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Zucchini Pesto Roll-ups

June 9, 2013 by thefitchen 45 Comments

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Zucchini Pesto Roll-ups [Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free]

Zucchini is one of the most versatile vegetables. You can make it into pasta, grill it on a skewer, stir-fry it, or simply eat it raw [a squeeze of fresh lemon over top is a treat]. As it turns out, zucchini can also make quite a sophisticated appetizer with minimal effort.

And pesto... oh, pesto. A delicious mingling of what are arguably some of food's best flavors. All it takes is basil, a handful of cashews, lemon, and garlic to create a mouthwatering pesto. Pine nuts seem to be the go-to for most pesto recipes, but cashews work just as well and cost much less [stick around here long enough and you just might learn something]. This appetizer requires little prep and process which means you can make lots of these very quickly. And then watch them disappear off the table just as fast. These suckers are like Pringles - in the sense that once you pop one you can't stop.

INGREDIENTS [Makes 15-18 rolls depending on zucchini size]

2 zucchinis
1 container of cherry tomatoes [just enough for one per roll]
½ c. pesto

INGREDIENTS for the Pesto

1 c. fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
¾ c. raw cashews
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast [optional, but recommended!]
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
⅓ c. olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt

Start off by making the pesto - mainly because it becomes more flavorful the longer it sits. Combine cashews, olive oil, basil, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until the consistency is mostly smooth. Cover and refrigerate.

Zucchini Pesto Roll-Ups Pepper Courgettes

Chop the ends off each zucchini. Then, using a mandolin or vegetable peeler, start peeling long strips from the zucchini. Repeat until you’ve peeled enough strips for the amount of rolls you want to make.

Sliced Courgettes

Have the cherry tomatoes ready in a bowl and a stockpile of toothpicks. On a flat surface, lay out a slice of zucchini, portion a spoonful on the strip and smooth it out evenly. Cover ½-3/4 of the strip, otherwise it will be hard to roll and the pesto will ooze out everywhere. Place a cherry tomato near one end of the zucchini and start to roll the strip around the tomato. When you get to the end, spear the roll with a toothpick and set it aside.

Zucchini Pesto Roll-Ups Tomatoes Courgettes Garlic Lemon Pepper

Repeat the process until you run out of ingredients. If you have some pesto left over [exciting!], it will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. To be honest, ours didn't last that long because we dipped whatever we could find in it until it was gone. The stuff is so good it's bad.

Zucchini Pesto Roll-Ups Courgettes Tomatoes Knife

Simple, cute, and irresistible. What more can you ask for in a snackatizer?

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Zucchini Pesto Roll-Ups


  • Author: The Fitchen
  • Yield: 15 1x
Print Recipe
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Description

Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free


Ingredients

Scale

Roll-ups

  • 2 zucchinis
  • 1 container of cherry tomatoes [just enough for one per roll]
  • ½ c. pesto

Pesto

  • 1 c. fresh basil leaves
  • 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
  • ¾ c. raw cashews
  • 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast [optional, but recommended!]
  • 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ⅓ c. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. sea salt

Instructions

  1. 1. Combine cashews, olive oil, basil, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until the consistency is mostly smooth. Cover and refrigerate.
  2. 2. Chop the ends off each zucchini. Then, using a mandolin or vegetable peeler, start peeling long strips from the zucchini. Repeat until you’ve peeled enough strips for the amount of rolls you want to make.
  3. 3. On a flat surface, lay out a slice of zucchini, portion a spoonful on the strip and smooth it out evenly. Cover ½-3/4 of the strip, otherwise it will be hard to roll and the pesto will ooze out everywhere. Place a cherry tomato near one end of the zucchini and start to roll the strip around the tomato. When you get to the end, spear the roll with a toothpick and set it aside.
  4. 4. Repeat the process until you run out of ingredients.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 2385
  • Sugar: 19
  • Sodium: 2438
  • Fat: 231
  • Saturated Fat: 35
  • Unsaturated Fat: 188
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 69
  • Protein: 33
  • Cholesterol: 0

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anita Strickhausen

    August 15, 2013 at 11:41 pm

    Made them without the nutritional yeast & they were delicious. I used a peeler to make thin slices of zucchini. Had enough pesto left to make more for a baby shower on Tuesday. They'll be a hit.

    Reply
    • thefitchen

      August 15, 2013 at 11:57 pm

      Thanks for letting us know how they turned out. They're a huge hit at parties!

      Reply
  2. Anita Strickhausen

    August 11, 2013 at 10:40 pm

    Thank you for making this recipe printer friendly. Just printed it & plan to make them for guests tomorrow. What is "nutritional yeast"? Never heard of it.

    Reply
  3. vicky

    August 10, 2013 at 8:53 am

    Wow! love your recipes. I made these last night and they were fantastic! I made the first few zucchini slices thicker and then made the rest thinner -- the thinner were easier to eat. They were delicious!! Thank you!!

    Reply
    • thefitchen

      August 12, 2013 at 11:49 am

      We're so glad that you like the recipe! It's always a hit at get-togethers :)

      Reply
  4. Anita Strickhausen

    August 06, 2013 at 8:42 pm

    I would REALLY like to copy this recipe but don't want all the pictures. Do you have a format with JUST the recipe? I'm really interested in making pesto as I have an abundance of basil. Your recipe sounds SO good.

    Reply
    • thefitchen

      August 07, 2013 at 12:45 pm

      We are currently in the process of adding recipe cards to each of our recipes! I just finished this recipe so you should be able to print out a single page card without pictures :). Thanks for visiting! Enjoy!

      Reply
  5. Sierra

    August 06, 2013 at 5:16 pm

    i dont have raw cashews on hand, would roasted and salted cashews work instead? thanks!

    Reply
    • thefitchen

      August 06, 2013 at 5:37 pm

      That will work just fine! You might want to 1/2 the salt in the pesto since the cashews are already salted.

      Reply
  6. Renee

    July 31, 2013 at 10:07 am

    is there a way to have your recipes formatted to fit or print out on a smaller 3 x 5 card instead of sometimes multiple sheets, and in black ink instead of blue or other????

    Reply
    • thefitchen

      July 31, 2013 at 9:44 pm

      We're working on implementing that! It will be a feature very soon.

      Reply
  7. Anita Strickhausen

    July 30, 2013 at 3:54 pm

    The recipe calls for 1 tbs. nutritional yeast but no place in the instructions is it added. What good does this give to the recipe IF I add it & when?

    Reply
    • thefitchen

      July 30, 2013 at 4:13 pm

      Oops, looks like we forgot to write that in...the nooch just goes in with the rest of the ingredients in the food processor. It adds a salty, savory flavor. We've made it with and without, and definitely recommend using it :).

      Reply
  8. Marilyn

    July 30, 2013 at 1:10 pm

    always looking for more vegan rec.

    Reply
    • thefitchen

      July 30, 2013 at 1:57 pm

      You're in the right place! We post 3 recipes per week!

      Reply
  9. Patricia

    July 27, 2013 at 6:16 pm

    What a great idea! The pesto sounds so tasty, too!

    Reply
    • thefitchen

      July 29, 2013 at 3:06 pm

      Both easy and tasty!

      Reply
  10. lia

    July 22, 2013 at 6:24 am

    I am allergic to tomatoes, so what could I use instead? I also avoid all nightshades, corn, soy.

    Reply
    • thefitchen

      July 22, 2013 at 11:47 am

      That's a tough one. Nightshades make up a huge percentage of vegetables... Perhaps mushrooms would work as a substitute?

      Reply
      • D

        February 20, 2015 at 1:43 pm

        So pretty! Which type of mushrooms would you recommend (if needs to be cut, what size)?

        Also, if one can't have citrus fruit/juices, what can one use instead of lemon juice?

        In advance, thanks!

        Reply
  11. Gail Schendel

    July 18, 2013 at 6:35 pm

    These were great! I served them at a pot luck. Next step . . . My niece's groom's dinner.

    I found that using grape tomatoes and putting the pesto down the middle of the strip helped to not ooze out the sides.

    Reply
  12. Gail Schendel

    July 18, 2013 at 6:32 pm

    YUM!! YUM!! YUM!!! Made these for a pot luck. They were gone in a flash and everyone wanted to know where the recipe came from. I just smiled and said "It's a secret!"

    I'm doing them again for my niece's bridal dinner.
    p.s.
    I found it easier to use grape tomatoes and only place the pest in the middle, when rolling up, everything spread out without falling out the edges.

    Reply
    • thefitchen

      July 21, 2013 at 1:14 pm

      So glad you liked them and so glad they were a hit at your party! Thanks for the suggestions. :)

      Reply
  13. foodienewz

    July 05, 2013 at 3:33 am

    Your food photos are amazing. You can share your mouth watering photos with us at foodienewz.com. foodienewz.com is a new food sharing site and we actually try our best to promote your food photos. At foodienewz.com all your food photos will be published without any editorial review so I really hope you come and join us.

    Reply
  14. foodie@foodieportal.com

    June 11, 2013 at 11:19 am

    I love your pictures and recipes, they are mouth watering. Would love for you to share them with us at foodieportal.com. Over at foodieportal.com we are not photography expert snobs, we are just foodies, so pretty much all your pictures will get accepted.

    Reply
    • thefitchen

      June 11, 2013 at 12:12 pm

      You made us blush! Thank you for asking and tipping us off to your site. We'll be submitting regularly from now on. :)

      Reply

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