Paleo spaghetti with prawns, pesto and pistachios recipe

Pete Evans' paleo spaghetti with prawns, pesto & pistachios
Pete Evans' paleo spaghetti with prawns, pesto & pistachios  Photo: Pete Evans
Difficulty
Easy
Dietary
Paleo

This is one of my favourite recipes. It takes less than 15 minutes to pop on the table and it’s a culinary triumph. This taste sensation combines dairy-free pesto with just-cooked zucchini spaghetti, plump and juicy prawns, and crunchy pistachios. You just have to try it to understand how seriously good it is.

Ingredients

4 tbsp coconut oil

700 g raw king prawns, shelled and deveined, with tails in tact

4–5 zucchini, spiralised into thin noodles

Pesto

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large handful of basil leaves, plus extra to serve

1 large handful of mint leaves

60 g pine nuts, toasted

120 ml olive oil

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

Extra-virgin olive oil

80 g (½ cup) pistachio nuts (activated if possible), toasted and roughly chopped

Lemon wedges

Chilli flakes (optional)

Method

  1. To make the pesto, place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until the herbs and nuts are finely chopped. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Melt 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat.Season the prawns with salt and pepper, then cook, in batches, for 1 minute on each side until just cooked through. Remove the prawns from the pan and set aside, covered with foil to keep warm.
  3. Wipe the pan clean and place over medium heat. Add the remaining coconut oil and the zucchini spaghetti and sauté for 2 minutes until the zucchini is almost cooked through. Season with a little salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, add the cooked prawns and the pesto and toss to combine.