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You are here: Home / Blog / No-Cook Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad

No-Cook Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad

August 1, 2018 by Marisa Moore

661 shares
Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad Recipe

This no-cook Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad is the perfect way to use up summer garden vegetables. It’s an easy summer salad that’s ready in 10 minutes!

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Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad topped with pine nuts and shaved parmesan

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase an item, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you.

It’s August 1 and that may mean that the summer is starting to wind down. But if you have a garden or visit a farmers market, you know the zucchini and tomatoes show no signs of slowing down any time soon. Well. This salad will help you use up those summer garden vegetables!

Use up your summer garden vegetables with this 10 minute, no-cook Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad! #summereats #zucchinirecipes Click to Tweet

Make zucchini noodles without a spiralizer

If you don’t have a spiralizer, no problem. You probably have a vegetable peeler somewhere in the depths of your kitchen drawers. Even better, said vegetable peeler may have the option to julienne. That’s what I used to create these thin noodles which I much prefer for a raw salad.

Make the easiest pesto

To make the easy pesto, you’ll blend equal parts fresh basil and spinach, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, lots of fresh garlic, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. The olive oil and Parmesan will impact the flavor of the salad in a major way. Go with the best-tasting ones you can afford.

How to make Walnut Pesto in a blenderOnce the pesto is done, you’ll just need to toss it with the zucchini and tomatoes. Now, you could stop right here and the salad will be delicious. But I like to add in shaved Parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts for extra crunch and flavor.

Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad with grape tomatoes

How to avoid watery zucchini noodles

TIP: To make this recipe ahead of time, store the basil pesto separate from the spiralized zucchini noodles. Both the pesto and the zucchini noodles can last up to a week when properly sealed and refrigerated. Toss them together just before serving. If you skip this advice, after about an hour, you’ll come back to zucchini swimming in pesto water. You can drain it. It will be OK but not ideal.

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Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad Recipe

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Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad topped with pine nuts and shaved parmesan
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5 from 5 votes

Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad

This no-cook Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad is topped with parmesan, pine nuts, and fresh tomatoes. Use up your summer garden vegetables in this easy salad that's ready in 10 minutes!
Prep Time10 mins
Total Time10 mins
Course: Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pesto salad, zoodles, zucchini noodles
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 220kcal
Author: Marisa Moore

Equipment

  • Julienne and Vegetable Peeler

Ingredients

  • 2 medium zucchinis
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves, packed
  • ¼ cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts, plus more for garnish
  • 4 cloves fresh garlic
  • ½ teaspoon coarse salt
  • ⅛ tsp cracked black pepper
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for garnish

Instructions

  • Prep the zucchini: Spiralize the zucchini using the thinnest setting or use a vegetable peeler (see video and notes below). Set aside in a colander.
  • Make the pesto: In a high power blender, add the spinach, basil, nuts, garlic, salt, pepper, Parmesan, and olive oil and blend until smooth.
  • In a large bowl, toss the pesto with the zucchini noodles and tomatoes until combined. Add extra Parmesan cheese and/or cooked shrimp to make it a full meal. 

Notes

How to make zucchini noodles without a spiralizer:
Use a vegetable peeler. Vegetable peelers often have a ribbon or julienne (long, thin strips) option that works great for making zucchini noodles without a spiralizer. Go head and check yours. You may not have noticed before. 

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcal

661 shares

Filed Under: Blog, Recipes, Seasonal, Soup and Salad

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa Huff

    August 01, 2018 at 12:47 pm

    5 stars
    Love that this is such an easy no cook meal! So perfect for summer with all the zucchini around.

    Reply
    • Marisa

      August 01, 2018 at 6:42 pm

      Yes. No cook is the goal for most of this month in my house!

      Reply
  2. Neli Howard

    August 01, 2018 at 12:56 pm

    5 stars
    yessss! This is the perfect recipe for me. Looks VERY tasty! I’m sure these tastes are amazing! So YUMMY!

    Reply
    • Marisa

      August 01, 2018 at 6:41 pm

      Thanks so much! I love how this one turned out 🙂

      Reply
  3. Pooja@poojascookery.com

    August 01, 2018 at 12:58 pm

    Wow ! Geen and healthy salad is definitely on my list.

    Reply
    • Marisa

      August 01, 2018 at 6:40 pm

      It always feels so good to eat your greens!

      Reply
  4. Iryna

    August 01, 2018 at 1:05 pm

    5 stars
    I have a spiralizer, but I’ve never used it. Time to fix this. My kids are obsessed with anything pesto, so I might give this a try.

    Reply
    • Marisa

      August 01, 2018 at 6:40 pm

      Kids LOVE spiralizing vegetables. I bet they’d have fun helping you break it in!

      Reply
  5. Nancy | Flavorpalooza.com

    August 01, 2018 at 1:18 pm

    5 stars
    Perfect summer recipe. Keep the oven off. Love pesto. And we’re swimming in zucchini right now! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Marisa

      August 01, 2018 at 6:39 pm

      Yes. Zucchini is everywhere right now!

      Reply
  6. Jill

    August 01, 2018 at 1:30 pm

    5 stars
    This looks like perfect summer meal! So fresh and healthy!

    Reply
    • Marisa

      August 01, 2018 at 6:18 pm

      I love it for a light meal with some shrimp added!

      Reply
  7. Robyn Flipse

    September 05, 2018 at 2:33 pm

    The recipe doesn’t say when to add the spinach? Thanks Marisa

    Reply
    • Marisa

      September 05, 2018 at 3:22 pm

      Hi Robyn! The spinach goes into the blender with the pesto ingredients. Fixed it. Thanks for alerting me to the omission. Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  8. Haley

    January 16, 2019 at 9:59 am

    I love that you added cherry tomatoes.

    Reply

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Marisa Moore

Hi! I'm Marisa, a registered dietitian nutritionist living in Atlanta, GA. I use this blog to share (mostly) vegetarian recipes, credible nutrition information and a peek into my Southern roots and travels!
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