Cucumber Noodles with Fresh Pesto

I love this super easy low-carb dish is a great way to savor the delicious, natural flavors of fresh cucumber, basil, garlic, and toasted pine nuts. Cucumber noodles are fun to make too! Enjoy this dish on its own, or top with your favorite lean protein, such as grilled chicken or steamed fish, for a more satisfying meal.

Cucumber Noodles with Fresh Pesto

Tip: For best results, use seedless cucumbers that are at least 1½” thick.

Servings: 4 servings
Total Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

4 large firm seedless cucumbers, peeled
½ c. fresh pesto – recipe below
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Prepare fresh basil pesto

Using a spiral slicer, cut cucumbers into thick, long noodles.

Cut the noodles with kitchen scissors once they reach 10-12” long. Place cut noodles on paper or clean kitchen towels and gently blot to absorb excess moisture.

Place cucumber noodles in a medium, non-reactive bowl and top with fresh pesto. Toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve immediately.

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

Fresh Basil Pesto

This versatile, no-cook sauce can be enjoyed with many of your favorite pasta, fish, chicken, soup, or vegetable recipes.

Most modern recipes, including this one, call for making pesto with a food processor to combine the ingredients. This method works well, but produces a very homogenized final result.

For a more traditional approach, try hand-chopping the individual ingredients. The individual components will be less uniform, resulting in more distinct individual flavors among bites.

Ingredients

2 c. fresh basil, loosely packed
¼ c. toasted pine nuts
2–3 garlic cloves, peeled (amount based on personal taste and strength of garlic variety used).
1/3 c. plus 2 T. really good extra virgin olive oil
2/3 c. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Remove basil leaves from stems, then wash and pat dry. Add basil, pine nuts, and peeled garlic gloves to food processor or blender. Quickly pulse until barely combined, then add 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil and blend thoroughly.

Transfer to a medium glass bowl. Stir in Parmesan cheese and remaining olive oil to achieve the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Use immediately. Freeze leftovers in ice cube trays covered with a layer of olive oil. Once frozen, remove “pesto cubes” from trays and store in freezer-safe plastic bags for future use in soups or stews.

Have you ever made cucumber noodles? Give it a try!

Weight Watchers Freestyle: Substitute with low-fat pesto for 4 points per serving for 4 servings. Ideas include swapping out the olive oil and using chicken or vegetable stock. You can use reduced fat parmesan cheese.