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”
I love summer tomatoes and I plant a variety of them so I not only get fresh tomatoes but a range of tastes.
my most favorite is avocado…. can be used so many ways…. cooked, fresh, chunky guacamole,creamy guacamole, on sandwiches, in pasta… for breakfast,lunch, dinner…get togethers with drinks… i looooooooooooove it! ……and asparagus is a close second.
Blueberries. I’m in the Northeast so summer is when they are best. They are best fresh but I like them in pancakes, waffles and muffins.
Hmm… so many options. But I’d have to say blueberries. But I don’t cook them. I put them in a delicious layered fruit salad–different fruit & a dressing (topping?) made mainly of Cool Whip, strawberry yogurt and cream cheese layered in a clear bowl. It’s gorgeous and yummy.
I love fresh peaches, berries, and melon (but I don’t usually cook them)…so, probably my favorite summer veggie is zucchini and I love it cooked many different ways: zucchini casserole, stir-fry, zucchini bread, on the grill, etc.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Yum — those look delicious! And I have to agree that my favorite summertime fruit is watermelon — sweet, cold and freshly sliced. Sometimes I chop it up and add it to fruit salads with a little fresh mint, but that’s pretty rare. You can’t beat the natural version!
And yeah I like your FB!
PEACHES for sure. My absolute favorite fruit- grilled, raw, in a pie, whateva!
Liked your page on facebook 🙂
My favorite summer fruit is watermelon. I love it in a salad with heirloom tomatoes, cashews, goat cheese, red onion, basil, olive oil, & balsamic vinegar. Yumm!
My favorite is a vegi pasta made from zucchini (take a zucchini, wash skin, grate with a cheese grater or spiral-lini type machine ) with a fresh tomato sauce made simple: 1 large tomato or several Roma’s peeled and chopped fine, garlic chopped to taste, fresh lemon juice to taste, olive oil, a splash and salt and pepper. If I have fresh herbs on hand like oregano or basil I will toss some chopped leaves in to the mix as well or sprinkle on top. I cook the sauce over a low heat, top zucchini noodles with about 1/2 cup of sauce and sprinkle with a nice Italian cheese. Enjoy!
My favorite is also vine ripened tomatoes, but I them them cherub sized. I add fresh pearl mozzarella, cracked pepper, sea salt, and fresh basil. Then I drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I liked your facebook page, too. Thanks for the ideas.
I liked your Facebook page.
I recently discovered asparagus! I boil it quickly until just soft and then add balsalmic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, mix and enjoy with my meal!
Funny for me is much harder to get creative with vegetables than desserts… I guess is a matter of preferences! And I love eggplants!
I am fan of your facebook page!