Zucchini noodles have been the holy grail of ketogenic pasta dinner solutions for years and thankfully they have continued to get more delicious, not to mention more convenient. Unfortunately, making “zoodles” often takes a fancy zucchini noodle making contraption that you may or may not be able to get your hands on. Solution? Zucchini ribbons!
By using a run of the mill vegetable peeler and a little good old fashion elbow grease, you can turn the most popular summer veggie into faux pasta ribbons and impress all of your friends with your fancy cookin’ skills. What’s better than that?
Avocado walnut pesto, that’s what.
Pesto is by definition a sauce made from basil, pine nuts, and a boatload of olive oil. This recipe reduces the oil and adds a creamy texture to this already keto-friendly pasta dressing. Also, if you are anything like me and go broke buying avocados, you certainly don’t want to spend your hard earned (keto) dough on pine nuts at a whopping $9 for a small jar. ONE! Walnuts are the perfect solution and add a subtle nutty dimension to this flavorful dish.
Yields 2 servings of Zucchini Ribbons with Avocado Walnut Pesto
The Preparation
Zucchini Ribbons
- 3 medium zucchini
- ½ teaspoon salt
Avocado Walnut Pesto
- ½ large avocado
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ½ large lemon
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ cup water, if needed*
Other
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5-6 leaves fresh basil, to garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: Italian seasoning*
*Depending on the ripeness of the avocado, use ½ cup water to help smooth your sauce in the blender. I used the Italian seasoning as a garnish because it makes everything taste great.
The Execution
1. Cut the zucchini into delicate ribbons with a vegetable peeler or mandolin slicer, being careful to stop peeling once you reach the seeds.
2. Place the ribbons in a colander and toss with salt. Let stand while you prepare the avocado pesto
3. Gather the avocado walnut pesto ingredients. This includes avocado, basil, walnuts, garlic, lemon, and cheese.
4. Add all ingredients into the food processor and blend until the sauce is smooth. Add water to thin the sauce as needed.
5. Grease a skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil and bring to medium heat.
6. Saute zucchini ribbons for 3-5 minutes or until they are just beginning to soften. Remove from heat.
7. Spoon pesto onto zucchini ribbons and gently toss to coat.
8. Plate in two portions of fantastically swirled vegetable ribbons. Garnish with fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese.
This makes a total of 2 servings of Zucchini Ribbons with Avocado Walnut Pesto. Each serving comes out to be 325.5 Calories, 26.08 g Fat, 11.46 g Net Carbs, and 10.65 g Protein.
| Zucchini Ribbons with Avocado Walnut Pesto | Calories | Fats(g) | Carbs(g) | Fiber(g) | Net Carbs(g) | Protein(g) |
| 3 medium (588 g) zucchini | 100 | 1.88 | 18.29 | 5.9 | 12.39 | 7.11 |
| ½ teaspoon salt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ½ large (68 g) avocado | 114 | 10.48 | 5.88 | 4.6 | 1.28 | 1.33 |
| 1 cup (24 g) fresh basil leaves | 6 | 0.15 | 0.64 | 0.4 | 0.24 | 0.76 |
| ¼ cup (29.25 g) walnuts chopped | 191 | 19.07 | 4.01 | 2 | 2.01 | 4.45 |
| 2 cloves (6 g) garlic,peeled | 9 | 0.03 | 1.98 | 0.1 | 1.88 | 0.38 |
| ½ large lemon, juice | 5 | 0.06 | 1.66 | 0.1 | 1.56 | 0.08 |
| ¼ cup (25 g) grated Parmesan cheese | 106 | 6.96 | 3.48 | 0 | 3.48 | 7.11 |
| ½ cup water, if needed* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 tablespoon olive oil | 119 | 13.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5-6 fresh (2.5 g) basil leaves to garnish | 1 | 0.02 | 0.07 | 0 | 0.07 | 0.08 |
| Totals | 651 | 52.15 | 36.01 | 13.1 | 22.91 | 21.3 |
| Per Serving(/2) | 325.5 | 26.08 | 18.01 | 6.55 | 11.46 | 10.65 |
Zucchini Ribbons with Avocado Walnut Pesto
Ingredients
Zucchini Ribbons
- 3 medium zucchini
- ½ teaspoon salt
Avocado Walnut Pesto
- ½ large avocado
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- ½ large lemon
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup water if needed*
Other
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5-6 fresh basil leaves to garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: Italian seasoning*
Instructions
- Cut the zucchini into delicate ribbons with a vegetable peeler or mandolin slicer, being careful to stop peeling once you reach the seeds.
- Place the ribbons in a colander and toss with salt. Let stand while you prepare the avocado pesto
- Gather the avocado walnut pesto ingredients. This includes avocado, basil, walnuts, garlic, lemon, and cheese.
- Add all ingredients into the food processor and blend until the sauce is smooth. Add water to thin the sauce as needed.
- Grease a skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil and bring to medium heat.
- Saute zucchini ribbons for 3-5 minutes or until they are just beginning to soften. Remove from heat.
- Spoon pesto onto zucchini ribbons and gently toss to coat.
- Plate in two portions of fantastically swirled vegetable ribbons. Garnish with fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese.
