Quick & Healthy Macadamia Nut Pesto Recipe With Fresh Zucchini Noodles Vegetarian Dinner Vegetables

I love this delicious macadamia nut pesto! Every time I make this healthy pesto recipe I think of a new way to use it. It's great with pasta, as a sandwich spread, on a pizza or my new favorite over zucchini noodles (aka zoodles). 

I use macadamia nuts because I've developed a sensitivity to pine nuts, the usual nut used for pesto. And I love how healthy macadamia nuts are for you. The richness of the macadamia nuts combined with the lemon makes this a satisfying and delicious dinner. 

If you have any pesto left get creative and use it for a soup topping or on your next homemade pizza instead of tomato sauce. Pesto will keep for up to three weeks in your refrigerator. Add a bit of olive oil to the top and a piece of plastic pressed against it to prevent discoloration.

Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Pesto

• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, toasted

Zoodles

• 10 zucchini, washed, trimmed and peeled into "zoodles" (I don't use the middle core with seeds)
• olive oil

Here's how to make it: 

1. To make the pesto, preheat frying pan to medium heat and gently brown the macadamia nuts. (Alternatively you can do it in a 350-degree F oven for 6 to 8 minutes.) Be careful not to burn them!
2. In a food processor with the chopping blade inserted combine the basil, garlic, cheese and macadamia nuts. Blend until it becomes a paste.
    
3. Keep blending and add oil and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. To make the zoodles, heat a dash of olive oil in a frying pan and add 1/2 the zoodles. Rotate with tongs and remove when heated through. Repeat for second half of zoodles.
5. Put zoodles back in the frying pan and add the pesto. Mix to heat and generously coat the zoodles. Start with 1/2 the pesto and continue to add until you get the ratio of sauce to zoodles you want.

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