Pesto Di Zucchine (Zucchini Pesto)
Pesto di zucchine is a flavorful green sauce for pasta, pizza, and beyond. It's so flavorful yet simple, versatile, and veggie-packed. Plus this recipe is completely dairy-free.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil divided
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 3 small zucchini
- ¾ cup fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste see notes
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Trim the ends off the zucchini and then cut them lengthwise into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick. Set them aside while you toast the pumpkin seeds.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the pumpkin seeds to the dry pan. Toast them for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and lightly fragrant, stirring frequently so they don’t burn. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
- Add one tablespoon of the olive oil to the skillet along with the smashed garlic cloves. Saute until the garlic cloves are golden brown, then remove them from the pan and set aside. Bump the heat up to medium-high and add the sliced zucchini in a single layer. Cook until it's lightly charred on both sides. Repeat this process until you've cooked all the zucchini.
- Add the toasted pumpkin seeds, garlic, charred zucchini slices, fresh basil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and the rest of the olive oil to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until mostly smooth, but still has some texture. Add more salt as needed, to taste.
Notes
If you're using any salt other than diamond crystal kosher salt, reduce the amount to 1/4 teaspoon, plus more to taste.
How to Store
Fridge: Store pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Spoon it into a silicone ice tray. Once it's frozen, you can easily pop out the pesto cubes and transfer them to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. When ready to use add the cubes directly to a warm skillet or let thaw in the fridge overnight.