Carrot and Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Cucumber Sauce
Carrot and zucchini pasta is mixed with a creamy, avocado cucumber sauce for a simple and delicious 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 carrot and zucchini pasta recipe was one of the very first zucchini noodle recipes I posted on Downshiftology. But as the original photos didn’t do it justice, I’ve updated it for you today.
This dish 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.
And while it’s a zucchini pasta dish, because there’s no protein in this recipe I consider it more of a salad rather than a main meal. But it would be a delicious salad served up with my Salmon Patties, Herbed Honey Mustard Chicken or Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken.
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.
For the avocado cucumber sauce, it’s a simple as tossing everything in a food processor and processing until smooth and creamy. Then, I like to add a sprinkle of micro-greens on top. Might as well add more greens to the veggie explosion, right?
For more zucchini noodle recipes, make sure to check out my Zucchini Noodle Caprese, Zucchini Noodles with Chicken, Spinach and Parmesan, 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
Carrot and zucchini pasta are combined with a creamy cucumber avocado sauce in this simple, yet delicious zucchini noodle recipe. It’s a complete plant-based recipe and gluten-free, vegan, paleo and Whole30 friendly.
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
Directions
- 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 Information
Yield: 4 servings, Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Amount Per Serving:
- Calories: 131.3
- Total Fat: 6.2g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Sodium: 55.2mg
- Carbohydrates: 18.7g
- Fiber: 6.9g
- Sugar: 9.7g
- Protein: 4.9g
Did you make this recipe? I'd love to see!
Tag @downshiftology on Instagram and hashtag it #downshiftology.
This recipe was originally published Oct 2014, but updated to include a revised recipe and new photos.
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