Pesto Salad with Zoodles, Pine Nuts & Prosciutto
This Pesto Salad with Zoodles, Prosciutto & Pine Nuts is simple but incredibly flavourful and will last a few days in the fridge. Ready in 35 minutes and packed with crispy prosciutto and bright flavours from the Dairy Free Pesto. This salad is Paleo, Whole30, Dairy Free, Grain Free, Gluten Free, and SCD Legal.
This is a healthy spin on pesto pasta salad that is simple but so tasty! I used to make a version of this that was made with bow tie pasta and was packed with almost an entire block of parmesan, and I can truthfully say that this version that is Paleo, Whole30, Dairy Free, Grain & Gluten Free is just as good. Also if you skip the prosciutto its actually Vegan and Raw too!
Ok so let me break this one down for you. The base of this salad is zucchini noodles, which are then topped with crispy prosciutto, arugula (or rocket), pine nuts and a delicious pesto.
If you don’t have prosciutto then you can definitely use bacon, but I highly recommend trying to find prosciutto. Have you ever tried baking prosciutto? It tastes like super salty and extra crispy bacon and is one of my favourite things to chop into salads.
This is a very simple pesto recipe but I think it works perfectly for this salad. If you end up having any extra you can freeze it for another use.
I really can’t emphasize enough how simple this Pesto Zoodle Salad salad is to make, but there is one crucial step that makes the difference between a delicious salad, and a soup.
As anyone who has cooked with zucchini noodles before will know, they release A LOT of water. If you are eating the salad right away it won’t be a big problem, but as I live for leftovers and love when a recipe tastes just as good a few days after making it, removing as much liquid as possible from the zucchini is a crucial step. To do this spiralize the zucchini at least 20 minutes in advance, salt them and let them rest in a sieve for as long as possible. Just before adding the noodles to the salad, squeeze them between paper towel to remove as much water as you can.
The Pesto Zoodle Salad leftovers of the are great for up to 3 days, but I recommend adding in a handful of arugula to the salad before eating to spruce it up a bit as the older leaves will have likely wilted.
Here are a few other zucchini recipes you will love:
- Grilled Zucchini & Asparagus Salad
- Creamy Tomato Sauce with Zucchini Noodles
- Zucchini Wrapped Chicken Enchiladas
- Zucchini Stuffed with Pork & Tomato Sauce
- Zucchini Fritters
- Zucchini, Cheddar & Pancetta Muffins
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Pesto Salad with Zoodles, Prosciutto & Pine Nuts
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini (spiralled into thin noodles)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 slices prosciutto (skip to make this vegan/raw)
- 2 cups arugula (rocket)
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
Pesto
- 1 cup packed basil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Place the zucchini noodles in a colander or sieve, generously sprinkle with salt and leave to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes, this will help draw water out of the noodles.
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Lay the prosciutto out evenly on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for approximately 12 minutes until its crisp. Once cooked, remove from the oven and break the prosciutto into small pieces.
- To make the pesto combine the basil, garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Place the zucchini noodles in between paper towels and squeeze to remove any excess moisture. Place the zucchini noodles in a bowl along with the arugula, pine nuts, chopped prosciutto and pesto. Toss to ensure everything is mixed well before serving.
Nutrition
This is my new favorite recipe! The combination of flavors is perfection and it is so light and refreshing with the zucchini noodles and arugula. I recently discovered your recipe and have already made it three times. It’s a keeper!
A great way to switch up zoodles! This was super tasty and easy for a weeknight meal. I’m not sure salting the zucchini in advance was necessary, as mine got very soggy but everything else was perfect. Will be making this many more times!
Delicious!!! Added shrimp, made it a meal.
Delicious! Made it for lunch today and couldn’t get enough… I’m not typically a zucchini noodles lover because I can’t seem to get the texture right, but this recipe is fool proof… easy and healthy! The pesto is definitely the star of the dish. I used a mixture of arugula and baby spinach. Just perfect! The dish will be in my weekly rotation for sure! Please keep posting Whole30 compliant vegan recipes. Thanks!
Do you have the nutritional facts for this recipe? Sounds delish.
Unfortunately I dont calculate nutrition and prefer to stick to simply using real ingredients, but if you are looking for the nutritional info I recommend trying the App RecipeIQ, its free and all you have to do is take a photo of the recipe and it calculates everything for you in seconds. Here is a link to it https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/recipeiq-recipe-calculator/id1213761554
Hello. I’m not a fan of arugula. Is there another green that would go well with this recipe.
Yes shredded spinach would work well too!
Really quick and delicious recipe. It already became a staple for us. I now “mass produce” the pesto in advance, as it stays good in the fridge for quite some time and use the recipe as basis for variations on the salad.
This was absolutely delicious!!! My husband who is not a huge fan of zoodles had seconds and couldn’t stop raving about how delicious it was. Thank you!!
So happy to hear it was a hit!