Mediterranean Chickpea Zoodles with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

These Mediterranean chickpea zoodles burst with summer flavors. Both vegan and gluten-free, this healthy dish features some zucchini noodles, olives and roasted chickpeas, tossed in a delicious homemade sun-dried tomato sauce. Enjoy hot or cold!

This dish was directly inspired from my Greek Zucchini, Chicken and Feta Salad, prepared with zucchini noodles. I discovered it many years ago in a local restaurant back in the days I lived in Sweden, and I became obsessed with all the flavors for an overall healthy dish. In fact, the number of times I went back to this restaurant to order it again and again is insane!

Of course, it inspired me to create a slight variation, that I wanted to be vegan and gluten-free, but still nutritious and filling. These zoodles feature some spicy roasted chickpeas, packed with protein, an amazing sun-dried tomato pesto ready in minutes, and loads of Mediterranean flavors. To top it off, you can serve these zoodles hot or cold!

What are zoodles?

A quick reminder here if you missed the zoodle trends a few years ago. Zoodles are indeed zucchini noodles, i.e. some long stripes cut out from a zucchini. Usually this spiralizing process is done using a spiralizer or a food processor spiralizer attachment.

If you don’t have a spiralizer, not to worry. You can recreate these long zucchini noodles at home by using a potato peeler.

What goes into vegan Mediterranean zoodles?

• Zoodles (zucchini noodles). You can make your own zucchini noodles using a spiralizer or simply a potato peeler.
• Chickpeas. We use them roasted for a crunchy bite, and seasoned with spices for a little kick.
• Sun-dried tomatoes. They are the main ingredient of the pesto. I recommend using them in a jar and re-use some of the oil in the jar to make the pesto.
• Olives. I used a mix of green and black olives, but any olive type or variety will do in the recipe.
• Seasoning. It consists of spices (paprika and cayenne pepper) to enhance the chickpea flavors. You also need some garlic, salt and pepper.

How to make the sun-dried tomato pesto?

This pesto rosso is easy to make: everything goes in a food processor! You can use this sun-dried tomato pesto for this zoodle recipe of course, but it also goes with many dishes or salads. So feel free to make a double or triple batch! Here’s how to make sun-dried tomato pesto:

1. Place drained sun-dried tomatoes to a food processor.
2. Add tomato paste, garlic, toasted pine nuts (see note at the bottom of the recipe card), a handful of fresh basil leaves, oil (I used a mix of olive oil and the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar). Season with salt and pepper, and pulse a few times, scraping down the sides as needed. The paste should be combined but still have some texture to it.
3. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. You can then use it right away or transfer to a glass jar and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Serve hot or cold!

The beauty of this dish is that you can serve it hot once it’s just ready, or cold as a salad. I tried both options and they work equally well. This makes it a perfect idea for meal prep, in particular if you want to pack some zoodles for a lunch box (or a picnic!) the next day!

The zoodles themselves are meant to be sautéed first whatever option you go for. But I also tried with raw zucchini noodles many times and I found that it works perfectly too!

A quick variation to the recipe

Instead of zucchini noodles, you can make this dish using sautéed zucchini, cut into pieces. And if you are not strictly vegan, I recommend adding some feta cheese for even more Mediterranean flavors. The result is amazing!

More zoodle recipes you may like:

• Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna with Zoodles
• Greek Chicken and Zucchini Zoodle Salad
• Raw Zoodle Salad

Other zucchini recipes:

• Zucchini Bread with Goat Cheese
• Lentil Salad with Zucchini, Feta and Mint
• Easy Vegetarian Zucchini Lasagna
• Zucchini Ricotta Soup with Mint
• Zucchini Goat Cheese Crumble

Mediterranean Chickpea Zoodles with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

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• Author: Delphine Fortin
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Savory
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Vegan

These Mediterranean chickpea zoodles burst with summer flavors. Both vegan and gluten-free, this healthy dish features some zucchini noodles, olives and roasted chickpeas, tossed in a delicious homemade sun-dried tomato sauce. Enjoy hot or cold!

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Ingredients

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For the zoodles (zucchini noodles)*:

• 1 can (400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 Tablespoon paprika powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper
• 2 medium-large zucchinis (or 4 small)
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup (approx. 180g) fresh olives
• 2–3 Tablespoons pine nuts, slightly toasted**
• Fresh basil, for garnish

For the sun-dried tomato pesto:

• 4 ounces (110g) sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon honey or agave syrup (optional)
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• ¼ cup (35g) pine nuts
• ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tablespoons fresh basil

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Instructions

1. Start with the chickpeas. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Meanwhile, blot chickpeas with a paper towel to dry them. Transfer to a mixing bowl, and toss with paprika powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Spread onto a baking sheet, and bake for about 20 minutes, until browned and crunchy, stirring once or twice during the process.
2. For the sun-dried tomato pesto, combine all the pesto ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times, until blended with still some texture to it. Taste to adjust the quantity of salt if needed.
3. For the zoodles*, slice the ends of the zucchinis and spiralize them into long noodles using a spiralizer, or simply peel into super thin stripes with the help of a potato peeler.
4. Heat two Tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan. Once hot, add the zoodles and sauté for a few minutes, until tender but not mushy. Add the garlic, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for one more minute.
5. Add the roasted chickpeas to the zoodles, garnish with olives, and toss with the sun-dried tomato pesto. Serve with toasted pine nuts, fresh basil, and enjoy hot or cold!

Notes

* Note that you can also make this recipe with ready-to-use zucchini noodles purchased in a grocery store (such as Whole Foods). You will need approx. 14 ounces (400g) zoodles, or more.

** I recommend you toast the pine nuts in a sauté pan placed on high heat with no oil or fat. Once the pan is hot, add the pine nuts and shake the pan constantly for a few seconds until all sides of the nuts are slightly toasted. Turn off the heat and transfer pine nuts to a plate immediately (they will turn brown if you leave then in the pan longer).

Chickpeas, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Healthy, Quick & Easy, Salads & Bowls, Sides, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian, Zucchini

Did you make this recipe?

Lastly, if you make this Mediterranean Chickpea Zoodles with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!