Caprese Zoodles with Basil Pesto

A quick and easy gluten-free, grain-free and vegetarian meal. Roasted tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, black olives & zucchini noodles tossed in Basil Pesto-- equally perfect when Summer produce is abundant or anytime you want a fresh tasting meal! Make more substantial by using a mix of gluten-free spaghetti + zucchini noodles.

gluten free caprese zoodles with basil pesto #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipes #zucchinirecipes healthygffamily.com
Caprese Zoodles with Basil Pesto

A 30 Minute Gluten-Free Dinner!

New! I’ve added a cooking video to this page so you can see how easy it is to make this gluten-free Caprese Zoodles with Basil Pesto.

If you’re new to this website, as with all my recipes, there is a printable recipe with exact measurements and directions at the bottom of this page.

Hope you love it!

Easy Caprese Zoodles Basil Pesto www.healthygffamily.com

Update May 2020: This is one of the easiest and yummiest dinners ever and it was never so appreciated as this evening!

Dinner snuck up on us and we decided that the boys and my husband would have Bolognese sauce we had made earlier in the week (when in doubt, pasta, right?)…. so I made this for me!

It came together in no time and was so fresh and flavorful!

Roasted tomatoes are my favorite, especially this time of year when they aren’t super fresh yet.  And I could literally have eaten the pesto by the spoonful!

Hope you love it as much as we do!

Original post…

This is one of the easiest and yummiest dinners ever!

Roasted cherry tomatoes

Fresh mozzarella

Black olives

Zucchini noodles

all tossed with Basil Pesto.

That’s it!

A little chopping, 10 minutes of roasting, and a delicious dinner is served!

Of note… the recipe says 25 minutes but I usually roast the tomatoes while I make the pesto and zoodles so it’s more like 15 minutes!

Let’s start by talking about zoodles or zucchini noodles…

They are easy to make using a spiralizer.   We’ve used the Paderno, Amazon affiliate link, for several years now.

Alternatively, you could purchase them pre-spiralized at any number of store.

caprese zoodles zucchini noodles gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

One question I am often asked is do I cook the zucchini noodles or eat them raw?

In this recipe, I prefer to toss the raw noodles with the pesto.

If you decide to saute the zucchini noodles, heat a touch of olive oil in a pan and only saute them for about 5 minutes or until they are tender crisp.

Options:

  • If you aren’t sure about zoodles, you could make it with gluten-free spaghetti, or
  • You could use a mix of zoodles and spaghetti noodles!

The only “cooking” involved is roasting tomatoes for 10 minutes.  This really brings out the flavor of the tomatoes and brings an element of warmth to the dish.

Easy Caprese Zoodles Basil Pesto www.healthygffamily.com

For the basil pesto, our favorite simple recipe is below (as well as a link to our favorite vegan nut-free pesto) or you can use a store bought one.

The basil pesto recipe shown here is made with 8 ingredients:

fresh basil

freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

extra virgin olive oil

raw unsalted almonds

garlic cloves

rice wine vinegar

salt and pepper.
caprese zoodles zucchini noodles gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

And it couldn’t be easier!

Using a food processor (we’ve had a basic Cuisanart – Amazon affiliate link forever and it’s great for this!), pulse the basil, garlic and almonds a few seconds to get them break down a bit.

It will smell amazing immediately! And the almonds give it a little texture which is so satisfying!

gluten free caprese zoodles with basil pesto #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipes #zucchinirecipes healthygffamily.com

 

Then add the salt and pepper and pulse again.

Pro tip: Scrape down the sides to make sure it’s all blended well.

gluten free caprese zoodles with basil pesto #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipes #zucchinirecipes healthygffamily.com

Next, add in the Parmesan cheese and with the food processor running stream in the oil.

Pulse in the rice wine vinegar (just a touch but adds a nice brightness!) and your done!

gluten free caprese zoodles with basil pesto #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipes #zucchinirecipes healthygffamily.com

The pesto smells amazing and tastes even better! I could literally eat it by the spoonful!

I tend to make the pesto in the 10 minutes the tomatoes roast and then assemble so the dish comes together really quickly!

You could also make the pesto ahead of time.

And it’s sooooo delicious!

It tastes great all year round but it’s especially delicious in the Summer when the produce is so fresh.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

caprese zoodles zucchini noodles gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

If you have extra pesto, try our Italian Roasted Veggie Quesadillas.

For more of our favorite zucchini recipes click here.

PIN it!

Easy Caprese Zoodles Basil Pesto www.healthygffamily.com

 

Scroll down for recipe and leave a comment if you try.

Recipe

 

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Caprese Zoodles with Basil Pesto

This is one of the easiest and yummiest dishes ever! Roasted cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls, black olives and zucchini noodles tossed in basil pesto. Serve as a light main or as a side dish. To make more substantial, use a mix of gluten-free spaghetti and zucchini noodles.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Dinner, Veggies
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Keyword: easy gluten-free dinner, caprese zoodles, zucchini noodles, 30 minute meal, 30 minute gluten-free dinner
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family

Ingredients

  • 2 zucchini rinsed and spiralized with skin left on, or 2-3 cups pre-spiralized zucchini noodles
  • 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved
  • 1 cup fresh mozzarella balls halved
  • 1/2 cup black olives halved
  • 4-5 tablespoons Basil Pesto Recipe below. Store bought fine too!
  • Olive oil for roasting

Basil Pesto (For a vegan pesto, try Vegan Basil Pumpkin Seed Pesto)

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons raw unsalted almonds
  • 2 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Basil Pesto

  • Place basil, garlic and almonds in a food processor and run/pulse several times until finely minced
  • Add salt and pepper and pulse a few more times.
  • With the food processor running, stream olive oil into the top of the food processor. Scrape down the sides as needed and run food processor until well combined and mixture is smooth.
  • Add cheese and process briefly until just combined.
  • Add rice wine vinegar and pulse a few times until just combined.
  • Can be made ahead and kept in seal container in the refrigerator.

Tomatoes

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Place tomatoes on prepared baking sheet in a single layer, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake 10 minutes or until tender, skin will start peeling back a bit.

Zoodles

  • While tomatoes roast, spiralize your zucchini if you haven't already.

Assemble

  • Toss raw zucchini noodles with pesto. Start with 3-4 tablespoons pesto and as more as desired.
  • Add in tomatoes, olives and mozzarella. Toss gently to combine.
  • Serve and enjoy!
  • Best when serve immediately. If serving later, have everything prepared and just combine with pesto at the last minute.
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!

 

2 thoughts on “Caprese Zoodles with Basil Pesto

  1. Good morning! Do you have the nutritional information available for the Caprese Zoodle’s with basil pesto recipe?

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