This quick and simple dish is a great way to use up some summer produce and can be made in 15 minutes or less. Tomato, basil, and zucchini all make an appearance around the same time, making this an easy go-to meal when you're looking for something healthy and light. Use any leftover pesto in salad dressings, wraps, or freeze to use later for another quick meal.
To prepare the zucchini noodles, start by slicing off the ends of the zucchini. Using a food spiralizer make the 'noodles' by twisting the entire zucchini through the device. Once you have spiralized all of the zucchini, use a knife to make one cut down the pile of noodles so you don't end up with extremely long noodles. Set aside.
Prepare the vegan pesto as per recipe instructions (above).
Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the halved tomatoes, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Let cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the zucchini noodles and vegan pesto to the frying pan and mix gently. There is no need to cook the noodles as this will result in excess water being released from the zucchini. Simply heat the noodles and pesto in the frying pan and gently mix all of the ingredients together. This should take only 1-2 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Love and Lemons Cookbook No pesto: Add parmesan cheese before serving, or nutritional yeast for a vegan version. No basil: Try a cilantro pesto, or arugula or kale works too. No zucchini: Try using black bean noodles, or traditional pasta if not gluten free.