Salads
10-minute parmesan zucchini pasta salad
Keep your blood sugar stable and your taste buds happy after lunch or dinner with this simple Parmesan zucchini pasta salad!
Do us a favor and pretend zucchini is actually pasta in this salad recipe. We know it sounds pathetic, but it’s not sad at all. You’ll get used to it and will have some extra nutrients and stable blood sugar after lunch or dinner, whenever you decide to make the “pasta salad”. That’s great. Besides, the “sauce” is made with Parmesan, olive oil, dill and garlic. So, how bad can this raw zucchini pasta salad with Parmesan dressing be? Not bad at all, we're telling you.
We know we said raw. Last year we learned you can eat zucchini raw, like a cucumber pretty much.
And after a few panic attacks that we're poisoned, now we almost believe it.
Okay, we've eaten raw zucchini over 20-30 times already. It’s good. It tastes like nothing. We're telling you, it’s pasta.
We're so invested, that we even bought a small hand spiralizer to make more zucchini salads. However, we're still using the peeler, because we find it easier to do and prettier to look at.
So here’s how you make dinner tonight:
Add Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh herbs, garlic, some salt and pepper to a small blender and blend until creamy.
If needed add a tbsp or so of water.
We used the nut grinder attachment of our food processor. The quantities aren’t enough for more than one person and also for a big blender. So use a small one. Or double, triple the recipe, do some math in your head, don’t use a calculator or AI.
Wash the zucchini and using a peeler, peel it into ribbons. Don’t stop till you get enough. Or until you get to the seeds. Use the seeds in other recipes if you want to. Not this one.
Then put the pasta onto a plate, pour the sauce over it and top with cherry tomatoes and cucumbers.
You can also put some extra Parmesan, salt and black pepper, dill or even capers for extra flavor.
We only grow the light green zucchini, so that’s what you’re seeing. Ignore the green color if it’s going to make you a better actor, imagining this is pasta.
Hope you enjoy this simple Zucchini pasta salad recipe! Here are some other summer favorites:
- Tomato Chickpea Basil Salad
- Arugula Tomato Avocado Salad
- Simple Chickpea Zucchini Salad
- Yield: 1
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Total: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini, ribboned, no seeds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Handful of fresh herbs - we used dill, basil would be lovely
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- Crushed black pepper and salt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (add to taste - we juiced a ⅓ of a lemon)
- 1 tbsp water, or as needed to blend
- handful of cherry tomatoes
- cucumbers
- Optional: capers or olives
Method
- Add Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh herbs, garlic, some salt and pepper to a small blender an blend until creamy. If needed add a tbsp or so of water.
- We used the nut grinder attachment of our food processor. The quantities aren't enough for more than one person and also for a big blender. So use a small one. Or adjust the recipe to however many servings you want to make. You can make more and save it in the fridge too.
- Wash the zucchini and using a peeler, peel it into ribbons. Don't stop till you get enough. Or until you get to the seeds. Use the seeds in other recipes if you want to. Not this one.
- Then put the pasta onto a plate, pour the sauce over it and top with cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. You can also put some extra Parmesan, salt and black pepper, basil or even capers for extra flavor.
