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Vegetable Ribbon Pasta with Creamy Avocado Pesto

A nutrient packed pasta dish—no noodles needed!

Serves: 5 (Serving= 1 cup plus pasta sauce)

Ingredients

“Pasta”

• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 medium yellow squash
• 2 medium carrots
• Salt

Avocado Pesto

• 2 small garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pitted avocado
• ¼ cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 10 large basil leaves
• 3 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave off long curls from each vegetable to create “ribbons”. Place ribbons in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let drain over the sink for about 20 minutes to remove moisture. Rinse off salt, pat ribbons dry using paper towels, and transfer to a large bowl.
2. To make the sauce, place garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil in a food processor. Process until smooth. Add in avocado, yogurt, basil, red pepper, Parmesan, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.
3. Cook walnuts and tomatoes in a medium skillet over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Add avocado sauce to the pan, continuously stirring to prevent sauce from sticking.
4. When the sauce is heated thoroughly, add to vegetables and toss to coat evenly.
5. Serve as is or add lean protein such as grilled chicken, shrimp or fish. Serve immediately.