Vegan Zoodles with Spinach Pesto Sauce | Low calorie Pasta Ideas
Low-calorie vegan zoodles in a healthy spinach pesto sauce. A pasta recipe with reduced calories and zero guilty conscience, vegan and gluten-free too! Do I have your total attention now?
Sonia Vadlamani ©
This Zoodles in spinach pesto sauce is my new-found love. Why, you ask? Pasta is my go-to choice for when I’m longing for some comfort food to soothe me down or when I’m in need for some food-rejuvenation, or for a zillion other reasons! I find it rather meditative to be able to twirl my fork around those strands of goodness drenched in a delicious sauce.
However, lately the calorie overload of a good pasta bowl is becoming a concern. Also, my resolve to get more fresh greens on my plate and in my diet makes a starchy, indulgent dish of pasta quite an untenable goal sometimes. How do we resolve this quandary and get back together with our beloved bowl of pasta? Easy – welcome the beautiful thing called zoodles.
What are Zoodles
Zoodles are typically fashioned out by cutting thin strips out of a zucchini, but lately people have been experimenting them out of carrots and gourds as well. Well, whatever suits one’s fancy. Zoodles do very closely resemble spaghetti, thanks to its ability to withstand steam and blend in a sauce just like pasta does. You HAVE to try it once to believe how close it is to the real deal, sans the calorie-worry and with several times higher nutritional value.
The recipe is rather simple, and the prep basic. Do follow the zoodle-making steps carefully to get great results – it could become a family favorite and preferred lunchbox mate for you and your kids real fast!
What’s in the Spinach Pistachio Pesto Sauce?
The sauce is real simple and full of nutrition too – spinach and pistachios with some extra virgin olive oil and the goodness of nutritional yeast it is. Have you read about the benefits of nutritional yeast yet? In short, nutritional yeast is full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that can potentially improve heart health, prevent cancer and other lifestyle diseases, and resolve the problem of vitamin B12 deficiency for vegans and vegetarians, thus enabling healthy vegan meals with great ease.
Looking for other healthy comfort food meal options?
Try my Cacio e Pepe with Nutritional Yeast, Spinach Whole-Wheat Pasta in Avocado Mushroom Sauce, Creamy Barley Risotto, Healthy Mango Panzanella Salad and let me know what you think!
RECIPE: ZOODLES WITH SPINACH PESTO SAUCE AND NUTRITIONAL YEAST
Serves 3
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 zucchini
- ½ cup spring onions, chopped
- 5-6 garlic pods, minced
- ½ cup green peas, shelled or thawed
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 5-6 green olives, sliced
- 5-6 capers
- 2 tbsp freshly-ground pepper
- 1 tsp paprika (optional)
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- Salt, to taste
- 1 tbsp pomace olive oil
For Pesto Sauce:
- 2 cups spinach, washed
- 12-15 pistachios
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast (I used a local variety made in Auroville, India)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
METHOD
Prepping the Zoodles
First, we proceed towards drawing zoodles from zucchini using a vegetable slicer with zoodle attachment or a spiralizer. Next, sprinkle salt on them and set aside.
After 5 minutes, you’ll see water draining and collecting at the bottom. At this point, squeeze out the water and discard. Lastly, pat the zoodles dry with kitchen towel and set them aside.
Consecutively, steam the zoodles for 1 minute using a steamer attachment, or in a perforated vessel or colander over a pan with boiling water. Set aside to cool. Importantly, drain any additional water.
For spinach pesto
Start by microwaving spinach in a microwave-safe bowl for 2 minutes. Next, transfer the wilted leaves into a blender, add pistachios, salt, extra virgin olive oil and nutritional yeast.
Lastly, blend to a smooth paste. Set aside.
Assembling the pasta:
Consecutively, heat oil in a non-stick pan and add minced garlic, spring onions, broccoli florets and green peas.
At this point, sprinkle some water, cover with a lid and allow to cook for 2 minutes on low flame.
Once the florets look sufficiently al dente, add salt and mix. Next, add the sauce to the pan and stir well. Add olives and capers.
Consecutively, add the sauce over zoodles and toss gently to all the strands are uniformly coated. Sprinkle pepper, paprika and oregano on top.
Devour hot!
I’d love to hear how this recipe turned out for you, if you tried it. Do post a pic on Instagram and tag #fitfoodiediary in the picture!
Zoodles With Spinach Pesto Sauce And Nutritional Yeast | Low Calorie Pasta Ideas
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini
- ½ cup spring onion chopped
- 5-6 garlic pods minced
- ½ cup green peas shelled or thawed
- 1 cup broccoli cut into florets
- 5-6 olives green, sliced
- 5-6 capers pickled
- 2 tbsp pepper freshly-ground
- 1 tsp paprika optional
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For Pesto Sauce
- 2 cups spinach washed
- 12-15 pistachios
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast I used a local variety made in Auroville, India
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
Prepping the Zoodles:
- First, we proceed towards drawing zoodles from zucchini using a vegetable slicer with zoodle attachment or a spiralizer. Next, sprinkle salt on them and set aside.
- After 5 minutes, you’ll see water draining and collecting at the bottom. At this point, squeeze out the water and discard. Lastly, pat the zoodles dry with kitchen towel and set them aside.
- Consecutively, steam the zoodles for 1 minute using a steamer attachment, or in a perforated vessel or colander over a pan with boiling water. Set aside to cool. Importantly, drain any additional water.
For spinach pesto:
- Start by microwaving spinach in a microwave-safe bowl for 2 minutes. Next, transfer the wilted leaves into a blender, add pistachios, salt, extra virgin olive oil and nutritional yeast.
- Lastly, blend to a smooth paste. Set aside.
Assembling the pasta:
- Consecutively, heat oil in a non-stick pan and add minced garlic, spring onions, broccoli florets and green peas.
- At this point, sprinkle some water, cover with a lid and allow to cook for 2 minutes on low flame.
- Once the florets look sufficiently al dente, add salt and mix. Next, add the sauce to the pan and stir well. Add olives and capers.
- Consecutively, add the sauce over zoodles and toss gently to all the strands are uniformly coated. Sprinkle pepper, paprika and oregano on top.
- Devour hot!
