Watch how it’s made
Every step in 1:06 — from the ingredients to the finished dish.
Zucchini noodles are the most direct answer to a plate of pasta. A cup of cooked spaghetti carries around 43 grams of carbohydrate, while a cup of spiralized zucchini carries about 4. Swapping one for the other removes most of the meal’s glucose load while keeping the shape, the sauce and the fork-twirling intact.
The whole dish lands at 12 grams of carbohydrate and 190 calories, with pine nuts and olive oil in the pesto supplying the fat that makes it satisfying. It is fast, it needs no oven, and it is a useful recipe to have on hand in late summer when zucchini is abundant and cheap.
Keeping them from going watery
Zucchini is more than 90 percent water, and that water has to go somewhere. The reliable fix is to salt the spiralized noodles lightly, let them drain in a colander for fifteen minutes, then press them gently in a clean towel before they meet the pan. Cook them hot and fast, and toss with the pesto off the heat.
If you have no spiralizer, a julienne peeler or even a standard vegetable peeler will do. The peeler produces wide ribbons closer to pappardelle, which some people prefer anyway.
Making this a full meal
At 8 grams of protein this is light for a dinner on its own. Grilled chicken, shrimp, white beans or a couple of soft-boiled eggs bring it up to a level that will hold you through the evening. Shrimp in particular cooks in the same pan in three minutes and suits the basil and lemon flavours.
If you want the comfort of real pasta without the full carbohydrate load, cook half a portion of whole wheat spaghetti and stretch it with an equal volume of zucchini noodles. That halves the carbohydrate while keeping the texture familiar.
About the pesto
Store-bought pesto is usually fine, but check the label. Some brands add sugar, and many use sunflower or canola oil rather than olive oil. Homemade takes five minutes in a food processor: basil, garlic, pine nuts or walnuts, parmesan, olive oil and salt. It freezes well in an ice cube tray, which gives you single portions for months.