Zucchini pesto is a quick and easy condiment to prepare that everyone usually likes. It is usually used as a sauce for pasta but in reality you can combine it with your favorite recipes to flavor your dishes and use it as an alternative to the classic Genoese pesto.
Our courgette pesto recipe is a simple suggestion, you can vary it to your liking by adding the spices and aromatic herbs you prefer as the delicate flavor of the courgettes allows you to adapt this recipe to all tastes. (Read also: Courgettes: 10 veg recipes to enjoy them at their best)
Courgette pesto, the recipe
Here is a very simple recipe for preparing courgette pesto at home, flavoring it with your favorite ingredients, for example choosing between basil and rocket. With the quantity of pesto you get you can season pasta for 3-4 people. Only one courgette is enough for 2 people.
Ingredients
Courgette pesto has an interesting characteristic: it can be prepared with both raw courgettes and cooked courgettes, although in real pesto all the ingredients should be raw. In both cases we recommend cutting the courgettes into cubes. Then you can decide to blend them raw directly with the other ingredients or to cook them in a pan or steam before blending them.
We advise you to prepare the courgette pesto when using it in the right quantity as the recipe is very quick. If you have some leftover, freeze the courgette pesto in a small glass or in ice containers.
To prepare the courgette pesto, all you have to do is blend all the ingredients, add water little by little only if needed to make the sauce creamier and season with salt and pepper according to your tastes.
Always based on your preferences, you can choose between basil and rocket or between almonds and pine nuts as ingredients for your personalized courgette pesto.
Courgette pesto, how to use it
The uses of courgette pesto are truly numerous and very simple. Obviously they can vary according to your tastes and remember that you can use courgette pesto just as you would with the classic basil pesto, since you will obtain a sauce with a similar consistency and a taste that allows different combinations. Prepare a more or less thick courgette pesto depending on the uses you will need it for. (Read also: 5 pesto ideas for seasoning and spreading beyond the classic Genoese one)
Here are many ideas for using zucchini pesto beyond using it as a condiment for pasta:
- Spread zucchini pesto on homemade bread and bruschetta
- Prepare the pesto lasagna
- Garnish the potato salad
- As a sauce to flavor seitan and tofu
- To fill or season homemade ravioli
- As a condiment for homemade gnocchi
- Flavor soups, veloutés and minestrone by adding a spoonful of pesto
- Fill the savory pies
- Prepare the pesto pizza
- Enrich the focaccias
- As a dip for vegetable dips
- As a sauce to serve for an aperitif
- To vary the chickpea hummus recipe
- As a filling for savory strudel
- Season boiled or steamed vegetables
- Flavor rice, spelled, barley and other grain cereals
- Season the pasta salad and the rice salad
- As a filling for rolls
- To stuff stuffed peppers
- To accompany the chickpea farinata and the farifrittata
- As a small addition to homemade mayonnaise to vary it
- As an alternative green sauce
And many other ideas according to your creativity in the kitchen… (Read also: 12 ways to use Genoese pesto beyond pasta)
What are your favorite recipes for preparing and using zucchini pesto?
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