If you think that zucchini can’t taste great, think again. This Italian zucchini salad incorporates some cherry tomatoes, arugula, basil leaves and feta for a light and refreshing summer salad. Perfect as a side dish during those warm summer months, it’s ready in a couple of minutes.
This Italian zucchini salad is super simple and flavorful. Thin zucchini ribbons are topped with herbs, spices, lemon juice and feta that makes for a zesty salad.
They pair great with recipes like this Pesto Crusted Salmon, this hearty Italian Sausage Pasta Bake or this Mediterranean Yogurt Marinaded Chicken, adding that extra tang.
The dressing is made simply with some olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper. This dressing livens up the raw veggies and is so quick and easy to make.
The crumbled feta cheese and herbs add the final touches.
Ultimately it’s great as a side dish to many main dishes or as part of a barbeque or party. The tanginess complements meats particularly well.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this Italian zucchini salad:
- Zucchini: Zucchini is the star of the show here. It carries a delicate flavor, relying on some of the other ingredients to really give it that oomph, which in this recipe is the lemon dressing and the feta cheese.
- Cherry tomatoes: Tomatoes are always a welcome addition to a summer salad. They add some extra juiciness, sweetness and acidity. Feel free to use whatever tomatoes you have on hand.
- Lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper: these make the lemon dressing that marinades the zucchini. For dressings, a good quality olive oil is really important, so choose extra virgin olive oil. This should have a nice fruity taste that’ll elevate the salad (plus a load of health benefits too). You can also swap out lemon juice for lime juice for a slightly sweeter taste.
- Herbs: Basil is a staple in Italian cuisines and arugula is a classic in summer salads. I like using both together, but feel free to choose one or the other if you want to save a little or have a preference.
- Feta cheese: this will give the dish some saltiness and an extra bit of tang. You could swap this out for other cheese like goat cheese or shaved parmesan.
Extra Additions
This salad is very simple with a lemon dressing and feta cheese. Feel free to substitute or add in certain ingredients depending on what you have.
You can make it a more filling meal by throwing in some extra nuts or meats, or get some extra veggie portions in like some diced cucumber.
- Cured meats: Proscuitto, salami, sliced meats
- Other vegetables: Cucumbers, olives, sweet bell peppers, eggplant (aubergine), shallots
- Nuts: Walnuts, pine nuts, almonds
- Cheeses: Parmesan, goat cheese
How to Make This Italian Zucchini Salad
Making this salad is super easy!
Step 1 – Cut the top and bottoms off the zucchini and peel into long ribbons with a potato peeler and add to bowl. Halve the tomatoes.
Step 2 – Crumble the feta and add along with the basil and arugula. Toss to mix together.
Step 3 – For the dressing, add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to a bowl. Whisk, then pour over the salad, with just enough to coat the salad.
More Mediterranean Salads
Try some other Mediterranean salads, from Italy and beyond!
- Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)
- Ensalada Rusa (Spanish Potato Salad)
- Watermelon Salad (No Feta)
- Zaalouk (Moroccan Roasted Eggplant Salad)
It also works in pastas like this Chicken And Chorizo Pasta.
Italian Zucchini Salad
This Italian Zucchini Salad is very simple, yet full of delicious flavors. Perfect as a side salad for any meat or fish dish you have, it's ready in just a few minutes.
Ingredients
- 3 zucchini
- ½ cup (100g) cherry tomatoes
- 3 cups (60g) arugula
- 1 large bunch of basil leaves, roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup (50g) feta cheese
- Juice ½ lemon
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cut the tops and bottoms off the zucchini and peel into long ribbons with a potato peeler and add to bowl along with the tomatoes.
- Crumble the feta and add along with the basil and arugula. Toss to mix together.
- For the dressing, add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to a bowl. Whisk, then pour over the salad, with just enough to coat the salad.
Notes
- Feel free to substitute feta cheese for goat's cheese or parmesan.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 159Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 2mgSodium 131mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 2gSugar 10gProtein 3g
Want More Delicious, Mediterranean-Style Recipes?
If you’ve cooked this recipe, be sure to leave a comment or review! But if you’re looking for more:
- Find more Mediterranean-style recipes on our website.
- Try our free 7 day Mediterranean diet plan with 20 recipes.
- Get our 4-week Mediterranean diet plan, Med in 28 plan, that makes following the Mediterranean diet a breeze!