Cilantro-Pepita Pesto with Squash Ribbons and Fettuccine
Super flavorful cilantro-pepita pesto tossed with fettuccine and julienned summer squash makes a light and simple meal. This recipe happens to be vegan.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
I drove home for my mother’s birthday party on Sunday. It’s a relatively long drive from Kansas City to Oklahoma City, a straight shoot down I-35 that makes me sleepy with monotony. Cookie and I finally arrived, five long hours later, and I got a couple of hugs on my way to my room for a nap. I woke up to eat pizza on the back porch, after which my grandmother served the blueberry froyo that she made with my aunt. Note to self: I should tell you all more about my rad 80-year-old grandmother someday.
Home has been nice. I’ve been soaking up family time and catching up with old friends. I’ve also made sure to visit my favorite Mexican restaurants, because I just haven’t found a Kansas City Mexican place that serves meals like this. On our evening walks, I have been reminded that Oklahomans are the friendliest of people. Hellos and smiles all around.
I whipped up this meal a few days before I left home. The pesto has a bit of a Mexican flair thanks to cilantro, pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and jalapeño. It’s more flavorful than spicy, and it has won a special place in my heart along with all the other herb sauces that I hold dear (avocado chimichurri, salsa verde, tahini-dill dressing, savory dill-basil yogurt and lemon citronette).
I know there are plenty of cilantro haters out there (I’m a lover, myself) but you could swap out the cilantro pesto for any of my others. The squash noodles lighten up a traditionally carb-heavy pesto and pasta dish. Finally, I can chomp on tons of noodles and not feel like I’m digesting a bowling ball afterward!
I’ve been playing with my new kitchen toy lately, a julienne peeler
. I had it on my wishlist for a while, but after Laura endorsed it alongside this cucumber watermelon stunner, it promptly landed in my mailbox. (You are reading Laura’s blog, The First Mess, right? It’s marvelous; she’s marvelous.)
So far, I’ve used my handy little peeler to make these squash noodles, and to quickly transform whole carrots into pretty orange strands for coleslaw. I’m going after a cucumber next. You should probably get one so we can throw a vegetable noodle party or take a cue from Laura and instagram our fancy lady lunches. But don’t worry if you don’t have one yet, because I’ve provided alternative slicing methods in the recipe below.
Cilantro-Pepita Pesto with Squash Ribbons and Fettuccine
Super flavorful cilantro-pepita pesto tossed with fettuccine and julienned summer squash makes a light and simple meal. You could skip the pasta altogether for a even lighter, gluten-free meal, but I liked the pasta-squash combination best.
Ingredients
Cilantro-pepita pesto
- ⅓ cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1 cup packed cilantro (mostly leaves, about 2 bunches’ worth)
- 2 teaspoons seeded and roughly chopped jalapeño
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
Pasta and squash ribbons
- 8 ounces (½ pound) whole grain fettuccine or linguine
- 2 small zucchini
- 1 yellow squash
Instructions
- Lightly toast the pepitas in a small pan over medium-low heat for a few minutes, tossing frequently, until fragrant. Transfer the pepitas to a bowl to cool a bit.
- Remove any discolored skin from the squash with a paring knife. Use a julienne peeler (or regular peeler) to slice the squash lengthwise, one side at a time (stop once you get to the seeded part, then turn the squash to work on the next side).
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook fettuccine until al dente, according to the package’s instructions. Drain and set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, salt and cooled pepitas. While running the food processor, drizzle in the olive oil. Stop processing once the pesto is well blended.
- Toss the cooked pasta and ribboned squash with the pesto and serve.
Notes
- Pesto recipe based on Shutterbean’s pepita pesto pasta with roasted squash. You might also like 101 Cookbooks’ pepita salad recipe.
- If you don’t have a julienne peeler, you can use a regular vegetable peeler to make squash ribbons as directed below, or slice the squash into super thin rounds with a sharp knife (in which case, you might prefer rotini or penne pasta instead of fettuccine/linguine).
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a few days. Expect the squash to lose a little moisture, but the leftovers will still be very good. Serve chilled, or at room temperature, or gently reheated… it’s good any way.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I love this recipe! I have made it as written, and also without the oil. I usually stick to oil free recipes because I follow a whole food plant-based diet. But this looks so good I couldn’t resist! The way I have made this oil free is substituting the oil for avocado with a splash of water. The end result has a different consistency but the flavor is so similar since the avocado alone doesn’t have much flavor. Thank you once again Kate for your amazing recipes!
Thank you for sharing, Mallory!
This was delicious! I added black beans and roasted sweet potato.
I’ve lost count how many times I’ve made this. The only change I make is to use roasted squash and throw it in with the pesto to save time. You don’t even have to be a cilantro lover – I find once pureed together, it’s not very cilantro forward, just yummy. Bonus, this recipe holds up surprisingly well over a couple days, so I love packaging it up for extras for lunches.
I love to hear that, Sara! Thank you for sharing.
I assume the zucchini is sliced the same way as the yellow squash?
Hello, yes it is sliced the same. I hope you enjoy it!