Carrot and Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Cucumber Sauce
Carrot and zucchini pasta is mixed with a creamy, avocado cucumber sauce for a simple, delicious and vegan zucchini noodle recipe. And while it’s simple, it’s packed with so much flavor that I guarantee you’ll be making it again and again.
This recipe was originally inspired from a meal I had in a vegan restaurant in Portland years ago, though I’ve tweaked it a few times since. But I still remember being blown away that something so simple could taste so amazing.
If you think about it, it really is a veggie explosion. Zucchini, carrots, avocado, cucumber and garlic. With a splash of lemon juice for good measure. It’s probably the healthiest thing you’ll eat all week. In fact, you may not even realize the whole thing is raw.
Spiralizing Zucchini and Carrots
When it comes to making zucchini noodles, make sure to watch my tutorial video on making and cooking zucchini noodles. I show you 5 different ways to make them. And while a spiralizer is certainly the fastest and easiest, there are other methods as well.
Most people also don’t know that you can indeed spiralize a carrot (assuming it’s large enough). I show you how to do this in my Spiralizer Beginner’s Guide video. But if you have small carrots, you could opt to use a julienne peeler or regular peeler and make ribbons of carrots.
Zucchini Noodles with an Avocado Cucumber Sauce
For the avocado cucumber sauce, it’s a simple as tossing everything in a food processor and processing until smooth and creamy. That includes the avocado, cucumber, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper.
Then, I like to add a sprinkle of micro-greens on top. Might as well add more greens to the veggie explosion, right?
What to Serve with this Recipe
Because there’s no protein in this recipe and I’m not vegan, I consider this recipe more of a salad rather than a main meal. But it would be a delicious salad served up with my Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs, Salmon Patties, Herbed Honey Mustard Chicken or Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken.
More Healthy Zucchini Noodle Recipes
Make sure to check out my Zucchini Noodle Caprese, Zucchini Noodles with Chicken, Spinach and Parmesan, Mexican Chicken Zucchini Noodles, Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Zucchini Noodle Spaghetti Bolognese. And you’ll probably love my Baked Zucchini Fries and Avocado Dressing as well. Enjoy!
Carrot and Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Cucumber Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 zucchini
- 2 large carrots
- micro-greens, garnish
Avocado Cucumber Sauce
- 1 avocado, peeled and pitted
- 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Spiralize the zucchini and carrots. Then place them in a large bowl and set aside.
- Add the remaining ingredients (except the microgreens) to a food processor. Process until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the avocado cucumber sauce onto the carrot and zucchini pasta and toss to combine.
- When serving, garnish with an extra sprinkle of black pepper and a handful of micro-greens.
Lisa's Tips
- Make sure to watch my videos on how to make zucchini noodles and spiralizing vegetables. The spiralizer I use to make this (and all my recipes) is the 3-Blade Paderno Spiralizer.
- To make the zucchini noodles easier to eat, I recommending cutting them with kitchen scissors before mixing with the avocado cucumber sauce.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published Oct 2014, but updated to include a revised recipe and new photos.
I made this for lunch today… so easy and satisfying, yum!
FYI, I’ve been vegan for 20 years and ALWAYS get asked where I get my “protein”! As long as one eats enough calories and a varied, animal free diet, they would be getting enough protein, (and no “combining” necessary!) Zucchini itself is actually 16% protein, but you’d need to eat a ton to meet your caloric needs, so adding more calorically dense legumes, whole grains and starchy veggies to your daily intake makes that more doable. Interesting facts… protein needs were grossly overestimated back when it was first discovered, and though the animal agriculture indu$try perpetuates the myth, protein is actually harmful in excess. (Sales of supplements are also very profitable because most utilize whey… formerly a waste product from cheese making!) The perfect food for HUMANS is designed by nature during our most critical period of growth, infancy… human breast milk… and only contains 6% protein, the lowest concentration of protein of any mammalian species. Comparatively cow milk is a very excessive 22%, suitable only for baby cows who need to grow from 60 to 600 lbs quickly before weaning. (and remember, THEIR mothers eat only grass! lol)
Very tasty and very fast to prepare it.
Glad you enjoyed this zucchini pasta Leena!
If anything else could have gone wrong……let’s just say I threw away all three of my soiralizers (one broke, electric version burned out and mice made a home of my back up…yuck!). Then my 2 beautiful avocados were black inside so I had to use a new, rock hard avacado creamed up with some garbanzo beans, loads of garlic and olive oil for the topping. I ended up match-sticking my zucchini & carrots and topping with my odd rendition of the recipes topping…..served with Mediterranean olives and black grapes……totally delicious!! I’m saving this recipe….Thank-you !
Delicious! Thanks for the great recipe! So healthy and fresh tasting! We loved this recipe!
Hi Regina- Happy to hear you enjoyed this pasta recipe!
This looks delish! I’m planning on being mostly raw for springs/summers and this is definitely going on the top of my list. I’m going to sprinkle nutritional yeast and hemp seeds on top of mine. What would you recommend if I wanted to make the pasta for later? I hate how zoodles feel and taste when I’ve had to make them to eat later in the day. It gets soggy.
Hi Rae – Thanks! the zoodles should be fine if you refrigerate them in a storage container in the fridge on top of a paper towel. Then, you can cook them whenever you’d like.
We just had this for dinner last night and it was incredible! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Hi Jessica – Amazing! So glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe :)
Love all of the fresh veggies in this pasta! Looks so healthy too!
Hi Suzy- Definitely a delicious veggie filled meal :)
this avocado cucumber sauce looks delish! so yummy
Hi Rebecca – It really gives the dish tons of flavor :)
I’m always looking for light lunch recipes for the summer and this carrot and zucchini pasta has it all. Not only is it beautiful it is also full of flavor and texture.
Hi Kelly – This sure is a light and veggie filled recipe! But with tons of flavor from the avocado sauce as well :)
I am loving this avocado cucumber sauce..Will try it
Hi Priya – Enjoy the recipe! The avocado sauce is perfectly creamy with just the right amount of flavor :)
How long would the dressing last do you think? Does it brown quite fast or is it ok to sit for a few hours?
It’s okay to sit for a few hours, but make sure to keep it in an airtight storage container. Air is what makes avocados brown.
I don’t know if I overlooked directions for cooking the garlic but I sure wish that I had done that. I only used 1 garlic but it tasted bad and it stayed with me all day and I’m a garlic lover. I always cook my garlic or use garlic powder. Don’t know if I’d make this again or not as what I had was a disappointment.
Hi Gay – yes, this is a raw recipe so all ingredients are raw. Sorry to hear you were disappointed with it, but you could absolutely sauté the garlic if you prefer that flavor more. :)
This sauce is incredible!!!
It’s so light and refreshing, isn’t it? Glad you enjoyed it Jessica!
HI! I’m making this for a vegan friend and I want to add some protein… what would you recommend? Something like edamame? Walnuts or almonds? Help! I also can wait to try it!
I think edamame would be great in this and keep it light and veggie-focused. But a sprinkle of nuts on top would also add a tasty crunch. You could add chickpeas as well! Hope your friend enjoys it. :) x
Yum! I added jalapeno, cilantro, and green onion to the sauce, and threw on shredded chicken. Perfect lunch!
Oooh, love those additions! That sounds like a fab lunch!
so simple yet so delicate, and that avocado cucumber sauce sounds so good! trying this recipe out this week!!
Wonderful! Let me know how it turns out Albert!
I’ve just received a brand new spiralizer and I’m really looking forward to trying it out in the New Year – I’ll have to try your recipe as it sounds so good!
Woot! Spiralizer pressies are the best! Hope you enjoy this recipe and don’t forget to watch the video on my Spiralizer Beginner’s Guide post for a little more spiralizer inspiration. :) x
Love how colorful your pasta has turned out. It’s an eye catcher and something what we should prepare more often instead of the regular common pasta. It looks packed with nutrients and that’s what is important too in good food. :)
Yes, I’m all for having a vibrant plate of color (and doing away with beige). ;) Hope you enjoy the recipe Helene!
Great recipe, I need something light after all the indulgence during the holiday
That definitely seems to be a theme. ;) And I’m gonna have lots of light and healthy meals in January. Stay tuned!
That sounds delicious! This is exactly the kind of thing i’m craving after so many holiday treats!!
Oh, you and me both! ;)
Question please – 1 cucumber refers to an English cucumber? A regular cuke? Any particular size or weight? I am assuming that since this is a component of the sauce, we actually want the usually watery seeds of the cucumber for thinning the sauce out since avocado is more viscous and more fat (yum!) than water? Thank you in advance, I would really like to try this!
Hi Susan – Your assumption is correct! it’s just one medium, regular cucumber. I’ll also be updating this recipe with new photos very soon! Hope you enjoy it! :) x