We love trying out different kinds of pesto. Because it shouldn’t be boring: a not so normal, but especially tasty pesto variation is Zucchini-Basil Pesto. This pesto goes great with pasta, but you can also add an extra something to a lot of other dishes using this pesto. Give the Zucchini-Basil Pesto a try and be inspired to combine it with dishes you wouldn’t normally think to use it with.

Basic rule for making pesto: cheese, nuts and vegetables should be used in 3 equal parts. Nothing can go wrong using this simple rule!

Recipe:

Shopping list for roughly 350g of Zucchini-Basil Pesto

80g zucchini
20g basil
100g parmesan
100g almonds, chopped
2 garlic cloves
the zest of 1 lemon
cold pressed olive oil
pepper
salt

Preparation Time: approx. 15 minutes

Directions for the Zucchini-Basil Pesto:

Wash the zucchini and cut into big pieces. Wash the basil leaves and let them dry in a sieve or strainer. Next, roast the almonds in a non-stick pan until golden brown. While the almonds are roasting, cut the parmesan into big chunks.

Peel and cut the cloves of garlic to small pieces. Place all the ingredients up to this point into a blender or food processor to finely chop. If you don’t have a blender or food processor, you get the same result with a hand mixer, but with a hand mixer it’s easier when you finely chop the ingredients one at a time.

Finally, mix everything together with a spoon and as you mix, add the olive oil. Add the oil until the Zucchini-Basil Pestois nice and smooth and silky. Add salt and pepper to taste and, when you’re happy with the taste and consistency, put the pesto in a jar to store. Flatten the pesto at the top of the jar and drizzle some of the cold pressed olive oil over it so the pesto on top is covered. This will help it keep longer – you’ll be able to use it at least 4 weeks if you store it in the fridge.