Raw Zucchini Pasta with Pesto

I received two pounds of basil in my CSA box last week. Logically, there was only one thing to do with it: make pesto. It took forever to de-stem that much basil, but the prepwork is one of those repetitive kitchen tasks that I don't mind doing. And I always love the end result... that sweet basil smell that lingers in the kitchen for a few hours afterward. It smells like home.

Maybe your home doesn't smell like basil at the moment, but it could. Regardless of whether you actually make pesto or not, you can look forward to a lot more pesto on this blog in the coming months. And if you're not a big pesto fan? Ironically, I'm not either. Don't worry, we're in this together. We'll figure something out.

Zucchini pasta is such an easy raw dish that there's no reason to be intimidated by it. If you don't have a spiralizer to make the long pasta noodles from the zucchini, throw it in the food processor for shorter strips - similar to a raw penne. Then, just toss with the sauce and go. Once you prep the sauce and the noodles, the assembly is minimal, making it a great dish for a dinner party or easy leftovers for packing a lunch.

If the tomatoes don't do it for you, you can easily throw in any other summer fruit or vegetable - fresh peas, carrots, sliced beets, avocado, or fresh peaches are all delicious with this. I love fresh tomatoes so I've been looking for any excuse to use 'em, but feel free to mix and match to suit your tastes!

Serves 4

4 zucchini (another summer squash may be substituted as well)
1 pound cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Pesto:
2 cups de-stemmed basil
1/2 cup walnuts
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine the basil, nuts, and garlic in a food processor and process until it forms a course paste. Slowly add the olive oil in a steady drizzle and continue to process until it becomes a smooth texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This makes roughly 1 cup of pesto.

Make the zucchini pasta with a spiralizer or process into julienne strips using your food processor. Mix with about a half cup of the pesto - you can add more or less to suit your tastes. Top with the cherry tomatoes and finish off with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.