Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This healthy and easy to make zucchini noodle salad is hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian meal, but it can also serve as a flavorful side salad. You can easily make this salad without a spiralizer, too!
How long it takes: 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: spiralizer or knife
Servings: 6
Zucchini Love
Zucchini is everywhere right now and I am loving it! We have a farm stand just up the road from us and they have the best and most reasonably priced produce. I visited recently to see what they had and of course, I found zucchini! (Side note, their zucchini is always 3 for $1 which is just amazing!). I grabbed two zucchini and a summer squash, along with a bag of peaches, a huge cabbage, three bell peppers (also three for a dollar), an acorn squash, and a spaghetti squash.
All of that beautiful produce inspired me to create this recipe that very same day. I enjoyed this zucchini salad for lunch, which is an added bonus of not only this salad but my job in general.
Fresh zucchini noodle salad
Hearty enough for a meal. I add cannellini beans and feta cheese for protein and flavor, so you could easily serve it as a main course salad. It also makes a great side salad or addition to a picnic or barbecue.
Fresh, bright flavors. I keep this salad lively with zesty fresh herbs, tomatoes, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. I use lots of mint and parsley for a combination reminiscent of one of my favorite salads, tabbouleh. Dill, oregano, or basil are also fantastic in this salad. Use whatever you have available.
Versatile. I like to use both summer squash and zucchini because I think the two colors are pretty in this salad. You could definitely use two zucchini if that’s what you have, or two summer squash. I frequently combine the two types of summer squash for recipes like this yummy grilled vegetable salad.
Pro tip: If you are using a spiralizer, it has the tendency to make very long noodles. These can be a little tricky to eat, so I like to grab a kitchen scissors and snip them to a more manageable length before tossing this salad together.
Recipe Tip
Other types of beans can be substituted for cannelini beans. Try great northern beans, chickpeas, or shelled edamame.
don’t have a spiralizer?
I realize that not everyone has a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles. No worries! You can also use a vegetable peeler and shave the zucchini into thin ribbons (like these sautéed squash ribbons). The squash could be sliced thinly using a mandoline or food processor. Another option is to simply use a sharp knife to cut the squash into thin strips or dice it into cubes. There are many ways to enjoy this zucchini noodle salad.(You may want to call it by a different name to avoid confusion!)
Refrigerate: Store the salad in a covered container for up to three days. Stir well before serving.
More Summer Salads
Zucchini Noodle Salad with Beans, Feta, and Lemon
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 2 medium to large zucchini, spiralized to a spaghetti-like size (see note)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup crumbled feta (fresh mozzarella would be great, too!)
- ½ cup minced fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint (see note)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes.3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- Add the zucchini noodles, halved tomatoes, beans, feta, parsley, and mint. Stir lightly to combine, until all ingredients are lightly coated with the dressing.2 medium to large zucchini, spiralized to a spaghetti-like size, 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved, 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained, ½ cup crumbled feta, ½ cup minced fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
- Taste the salad, and add more salt or red pepper flakes as desired. Serve immediately or store in covered container in fridge.
Notes
- Zucchini: Yellow summer squash can be substituted or you can use both kinds of squash for a more colorful salad. Any type of thin-skinned summer squash can be used.
- Don’t have a spiralizer? You can use a vegetable peeler to shave the zucchini into thin ribbons. Another option is to thinly slice the squash using a mandoline. You could also use a sharp knife and cut it the squash into thin strips or dice it.
- Herbs: You can really vary the flavor of this salad by using a different fresh herb, such as oregano, chives, dill, basil, etc. Use what you have available. I would not advise using dried herbs.
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!
Hello Rachel,I will try the zoodle salad, but I was a little confused about nutrition details. The details are per 1g serving of the salad?
I am doing the IF diet and pay attention to intake calories #. Thank you in advance for your reply.
Thank you for bringing that to my attention! I corrected and updated the nutrition information, but it is still only an estimate as it depends on brands you use, size of zucchini, etc. I hope this helps!
Can this recipe be baked?
Probably! I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Love this combination. Since I didn’t have mint, I substituted oregano. Thanks for a great recipe.
Oh I bet oregano was tasty in this! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment – I’m so glad you liked this recipe!
What a beautiful salad! I still haven’t bought a spiralizer — you’re convincing me!
looks fantastic!
Thanks Denise!