Lemon-Garlic Zucchini Pasta: Not Your Grandma's Pasta

Vibrant zucchini and aromatic basil are two of my favorite gems from the garden, and this dish combines them beautifully. What appears at first glance to be spaghetti with cream sauce is actually zucchini topped with lemon-garlic sauce and basil.
By / Photography By | September 15, 2011

Ingredients

SERVINGS: Makes 2–4 servings
For the Sauce
  • ¼ cup macadamia nuts
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 3 small garlic cloves
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons water
For the Pasta
  • 2 large zucchini, peeled and cut in half horizontally
  • 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 12–15 fresh basil leaves
  • 4 whole macadamia nuts

Instructions

Using one of my favorite kitchen tools, the spiral vegetable slicer, I turn zucchini into those long, thin ribbons that mimic pasta. The flakes that look like Parmesan cheese are freshly grated macadamia nuts. The sauce – fresh, lemony and dairy-free – can be created in minutes from a few simple ingredients.

Ingredients

SERVINGS: Makes 2–4 servings
For the Sauce
  • ¼ cup macadamia nuts
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 3 small garlic cloves
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons water
For the Pasta
  • 2 large zucchini, peeled and cut in half horizontally
  • 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 12–15 fresh basil leaves
  • 4 whole macadamia nuts