As I was browsing through the new recipes that are presented in the Raw Results 11 week initiative over at Raw Food Rehab, I came across quite a few that I just have to give a try. There was a delish looking pesto recipe in the recipe book that’s part of the whole package, but I was not prepared with all of the ingredients today.

I did try out the delicious creamy spinach dip with some homemade dehydrated Italian herb crackers, which was a huge hit around here. But all day I kept thinking about pesto pasta!

So I decided to put the ingredients I did have in the house to good use and I created my own pesto sauce inspired by Penni Shelton and Dara Dubinet. It turned out creamy, flavorful and worth a shout out… so I thought I’d share the recipe here with you. It’s a filling dish so it is a perfect evening meal, especially on days when you’ve got a hankering for comfort food. The following recipe serves two people.

For the Pasta:

4 medium yellow squash

OR

4 medium zucchini

For the Pesto:

• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• 1 huge bunch fresh basil (4-6 Tbsp dried if that’s all you have)
• Other herbs to taste (optional- I used fresh thyme, oregano, and rosemary)
• Juice of half a lime
• 4 cloves garlic (or less if you prefer)
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Pinch of salt
• Black Pepper to taste

You can either spiralize the squash which is what I did, or cut the squash into thin strips in order to make “pasta” strands. Throw the “pasta” into a medium size bowl and set it aside.

Put all of the pesto ingredients into the food processor and process until it’s a creamy and smooth consistency. You may need to add little amounts of water to the mixture as you go to get the consistency that you want. Dabble a couple of tablespoons at a time onto the squash as you toss it all, until all of the “noodles” have been lightly covered.

Top the pasta with whatever tickles your fancy! I used chopped jalapeños, baby bell peppers, and tomatoes and then topped it all with marinated mushrooms. I also served the rest of the pesto sauce on the table along with fresh veggies and spinach leaves.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did