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5 from 1 vote

Kale and Lemon Pesto Zoodles (paleo, GF)

This zucchini noodles with pesto and kale recipe is a healthy pesto noodle alternative filled with pine nuts, kale, basil, and lemon. It all comes together in less than 20 minutes!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 minute
Total Time11 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 2
Author: Dominique

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 1 cup of fresh basil leaves
  • 1 Tbs + 1 tsp of olive oil
  • 1.5 tsp minced garlic (2 small cloves of garlic for me)
  • 1 cup of chopped kale (this was 1 large leaf for me)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
  • 3 Tbs lemon juice
  • 2 medium zucchini

Instructions

  • Spiralize the zucchini. (I used the shredder blade from my Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer for thinner zoodles). Place the zoodles in a colander/strainer and put a large pinch of salt into them. Toss the zoodles around to spread the salt around. Let the zucchini sit for 10 minutes so that the liquid can drain from it. Set the colander/strainer into the sink.
  • Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the pine nuts to the food processor and mince again until the pine nuts turn into crumbles.
  • Add the kale, basil, 3 Tbs of lemon, 1 Tbs of olive oil, 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/8 tsp of black pepper to the food processor and grind it all together. You may need to stop the food processor and press the sides of it down with a rubber spatula.
  • Add the last 1 tsp of olive oil to the food processor and mix everything again until the final pesto paste has formed.
  • Take out a plate, cover it in paper towels and place the zoodles onto it. Cover with a paper towel and press down to get all the remaining liquid off of the zoodles.
  • Heat a large pan with some olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, put the zoodles into the pan and top with the pesto sauce. Mix everything around for 30 seconds to a minute (until everything is hot and you have your desired zoodle consistency).
  • Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 326mg | Potassium: 899mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 4384IU | Vitamin C: 78mg | Calcium: 149mg | Iron: 4mg