Raw zucchini noodles are topped with fresh cherry tomatoes and a tangy caper olive sauce in this fresh and quick no-cook dish.
Long sunny days and warm evenings mean the stove and the oven get used a little less around often around here. Meals are lighter, fresher and piled high with vegetables, and when temperatures climb a bowl of cool slippery noodles always hits the spot.
My infatuation with vegetable noodles continues with this fresh take on pasta puttanesca. Just a few minutes is all it takes to create a bowl full of zucchini noodles topped with a tangy caper olive sauce and juicy sweet cherry tomatoes.
It’s an ideal meal to make in the summer months when zucchini and tomatoes are at their most plentiful. This simple dish relies on fresh basil and tomatoes for its liveliness, while olives, garlic and capers give a robust flavor to the sauce.
The garlic, capers and olives and a good pinch of red pepper are finely minced together to create a chunky tapenade-like base in which the tomatoes are marinated along with a good pour of fruity olive oil. The red pepper adds a subtle amount of heat, but feel free to increase it if you prefer a spicer sauce.
In the meantime a julienne peeler or spiralizer makes quick work of the zucchini, creating a pile of tender, silky noodles that you can twist around your fork.
What results is a wonderfully fresh, briny, spicy vegetable “pasta” that’s filled with the flavors of the Mediterranean, not to mention that it goes beautifully with a crisp glass of rosé, so pour yourself a glass while you throw it together.
Have you made zucchini noodles before?
Serves serves 4
Just a few minutes are all it takes to create a bowl full of zucchini noodles topped with a tangy caper olive sauce and juicy sweet cherry tomatoes.
15 minPrep Time
25 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 small clove garlic
- 1 Tablespoon capers , drained and rinsed (plus more to top)
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
- 10-15 kalamata olives , pitted (plus more to top)
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 8oz/ 227g cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 small handful fresh basil leaves, roughly torn or cut into ribbons
- 4 to 5 large zucchini, ends trimmed
- The juice of half a lemon
Instructions
- Place the garlic, capers , salt, red pepper flakes and olives , on a cutting board and run a chef’s knife through a few times, then mash with the flat side of the knife to make a chunky paste similar to tapenade.
- Transfer to a large bowl and add the olive oil, tomatoes, and basil. Set aside to marinate for at least 10-15 minutes.
- In the meantime prepare the zucchini noodles
- Using a spiralizer or julienne peeler , create long strips of zucchini noodles. Toss the noodles with the lemon juice and add to the tomato mixture.
- Toss gently and serve with additional capers, olives and basil on top if desired.
Notes
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Paleo, Raw
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