummy, could you freeze this pesto ?
You sure can!
This pesto was absolutely delicious! I loved the texture and more complex flavor with the sautéed components. My whole family ate it with pasta and chicken, and 2/3 kids raved about (which is a true win!). I have been using the leftover pesto as a dip for veggies this week. So good!
So happy you love this one as much as we do! And 2/3 ain’t bad!
This is our favorite pesto recipe of yours yet!! We used walnuts & sunflower seeds in place of almonds because that’s what we had on hand, and nutritional yeast instead of parm for dairy free. So delicious and kid approved in our house too!
I’m so happy to hear that, Linda!
This pesto is delicious! I love that it uses so many veggies-especially if you’ve got an abundance of zucchini. The only bummer was waiting for the zucchini to cool. I blended it could have eaten it by the spoonful even before adding the other ingredients! The end product is creamy and makes a good amount. We had enough for two meals.
Love that you love this one so much, Amy! I totally agree that the cooling bit is annoying, but that sauteed flavor is magic and so worth the wait!
This was so delicious, I could’ve eaten the whole bowl with a spoon. I used kale and pine nuts in place of spinach and almonds (what I had on hand). Excellent dish!
Oh I bet that was so good! So glad you loved this one as much as we do, Steph.
Excellent pesto! So wonderful flavors and texture. I used almond butter as I didn’t have sliced almonds, it worked great. Just put the leftover in the fridge and can’t wait for earing leftovers in the next couple if days!
Oh that is such a get idea, Jennifer! So glad you loved it as much as I do and thanks for sharing that tip!
This is delicious! I like how the garlic and zucchini are cooked before adding them into the pesto. I used toasted pine nuts. The Vitamix was key to getting a smooth texture. Total win – kiddo usually refuses to eat zucchini!
I agree that the added step of cooking the zucchini and garlic is so kep for the best flavor and texture! Glad it was such a hit, M!
Would cooking the zucchini & garlic in the oven work as well? I want to make a lot of it to freeze and enjoy later as well gift some to my zucchini suppliers!! I love this recipe soooo much!
Oh I love that idea, Joanne. So, I’ve never tried roasting the veggies vs sautéing, but I feel like that would work to help remove the “green” flavor of zucchini a bit (I tested this with raw zucchini and it just wasn’t the right flavor). I’d love to hear how it goes if you give it a try!
I’ve made this recipe many times.
We LOVE it so much! Delicious and perfect recipe for a bumper crop of zucchini.
Ah! Always love opening up my laptop to comments like this! I’m so glad it has become such a repeater in your home! Thanks for popping in and sharing, Kelly!
I have diverticulosis, and can’t eat nuts or seeds. I make regular pesto without pine nuts, and it is delicious. Could I make zucchini pesto without seeds?
Oh I’ve never tried! But I feel like if you’ve had success doing it with traditional pesto, it should work!
I have been making all your zucchini recipes and every single one earns give stars! I have a bunch of leftover zucchini already grated. Do you think I can saute it and use it for this recipe or is it better to have the large pieces? Thank you!
Oh yay!! I’m so glad you’ve lived my kitchen creations so much!! I think the grated zucchini would work fine. Just weigh it to get the measurements correct!
Could you make a bulk batch and can jars of the sauce?
Hi Candace! I don’t have experience with canning so I’m unsure.