Raw Zucchini Pasta with Basil Pesto

Very often people on raw food tell me that they miss all the comforting pasta dishes they used to eat before embarking on a raw journey.

I love pasta and I used to miss it as well until I discovered that one can actually use vegetables to make raw noodles.


Squashes such as zucchini are perfect! They are rather neutral in taste and very easy to cut: using circular cutter you can make spaghetti; with the help of a simple vegetable peeler you can make tagliatelle. Experiment!

When your pasta is ready simply add the raw pasta sauce of your choice. Ready! Simple, quick and nutritious. And most importantly, raw.

Ingredients:

for the pasta:
  • 1 large zucchini or a squash of your choice
  • 1Tbsp freshly pressed lemon juice
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • pinch Celtic sea salt
for the pesto:
  • small bunch of fresh, organic basil leaves
  • handful of raw, organic pine nuts
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 6 Tbsp of virgin olive oil
  • small chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (if you are a vegan add crushed almonds instead)
  • pinch Celtic salt to taste


Method:
  • Wash and dry the zucchini.
  • Using a vegetable peeler make thin "pasta" ribbons out of zucchini. Proceed slowly, but do not worry if they break. Gently mix the zucchini ribbons with lemon juice, olive oil and salt. This will make the noodles tender.
  • Portion the ready pasta onto pasta plates.
  • Make pesto using a mortar and a pestle or a food processor. For instructions please click here. Skip the cheese if you are a vegan and use more nuts instead.
  • Put a generous amount of this wonderful pesto on the pasta. Decorate with fresh basil leaves and raw pine nuts. Enjoy in good company!
In radiant health - passionately raw - Dominique