Avocado Pesto with Zucchini Pasta

Recipe By Honestly Fitness
Rating
Published Mar 26th
Prep 25m Cook 20m Additional 5m Ready In 50m
Servings 2 servings Calories 609.3

This is a delicious low-carb alternative to your standard pesto pasta. Filled with diced chicken breast, vegetables, protein and healthy fat, it is sure to satisfy every craving!

Recipe Ingredients

  • 3 zucchini, trimmed
  • 1 ripe avocado - peeled, halved, and pitted
  • 5 tablespoons pesto, or more to taste
  • 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
  • olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking Directions

  1. 1 Make zucchini noodles using a spiralizer.
  2. 2 Mash avocado in a small bowl and mix in pesto until smooth.
  3. 3 Flatten chicken breast with a meat hammer. Season on both sides with paprika, salt, and black pepper.
  4. 4 Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 6 minutes per side. Cool until easily handled, about 5 minutes; dice into small pieces.
  5. 5 Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini noodles; cook and stir until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in avocado pesto mixture and diced chicken; cook until flavors combine, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top before serving.

Nutrition Facts

  • Calories 609.3
  • Carbohydrate 21.5 g
  • Cholesterol 50.5 mg
  • Fat 49.4 g
  • Fiber 11.3 g
  • Protein 26.8 g
  • Saturated Fat 10.2 g
  • Sodium 517.6 mg
  • Sugar 5.9 g

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, RedCipes will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

Chef's Notes

Substitute cashew pesto for the pesto if preferred.

Reviews

  1. Mary M Vance Sep 15, 2018 01:12 PM
    I love Zoodles and this is a new recipe for me. The avocado with pesto was a pleasant change, I used Morningstar vegetarian meatless chick’n strips in place of the chicken and it was very tasty. I could have used another zucchini, it was delicious but a bit rich.
  2. NDaKitchen Jun 4, 2018 08:33 PM
    I omitted the chicken to move this to a side dish. I also used 2 avocados to make it creamier along with extra homemade pesto for a saucier dish. I left the zucchini long which next time I will cut the lengths in half out of the spriralizer to make more individual servings. It turned - Read more ...
  3. Patty K May 12, 2018 04:53 AM
    My avocado had gone bad so I substituted some guacamole in my freezer. It added a little zip.
  4. LittleDoremi Sep 14, 2017 05:17 AM
    Super quick and easy recipe! I used Costco basil pesto garlic salt (instead of regular salt) and added toasted pine nuts to finish. As other suggested I also cooked the zucchini just enough to keep it a little crunchy. Delicious! A big hit with our teenagers.
  5. Shane81 Jun 13, 2017 05:09 AM
    I made it with some adjustments/substitutions because I have Mast Cell Activation Disorder and have to follow a low-histamine autoimmune protocol diet. It was still VERY GOOD and satisfied a desire for something creamy and cheesy even though I made it without dairy except for grass-fed Kerrygold butter (the best kind of butter and is - Read more ...
  6. Kelly Murphy Apr 11, 2017 03:03 AM
    I've been wanting Ingersoll to try a healthy alternative to pasta and decided to give this recipe a shot. Wow! The whole family loved it, in fact my family prefers it to real pasta. I just added a little garlic to the oil that I sautéed the zucchini in and followed the rest of h - Read more ...
  7. Sonja Sep 7, 2016 04:57 AM
    My family LOVED this meal!!!!! I used "Prego Basil Pesto" and it was DELICIOUS!!!! We will definitely make this meal again!!!!
  8. Cas Aug 17, 2016 12:46 AM
    Well this was lovely! And so quick to make too. I used tomato pesto and after the vegan chicken was cooked I put the noodles and everything in the same pan for a few minutes so the zoodles would still be firm to bite. Thank you for the recipe HF...I'm keeping this one!
  9. Buckwheat Queen Jun 17, 2016 01:24 AM
    Excellent! I left my zucchini a bit crunchy. I also used cashew pesto and added some extra cashews on top. This is certainly a quick and easy dinner that will keep the family happy. Thank you for the recipe.
RedCipes