Grilled Artichoke Pesto Zucchini Bites
Zucchini ribbons are grilled and rolled with a delicious artichoke pesto for a creative and delicious summer appetizer!
It’s easy to get creative with cookies, cakes, and other baked goodies, isn’t it?
Take a chocolate cake for instance.
It can be layered with vanilla buttercream, chocolate buttercream, lemon filling, raspberry filling, peanut butter frosting, whipped meringue, chocolate ganache, and on and on.
But how about getting creative with healthy things?
It’s so easy to get in a rut with vegetables.
You pick up a zucchini and you stare…what do I do with this?
Because chances are, you’ve already sauteed it, steamed it, and grilled it.
These preparations get old.
Let’s do something a little more fun with zucchini today.
Toss some artichoke hearts, a handful of fresh parsley, walnuts, lemon zest and juice, and garlic into a food processor:
Pulse, pulse, pulse.
Stream in some olive oil, and stir in parmigiano reggiano, and you’ll end up with a bowl of this:
Grill up some thin slices of zucchini, and spread each zucchini ribbon with a spoonful of the artichoke pesto:
Roll it up, nice and tight:
And that’s it! Ready to serve. Easy peasy and a totally delicious celebration of summer veggies.
Also check out my Ultimate Guide to Zucchini! It covers how to store zucchini, how to pick a good one at the grocery, and 60+ recipe ideas using zucchini.
Grilled Artichoke Pesto Zucchini Bites
Ingredients
- 2 lbs zucchini about 2-3 large zucchini
- 9 oz package frozen artichoke hearts thawed and squeezed of excess water
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- the leaves of half a bunch of parsley about a cup
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 oz parmigiano reggiano grated (about 1/2 cup)
Instructions
- Cut the stem off the zucchinis, then use a mandolin to slice them into long thin ribbons. They should be about 1/8 inch thick, if they’re too thin they won’t stand up on the own, but if they’re too thick, they won’t be flexible enough to roll. Give each one a little sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat the grill to high, and do a quick sear of the zucchini. Since they are really thin, they should only be on the grill for about 30-60 seconds, just enough to take the raw edge off and give them some pretty little grill marks. Remove the grilled zucchini ribbons to a plate.
- In a food processor, throw in the artichoke hearts, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, walnuts, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Let the food processor run for a good 20 seconds, until everything is chopped up, and be sure to stop and scrape down the sides from time to time. With the food processor running, stream in the olive oil. Scrape the pesto out into a bowl, and stir in the grated parmesan. Taste it to check for proper seasoning.
- Place a spoonful of artichoke pesto into each zucchini ribbon, and roll it up into a little roll. The artichoke pesto is sticky so it should stick together well. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
269 Comments on “Grilled Artichoke Pesto Zucchini Bites”
My favorite summer fruit prep are grilled peaches! 🙂
Tomatillos! I make salsa verde and can it for the winter.
Rainer cherries — in my opinion, the most delicious fruit on earth. Eaten by the handfuls, of course!
Or Rainier, if you like proper spelling. 🙂
My favorite would have to be cherries! Not only are they delicious as is, but they’re so good in sweet and savory dishes!
Liked the FB page long ago! love you!
My favorite is watermelon, and I love eating it chilled and tossed with feta, Olive oil, basil, and pine nuts. Makes for an awesome salad!
My absolute favorite summer fruit it peaches. I’m running out for another case now!
This zucchini wrap is fantastic. I cannot wait to try it out!
Favorite summer fruit is watermelon and really the best way to have it is cut up and cold from the frig.
These look delicious! I have a bunch of zucchini so I might try it this weekend!
Shishito peppers fried in olive oil with salt and pepper…cannot stop eating them until they’re all gone!
Strawberries. I love grilling them and using them for strawberry shortcake. I also like eating them with sour cream and brown sugar.
liked the like the Fifteen Spatulas Facebook Page
pineapple and I love to grill it and serve it over Ice Cream
My favorite summer fruit is definitely peaches, and I love to grill them.
This is such a creative way to use zucchini!
Tomatoes!!! Take a cherry tomato, cut off the top and scoop out the middle. Next, fill with a cream cheese (low fat), chives, bacon mixture and let chill. Yum!
What a gorgeous way to make zucchini.
My favorite summer fruit is strawberries. One time a year we make strawberry shortcake with fresh strawberries, and it is one of the best days of the year!
Veggies – zuchhini and tomatoes have to be up there. Zucchini in anyway shape or form is good for me. And salsa is something I just have a major weakness for!