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”
VERY early summer (or late spring) – asparagus. White asparagus if available, green if not.
Doesn’t matter how you prepare it but salt, pepper and grilled is the absolute best.
Of course, you can double your pleasure by wrapping it in bacon.
It is so hard to pick just one favourite but my all time favourite is a garden fresh tomato sandwich. I love it toasted on a whole grain bread (homemade is preferred) with generous slices of tomato and a crack of pepper. Yum!
I liked you on Facebook!
After reading this recipe, i will definitely be liking yr FB page! Can’t wait to try this…
My favorite vegetable is cucumbers from the garden and I just love to eat them raw with the peel that is all organic and refreshing. My mom says her favorite veggie is zucchini which she especially loves sauteed with bell peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes, and with a fried egg on top (her almost daily breakfast). As for fruit, I’m stuck between watermelons and apricots. Both can be quite awful when not ripened or bought from the store after being harvested too early but they tend to be just perfect in the summer time from the farmer’s stand near me. My mom loves plums – fresh in the summer and dried any other time.
I love radishes. When I was little, my mom would grow them in the garden and my sister and I would pick them. We would cut them up, sprinkle them with salt, and bring them to all our neighbors. We also did this with tomatoes…yum! This zucchini recipe looks amazing- I am definitely going to try it. Thanks!
One of my favorite vegetables to grill is the red pepper especially with onions in order to carmelize both……..I love to saute many vegetables and also use my grill pan for both vegetables and stone fruits….I do like your FB Page and I am making the rolled up grilled zucchini with pesto…..not sure if I am using walnuts or pine nuts…..
And of course I’m a fan on FB!
Because I’ve already LIKED 16 Spatulas on FB, I’m adding this additional favorite, Peaches, either in a cobbler with cream or just picked and eaten warm from a tree my brother-in-law’s orchard!
Those zucchini bites are gorgeous! We’ve been getting tons of zukes from our CSA this year, and I’ve been sharing lots of great posts on what to do with it on my FB page. I’m posting a link to this tonight!
Let’s see…do I have a favorite? I love them all! Tonight I cut up some kohlrabi into chunks, tossed it with olive oil, seasoned with sea salt, ground pepper and thyme, and roasted it in the oven. I’ve put the roasting pan on the grill too when I want to avoid heating up the house.
Asparagus is my favorite summer veggie and I love it grilled with a little olive oil.
My favorite is and always will be PEACHES…but then again, Tomatos……ok, ok….Sweet White Corn~!…..I love them raw but also in my many recipes……ok wait… Apricots……just picked cucumbers…..This could never end.
Liked the Fifteen Spatulas page on Facebook!
Papaya is my favorite summer fruit–though I don’t eat them in the US–only when I spend time in Brazil. Best way to eat it…as is.
Fresh Apricots and blueberries – as is!!
My favorite summer vegetable?/fruit? is a vine-ripened tomato. I maximize the flavor by keeping the preparation simple- sliced to a medium thickness. I take a cup of balsamic vinegar and boil it until it reduces by about half. Allow it to cool completely then whisk in a half cup of extra virgin olive oil until it’s a creamy emulsion- almost to the mayonaise consistency. Add a minced garlic clove and a handful of fresh basil & oregano. Arrange the tomatoes on a pretty plate, cover with the balsamic/olive oil dressing and finish with a sprinkling of fleur de sal. Yummmmy and almost ridiculously easy.