Double Tomato Pesto Spaghetti with Zucchini Noodles
This fresh summer recipe features burst cherry tomatoes, cherry tomato and sun-dried tomato pesto, zucchini noodles and spaghetti! It's light and delicious.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 14, 2024
Beep beep. Boop boop. One zero one zero zero zero one. I. Am. Recipe. Robot. Yeeeeesh, sorry, I am a little sleep deprived over here. I’ve been working almost around the clock on the cookbook manuscript, analyzing the logic and clarity behind every list and instruction, while trying to make the head notes as informative and entertaining as they can be.
I read through all 115 recipes yesterday with a fine-tooth comb. My publisher wants Oxford commas in the book and I’m an AP style girl, so my commas are all mixed up right now. Among other things. Zero zero one boop.
I took a break to share this recipe with you all. It was supposed to be a pretty straightforward riff on a recipe I found in July’s Bon Appetit magazine, a cherry tomato and walnut pesto. However, their recipe called for anchovies, and a lot of olive oil and Parmesan, and I need energizing meals right now.
It also suggested cranking up the oven for the walnuts and cherry tomatoes, and I wanted to make it all on the stovetop since it’s so hot outside. When I made a lightened-up version of it without anchovies, on the stove, it turned out lackluster.
I took Cookie on a walk after my disappointing pasta experience, and had a light bulb moment along the way: sun-dried tomatoes. Sun-dried tomatoes have lots of umami in them like anchovies and Parmesan do, and they seemed like an obvious fit with burst cherry tomatoes. Boom! We had ourselves a winner. My final adjustment was to replace some of the pasta with zucchini noodles, which makes it even more fresh. Make it for dinner tonight?
Double Tomato Pesto Spaghetti with Zucchini Noodles
This fresh summer recipe features burst cherry tomatoes, cherry tomato and sun-dried tomato pesto, zucchini noodles and spaghetti! It’s light and delicious. Recipe yields 4 servings.
Ingredients
Pasta and zucchini noodles (see notes for alternatives)
- 8 ounces whole grain spaghetti (DeLallo is my favorite)
- 1 large zucchini
Pesto
- ⅔ cup walnuts
- 2 pints (4 cups) cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- ¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and drained
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Garnishes
- ½ cup lightly packed basil leaves, larger leaves torn into small pieces
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese or vegan Parmesan, for serving (both optional)
- Olive oil, for drizzling
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the spaghetti. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Spiralize the zucchini with a spiralizer (here’s how), or turn the zucchini into noodles with a julienne peeler, or grate the zucchini the long way on a large box grater.
- Toast the walnuts: In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the walnuts, stirring occasionally, until they smell nice and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Cook the cherry tomatoes: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cherry tomatoes, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have burst open and they are cooking in their own juices, about 7 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the walnuts, half of the cooked tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon salt and several twists of freshly ground black pepper. Blend until the mixture is pretty smooth, then season to taste with additional lemon juice, salt and/or pepper until the flavors really sing (if that doesn’t do the trick, add some more sun-dried tomatoes). Blend again.
- Pour the pesto over the spaghetti and toss to combine. If you’ll be consuming this dish in one sitting, go ahead and toss in all of the zucchini noodles now, too. (If you plan on having leftovers, store the zucchini noodles separately from the rest, as they leach water when they’re exposed to salt—I just pile the noodles on top of my individual bowls and wait to stir them in when I’m ready to eat. Hope that makes sense.)
- Pour the rest of the cherry tomatoes on top of the dish, and sprinkle the basil over them. Toss gently, and divide the mixture into bowls. Top individual bowls with Parmesan or nutritional yeast, if you’d like, and a light drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit’s spaghetti with tomato and walnut pesto.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Either omit the Parmesan, or replace it with a sprinkle of vegan Parm or nutritional yeast. The sun-dried tomatoes make it plenty savory.
Make it gluten free: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta, or serve entirely with zucchini noodles.
Make it nut free: Technically pine nuts are seeds, so if those work for you, try about ⅓ cup pine nuts instead of walnuts. I often use pepitas in pestos, but I’m not sure they’d work well with the tomatoes here. You would still get a really tasty tomato sauce without any nuts/seeds at all.
Change it up: You could make this with all zucchini noodles instead of spaghetti (I think you’d need about 3 large zucchini) or all spaghetti (you’d need a full 12 ounces).
If you love this recipe: Check out my pasta archives here.
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.
Kate, This one looks really good. I’m with you on putting things in the oven in the summer. Iv’e had a spiralizer on my wish list for a while. I think it’s about time to buy it. Get some rest!
Thank you, Terrisue! I resisted the spiralizer for a long time, but my friend Ali sent me one of her designs, and I love the spiralizer’s curli-cue noodles. The volume they provide makes zucchini noodles so much more fun to eat.
I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about a recipe before!! Definitely going to try it this week. Thank you for a brilliant suggestion! :)
Hooray! That’s lovely to hear. I hope you absolutely love it, Gabby!
Tried your mega crunchy romaine/quinoa salad last week (a new favorite of mine!)…and now this?! It looks absolutely delicious — can’t wait to try it out this week. You’re the recipe queen, miss Kate (and Cookie!)
Blushing! Thank you, Sarah. Hope you love this one, too.
We LOVE the mega crunchy romaine salad!
“Yes, please” is all I have to say about this beautiful pesto, as well as Oxford commas.
How could I incorporate the zucchini without a spiralizer? Sorry if this is a repeat blog question.
I’m also sending you encouragement for your work on the cookbook! Eat well, sleep well, and take care of yourself.
Sorry, just re-read recipe and found the answer to my question.
Thank you, Danica! I’m glad you found the answer. I don’t know that I’ll switch to Oxford commas on the blog (six years of AP style already!) but I totally accidentally used one in a post today. I’m getting all mixed up. :) Thank you for your encouragement. It’s much appreciated! Hope you have a great weekend.
As a huge pasta and tomato lover, this is going on the must-eat list asap. Also, can’t wait for your cookbook to come out!!!
Thank you, Tova! I hope you love this one.
Kate, this looks amazing! It reminds me a bit of your sun-dried tomato pesto pasta, which I coincidentally made yesterday (okay, well not that coincidentally, as I happen to make it quite often :) ) I love the idea of adding sort of a-little-bit-dried tomatoes, as it makes the pesto more saucy without having to add oil to thin it. I’m sorry to hear you’re making those crazy days, but only half sorry since I’m also SO excited for your cookbook, and it sounds like it’s really making progression. Hope it’ll get a bit quieter soon for you, and take care of yourself in the process, please :)
Update: made it tonight and it was delicious! Loved the freshness of the tomatoes and the lemon, combined with the umami of the sun-dried tomatoes and the nuts. Thank you for the recipe :)
Thank you, sweet Evelyn! Delighted to hear that you enjoyed this one, too. I can see the light at the end of the cookbook tunnel, and I can’t wait for you to see it!
Lots of great ideas right up there, so thumbs up :)
Also, comma rules seriously are just the worst, which is why I always just do whatever I want . Haha. In other words, I really do feel sorry for you and am crossing my fingers that you and those commas are able to work things out together.
Now have a great week, Kate, and please don’t forget to breathe and take it easy in-between, okay? xx
Haha, I just love your comments, Pia. :) I like your comma method. I don’t think anyone notices much, anyway. Have a wonderful weekend!
That lightbulb moment was a winner! This recipe turned out even better than the original in my opinion. I also like the idea of using pine nuts and even switching it up with zucchini noodles too!
Thank you very much, Harry! I’m glad you think so.
Omg looks super yummy!
Thank you!
I made this tonight and let me tell you it was so yummy. Just add a bit of the pasta water when combining the pesto and tomatoes. No leftovers unfortunately. Husband and adult sons all had seconds. Keeper recipe for sure.
Thank you, Monica! That’s so great to hear. Yay. :)
I’m an Oxford comma fan, so I’ll appreciate that when I buy your cookbook. :)
Haha, I’m glad! Thanks, Breanne. :D
This looks truly delicious, will definitely be giving it a go! :)
Thanks, Lizzie! Hope you love it.
This recipe looks delicious! Perfect with all the fresh produce coming out of my veggie plot at the moment. Big thanks x
Jodie
I bet it’s even better with your fresh-from-the-garden ingredients. Jealous. :)
This post made my tummy grumble. Looks & sounds so yummy!
Thank you, Rosie!
Yeaaaa! Oxford comma rules! :::chest bumps old law school friends::: In your face, Katherine!
;) Also, YES to zucchini noodles. Life has been so busy that I haven’t had time to enjoy and soak in all the bounty of summer and it makes me want to cry!
Hahaa! Love it. Always so nice to hear from you, Claire. Hope you get some down time this weekend!
I love the idea of cherry tomato and sundried tomato pesto- such a fun twist on the classic sauces (plain tomato and plain pesto). I always make my pesto with walnuts- totally love the earthy flavor they add. Pinning! :)
Thanks, Medha! I love playing around with pesto ingredients.
Looks absolutely delicious!
Thank you!
You know, for about a year now, whenever something lacks a certain je ne sais quoi, I just give it a shot of fish sauce and–whoa!–instant betterment. I haven’t tried it with sweets… yet (LOL), but swear by it for umami deepening of savory dishes.
Haha, I think you’d end up with some funky sweets. Fish sauce is too funky for me. Can’t do it! Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms… all umami-rich flavors I can get behind. :)
This is a great idea to combine spaghetti and zucchini noodles. I think I need to get myself another spiralizer, I have a hand-held one and it took so long to make zoodles. Can’t wait to make this delicious dish this weekend!
And can’t wait for your cookbook :)
Thanks, Amy! I resisted the spiralizer for so long, but then Ali (Inspiralized.com) offered to send me her design and I really love the noodles it makes. Way more voluminous than the noodles from my julienne peeler.
Mamma mia let me go (let me goooooooo)…..get me a big bowl of this pasta! Sorry I just listened to Queen this morning and HAD to reference them in my comment! This looks amazing!
Yes! Love it. Now I have Queen stuck in my head. Have a great weekend, Cassie!
Hi Kate – this looks great and I’ll give it a try. Looking forward to your cookbook. Are you autographing copies for your followers? (probably too much to ask, but worth a try!)
Lisa
Thank you, Lisa! I hope you love it. That’s a really good question. I think I’ll be doing some public events to promote it, and I’m sure we could get you a signed copy somehow. Thank you for your support!
Made this tonight since we have an over abundance of tomatoes in our garden! It’s delicious and my new family favorite for a quick pasta dish. Can’t wait for your cook book Kate!
Thank you so much, Flor! Delighted to hear that you enjoyed this one. :)
Made this last night, very easy. I didn’t have sun dried tomatoes on hand but still thought it turned out great. Thanks
Thank you, Katie! I’m glad to hear it!
This was pretty to look at mine lacked depth of flavor. The only reason I can think of is that my tomatoes may not have had much flavor or acidity. Even with seasoning, it was just ok.
I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t love this one, Lori. I didn’t think it was quite right until I added sun-dried tomatoes. Maybe yours just needed some more of them?
This was fantastic!!! We used pecans instead of almonds because that’s what we had on hand. I also grated a tad of raw cheddar goat cheese on top. I loved the crunch from the zucchini.
Thank you, Laura! So glad you loved this one. That cheese sounds delicious.
Hi Kate, this recipe looks really delicious. Just can’t wait to try this beautiful dish. Thanks :)
Made the double tomato pesto last night! Whoa–it was soooo
delicious!! I served it to the fam with a combo of pasta and zoodles, but I had mine with all zoodles. The flavors were fresh and complex and everyone, even the teenager, loved it. Thanks for the great ideas!
Thank you, Michelle! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
HI Kate
I am a clean eater advocate and have been for over 3 years now, I came acorss your site last week and have already made the banana muffins and carrot muffins both Yummm tonight I am making your Double Tomato Pesto Spaghetti with Zucchini Noodles – so really looking forward to it…your recepies really fit with my life style and food ethos… thanks for the inspirations- from alittle westie owner called Marley from Northern Ireland. x
Thank you for saying hi, Brenda! I’m sorry for my slow response. So glad you found my site! Cookie says hi to Marley.
Hi Kate,
I made this last night and we loved it. I didn’t have quite enough cherry tomatoes so I added a few more sun dried tomatoes and pasta water.
I will definitely make this again soon. Thanks again for all your great recipes.
Thank you, Cynthia! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Made this tonight and it was so delicious! Thank you Kate! Went and got a julienne peeler just so we could have zucchini noodles. Made your yummy sweet potato and black bean burgers to go with it. Didn’t do the pesto, but I’m sure it was just as good. Loved all the flavors and how good it looked. Good luck with your cookbook!
Thank you, Michelle! Julienne peelers are so fun. Hope you get lots of use out of it. :)
zucchini is raw? thanks.
Yes!
Didn’t get to take a photo of this because I ate it too quickly! I upped the lemon juice & zest and used flat leaf parsley instead of basil (it’s what I had on hand) and the whole dish was so pleasantly summery and bright. Delicious! I want to make this weekly. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed it so much! Thank you for letting me know, Sarah, and have a great weekend. :)
I feel like a master chef when I make your meals lol. Yesterday I made your Greek wedge salad and tonight this other colorful, scrumptious meal! Unfortunately, one of the packs of cherry toms didn’t look good so I only used one pack and one Roma I had in fridge. I added an eggplant from my garden into the mixture to make up for some of the missing cherry tomatoes. Luckily, it all seemed to go together well and my family loved it.
Thanks to your recipes my family and friends think I’m an amazing cook!
Hooray! Your comment made me smile. Thank you, Trish. So glad you all enjoyed this one.
I just had to say we had this for lunch and it was completely fantastic. It tasted so decadent and creamy yet its so nutritious and only 50g of pasta per serving! My husband a huge fan.
Awesome! Thank you very much, Carmen!
I made spaghetti for the first time at home! I never liked it in restaurants, found it very bland. This recipe changed my Mindset though. The pesto had perfect texture and its flavors made the bland spaghetti taste super delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
I have never made my own pasta! Eep! I’m so glad you enjoyed this dish, Sweta. I love bold pesto flavors.
This looks amazing, Kate! So glad I stumbled upon your blog!
I’m a new vegetarian and I’m trying to conquer the world of veggie noodles. I just purchased the julienne peeler listed under your shop and I’m so excited to use it! I was wondering when you use the julienne peeler vs. a spiralizer. Is it worth getting a spiralizer, too?
Thanks so much for your help!
Hey Emily! I’m so glad you found my blog, too. Thank you for saying hello. :) I resisted buying a spiralizer for a while, then my friend Ali sent me her design (the Inspiralizer), and I have to say that I really like the noodles that come out of it. They are more voluminous and curly, whereas the julienne peeler makes straight noodles. The downsides to spiralizers is that they take up more space, they’re more expensive and harder to clean (hand wash only). I usually use the julienne peeler for carrots and small amounts of noodles, and the spiralizer when I want more voluminous noodles like for pasta. The julienne peeler might be all you need, though!
Hi Kate, I’m cutting down on meat, cheese and pasta for health reasons and I’m so happy to have found your site! I had tons of cherry tomatoes from my garden so I just made a double batch of this pesto and it is incredibly delicious! I’ll use on zucchini noodles but am also thinking of putting it on some toasted italian bread for my husband. He’ll love it. Thank you! (ps – looking forward to your cookbook.)
Hi Alicia! I’m so glad you found my site and enjoyed this pesto! Yay. Thank you for saying hi, and have a great weekend.
This recipe is AMAZING. It’s light and fresh and full of flavor. We’re making it for the second time tonight. Your blog has completely transformed our family’s meal planning, Kate. We average 2-3 of your recipes a week. Every one we’ve tried has left my vegetarian wife, my 8 year old son, and my meat-eating self beyond satisfied. Can’t wait for the book!!
Hooray!!! Thank you for saying so, Neil!
I did this recipe, but with cashews instead of walnuts. It was mind-blowingly delicious-I loved it!
Looks amazing. Planning on making this week. Question…do you cook the zucchini noodles at all?
Hi Kelly, I didn’t cook them at all. I know some people prefer them lightly steamed or sautéed, so that’s up to you.
Made this for dinner tonight… so delicious! I took a shortcut and bought my zucchini already spiralized at Whole Foods. The sauce is amazing, so flavorful! I’m excited to have some of it leftover to eat during the week :)
Thanks, Halley! Glad you enjoyed it. Cleaning spiralizers is never fun.
Made this pesto this week and it was a great success! Had it with pasta as described in the recipe but also used leftover pesto on toast and it burritos and it was lovely too. Kept for several days in a sealed jar in the fridge. I made it with less cherry tomatoes than described in the recipe (didn’t have so many) but both my husband and I love the strong flavour of sun-dried tomatoes so this wasn’t a problem. Thanks for another great recipe Kate!
Hi Kate. This turned out great!
I have some left over pesto, so would it still be fine if I froze it and used it for another time?
Good luck with your cookbook! I can’t wait for it to be released xx
Thank you, Sabreen! I bet it would freeze pretty well, but I haven’t tried. I can’t wait for you to see the cookbook!!
I’m super excited to be sharing this recipe on my blog on Friday as part of my favorite meatless meals! Of course, credit goes to you and your amazing blog, I’m just happy to be sharing the deliciousness!
Hi im writing from London, England. Your recipes look look great and I’m itching to try a few, particularly some of the mexican ones and this pesto one first. Can I check though what you mean by Red Pepper Flakes, as in England that can mean either sweet red bell peppers or chili flakes? Which is it? Thank you in advance, Mark :)
This was a great meal, thanks!
Yes! Good to hear it, Heather.
Can you add the basil to the actual pesto sauce?
I think so, yes!
I’ve made it a mission to cook once a week for my family following your recipes. It is now week 3, and they absolutely loved it! Thank you for sharing :)
So cool! Thanks, Christopher! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it.
First recipe that I tried from the website. It was awesome! Changing to a vegetarian diet (with my meat loving hubby) but even he enjoyed this dish.
I’m so glad you found my blog, Evette! I hope you try more of my recipes.
I tried this recipe on Sunday and it was delicious! Everyone liked it in my family.
Great to hear that, Karen!