Don't have ideas for an alternative pasta sauce? This is the season for zucchini: why not prepare a fresh and light pesto? The pasta will thank you and it will be an "explosion of freshness and taste! For this recipe we need very fresh courgettes, a handful of pine nuts, a bunch of basil and low-fat yogurt!"
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Identity Card of the Recipe
- 173 KCal Calories per serving
-
Ingrediants
- 200 g of zucchini
- Q.b. of pepper
- Q.b. of salt
- 125 g of yogurt
- 60 ml of extra virgin olive oil
- A few mint leaves
- 20 g of basil
- 1 clove of garlic
- 20 g of pine nuts
- 30 g of seasoned ricotta
Materials Needed
- Grater
- Colander
- Immersion blender
- Bowl
Preparation
- Wash the courgettes, remove the ends and grate them to obtain a julienne.
- Collect the zucchini julienne in a bowl, then add some salt: let the zucchini rest for about ten minutes. Drain the courgettes through a colander to remove the vegetation water.
Did you know that
The salt, by osmosis, favors the elimination of the vegetation water from the courgettes. This trick is important because, by using raw courgettes, you avoid getting a too watery pesto.- Toast the pine nuts in a pan to enhance the aroma.
- Wash the basil and mint, drying the leaves.
- Collect the basil and mint leaves in a glass of a blender, then add the zucchini, plain yogurt, salt, pepper, a clove of garlic (optional) and the grated seasoned ricotta. Blend intermittently adding the extra virgin olive oil slowly.
The right advice!
Natural yogurt is an unusual ingredient in the preparation of yogurt: it is recommended to use it to reduce the amount of oil that the pesto would need to achieve a creamy consistency.- The pesto is ready and can be used to season pasta, flavor baked lasagna, enrich canapes or as a seasoning for meatballs.
- It can be kept in the fridge, in glass jars, for 3-4 days, taking care to cover the surface with oil. For longer storage, freezing is recommended.
Alice's comment - PersonalCooker
Zucchini pesto is fresh and light, ideal for cheering up your favorite first courses! The beauty is that zucchini pesto is special not only for pasta, but also for preparing delicious canapés or dips for pinzimonio!Nutritional values and Health Comment on the recipe
Zucchini and Yogurt Pesto is a food that is part of the group of accompanying sauces for first courses, appetizers and aperitifs.
It has a significant energy supply, mainly provided by lipids, followed by carbohydrates and finally by proteins. Fatty acids are mainly monounsaturated, simple carbohydrates and peptides of high biological value.
The amount of cholesterol is not relevant and the fibers are well present.
Zucchini and Yogurt Pesto is a recipe that does not lend itself particularly to the diet against overweight and metabolic diseases, even if it does not show contraindications towards dyslipidemias, hypertension and hyperglycemia.
The food is tolerated by the lacto ovo vegetarian philosophy but not by the vegan one.
It can be used in the diet against celiac disease but not in that for lactose intolerance.
The average portion depends on the total quantity of pasta or canapés to be seasoned; could correspond to 30-60g (about 50-105kcal).
