Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Zucchini noodle mason jar salad with farro and mozzarella makes a wonderful portable lunch. It is a taste of summer in a jar!
How long it takes: 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: quart jar, spiralizer (you can make the salad without a spiralizer, too)
Servings: 1, but you can easily make more
A Portable Salad
Mason jar salads are pretty popular. They are kind of genius if you think about it. It’s a fresh salad perfect for folks that are on the go. Everything is contained in a jar, it looks beautiful, and it tastes great.
Zucchini Noodle Mason Jar Salad
Flavorful. This salad is a nod to caprese, a summertime classic trio of flavors that can’t be beat. Tomato + mozzarella + basil = perfection! If you love all things caprese, be sure to try caprese pasta salad recipe, hot caprese dip (my personal fave!), and even caprese turkey burgers.
Hearty. On top of the dressing (a white balsamic vinaigrette) and the zucchini noodles, I add a layer of whole grain farro. It’s an easy grain to cook, adds a great chewiness to this salad, and it’s nutritious.
Perfect for meal prep. If you do any meal prep, these salads in a jar are the perfect thing to add to your meal prep list. The farro can be cooked well ahead of time (you can even freeze it). The salad can be assembled in the jar and refrigerated until you’re ready to enjoy it, for up to 4 days. It’s all about the layering which keeps things fresh.
Fun. This zucchini noodle mason jar salad includes one of my favorite ingredients: zucchini noodles (I’m obsessed). If you don’t have a spiralizer to make these noodles, you can use a julienne blade on a mandoline or just carefully cut the zucchini into thin strips using a knife. The zucchini can be diced, too.
Recipe Variations
Make more than one. While you have everything out, why not make a few mason jar salads? Line them up on the counter and fill them up assembly-line style. Any quart jar will work as long as it has a tight-fitting lid. You can use clean recycled jars if you like.
Skip the jar. Remember, you don’t have to put the salad in a jar! This summer salad can be tossed together and served right in the bowl, if you prefer.
Use a different grain. If you’re not a fan of farro, quinoa, barley, brown rice, or another grain you like can be substituted. You could even skip the grain and add a layer of cannelini beans, edamame, or chickpeas.
This salad in a jar will keep in your refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you plan to make the mason jar salads in advance, I would recommend adding the tomatoes and basil just prior to serving.
More Summer Salads
Zucchini Noodle Mason Jar Salad
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon golden balsamic vinegar (see note)
- 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch kosher salt, or to taste
- 1 pinch coarse ground black pepper, or to taste
- ½ zucchini (medium-sized), spiralized (see note)
- 1 cup cooked farro (or another grain of your choice)
- ½ cup fresh mozzarella pearls
- ½ cup halved grape tomatoes
- 5 or 6 fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- In the bottom of a quart jar that has a lid, add vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Shake or stir to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper as desired.1 teaspoon golden balsamic vinegar, 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 pinch kosher salt, or to taste, 1 pinch coarse ground black pepper, or to taste
- On top of dressing, add spiralized zucchini, then add farro, mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. If you're making the salad in advance, you may want to store the tomatoes and basil separately and add them right before serving.½ zucchini (medium-sized), spiralized, 1 cup cooked farro, ½ cup fresh mozzarella pearls, ½ cup halved grape tomatoes, 5 or 6 fresh basil leaves
- When ready to serve, tear basil leaves to desired size. Pour the contents of the jar into a large shallow bowl or onto a plate, and stir to coat all ingredients with dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Vinegar: I like to use golden balsamic because it has a wonderful flavor and doesn’t discolor the salad like regular balsamic vinegar which is dark brown in color. You could substitute white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Don’t have a spiralizer? You can cut the zucchini into thin slices or use a mandoline to cut it. The zucchini can also be diced.
- Make multiple salads. It’s just as easy to make 4 or 5 salads as it is to make one.
- Storage: This salad can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. If you plan to make the salads in advance, I would recommend adding the tomatoes and basil just prior to serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
I gotta tell you I’m not easily wowed, but this is just the perfect blend of all of my favorite foods and I’m NOT waiting until summer to try it! If it wasn’t 9:00 at night, I’d be in the kitchen whipping it up right now and not typing this. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Aww, thank you so much! Some of my favorite flavors in this one too! I hope you love it!