Need to whip-up a quick weeknight meal?
It doesn’t get much easier than this raw, vegan pesto sauce.
Simply throw everything into a food processor or blender, and in less than 5 minutes, you’ve got a delicious sauce on your hands–> perfect for serving over your favorite noodles or as a quick veggie dip!
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Oil-Free Vegan Pesto
makes about 1 1/2 cupsIngredients:
1 cup diced zucchini
1 handful fresh basil leaves (about 3/4 oz.)
4 garlic cloves (I love garlic, but feel free to use less)
½ cup raw walnuts
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to tasteDirections:
Throw all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender, and blend away!
I like my pesto smooth and creamy, so I used my Vitamix for a super-quick sauce– but if you prefer a chunkier texture, simply pulse it in a food processor until evenly broken down.
*Note: I added plenty of salt to this pesto sauce (a 1/2 teaspoon) because the flavor will be further diluted when eaten with raw or cooked vegetables. However, if you’re serving the pesto over a bed of salty pasta, or with cheese, you may want to reduce the salt content of the sauce to keep your final dish balanced.
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To make your weekday meals even easier, try this tip–> freeze your sauce into ice cube trays, for an easily portioned meal!
These cubes should last for months in the freezer, so you’ll have an easy-to-prepare dinner at your fingertips!
Enjoy!
@Detoxinista.com
These pesto cubes have made Austin’s dinners SO EASY to prepare lately. I simply grab 4 frozen cubes, and saute them with fresh veggies and a bag of rinsed Miracle Noodles.
Sometimes I add chopped, pre-roasted chicken, too, completely ruining the whole “vegan” factor… but, oh well.
You certainly can’t beat a delicious dinner that’s ready in 10 minutes!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite quick meal? Any time-saving tips to share?
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This sounds great Megan! I like pesto but get really turned off by ones that contain like 99% nuts, so I love that you put zucchini in as well. My favourite quick meals as of late have been veggies (I’ve been buying the frozen kind because they’re actually cheaper than fresh), in homemade marinara sauce with fish, like basa or cod. Something about nice warm cooked tomato sauce is so comforting in winter!
I love this recipe!!! Have you heard of Dorot herb cubes? The idea of freezing these reminds me of the Dorot herbs-they are at Whole Foods…I can’t wait to give this recipe a go! Have a great day!
I’ve never heard of those! Herbs in a cube sound very convenient, though– I’ll keep my eye out for them next time!
This is a perfect recipe for me today! This is exactly what I have left in my fridge – and I have been wanting to make some pesto to freeze! Thanks!
Yay! Hope you like it.
YUM! I love the idea of freezing the batch into cubes in the ice tray. That’s perfect for a single gal like me who is always cooking for one! I’m definitely going to do this. Thanks!
I’m freezing ALL of my sauces into ice cube trays now– it makes it so easy to prepare single-portion meals! Hope you enjoy it, too!
This looks amazing! I was bumming out a little bit the other day since I removed dairy from my diet nearly a month and a half ago and I remembered that pesto just wouldn’t be the same! This pesto looks much better than traditional pesto loaded with cheese. I love the addition of zucchini!
This recipe looks great! I don’t use oil, so this is perfect!