If you have a vegetable garden, late summer is when squash starts to go into overdrive. There is just so much of it! Whether you’re picking zucchini from your garden or grabbing it at your local Kroger, this recipe is super simple and so delightfully delicious that you will want to make it over and over again.
You’ll want a vegetable peeler for this recipe, as zucchini ribbons work better than zucchini chunks. Something about the long, thin strips of zucchini works really well for this salad — like how different shapes of pasta work better than others for different recipes.
Speaking of vegetable peelers, the process of peeling the zucchini into ribbons takes a bit of time, but it’s super easy. And since this recipe is served raw with very few ingredients, it’s still fairly quick to make.
I cannot say strongly enough how much I love this recipe!
As an aside, after making this, I went looking online, and there is a similar recipe by Food & Wine, which you can find here. I assumed this pairing was too good not to have been discovered before, but after seeing the 3,200+ five-star reviews on their recipe, I feel my love of this similar salad is now validated big time!
If you’d like to see my original salad recipe that this was based on, you can find it here — it includes ribbons of raw yellow squash and asparagus, as well as fresh herbs and balsamic vinegar. Today’s recipe was inspired by the original, but I was missing some ingredients and had a lemon on hand. Boom! New recipe.
To make four servings of this zucchini salad recipe, you will need:
- 3 pounds of zucchini (approximately six medium zucchini), sliced very thinly, either on a mandoline or with a vegetable peeler
- the juice of one large lemon (approximately two tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil (the spray works well for this)
- 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 crushed roasted and salted pistachios
- Salt and pepper to taste (finishing salt, like Maldon or Celtic sea salt, is preferred)
Simply use a vegetable peeler or mandoline to create thin slices of the zucchini — often called “ribbons.” I try to avoid the inner core, as the seeds seem to weigh the salad down. Once your zucchini is all peeled and piled on a plate, spray it with about a tablespoon of olive oil, add salt and pepper, the juice of one lemon, half of a cup of shredded parmesan cheese, and one-quarter cup of crushed roasted and salted pistachios. Toss it all together and enjoy!
Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Parmesan Cheese and Lemon
Ingredients
- 3 pounds zucchini about 6 medium zucchini
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice This is the juice from approximately one large lemon.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese Kroger's house brand, Private Selection, is a great option.
- 1/4 cup pistachios I prefer the ones that are shelled, roasted, and salted.
- salt and pepper to taste Finishing salt, like Maldon or Celtic sea salt, is preferred for this recipe.
Instructions
- Cut the zucchini into thin strips with a vegetable peeler or mandolin avoiding the core as it contains all the seeds which will weigh the strips down.
- Combine the lemon juice and olive oil.
- Pour the liquid over the ribbons of zucchini and add the cheese and pistachios. Then, add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Nutrition
**********
For more vegetable sides and salads, see our round-up here.
Your StyleBlueprint AI Companion
