Isn’t it cruel? Just when Mother Nature gives us such a bounty of produce, she also turns the furnace on full blast. It’s way too hot to turn on an oven or use a burner these days. So this raw zucchini pasta dish is a terrific solution: it uses some of that bumper crop of zucchini and lets you create a beautiful, healthy meal with no heat.
This dish is probably technically a salad, but it eats more like pasta. You twirl tangles of garlicky, lemony fresh zucchini around your fork, spear a sweet cherry tomato half and hope that a tender, toasted pine nut is tucked somewhere inside. It’s remarkably satisfying to eat your vegetables this way.
- 1 tablespoon really good extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Pinch of salt
- a few cracks of freshly ground pepper
- 1 medium zucchini
- 8 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients into a jar, such as a mason jar, and shake to combine thoroughly. Adjust to taste.
- Julienne the zucchini. You can try to do it by hand, but a mandoline creates perfect strands. I used the mandoline on each side of the zucchini until I got near the center, where the seeds made the strands too weak and they started to fall apart.
- Toss the zucchini strands with the dressing. Plate the zucchini. Scatter the tomatoes, pine nuts and basil over the zucchini. Garnish with a sprinkle of parmesan.
- Serves one as a light lunch or two as a side dish
tinywhitecottage says
Just did a random wordpress search for zucchini pasta and so glad I found this! I am going to make it…right now! BTW, really like your blog. Happy to find you. 🙂
Alyssa says
Thank you! Let me know how it went.
I love your blog and your cooking style, too. Added you to my feed 🙂
tinywhitecottage says
Hi Alyssa. Quickly, the zucchini was outstanding. We loved it. I “shaved” it into ribbons since I don’t have a mandoline or any type of kitchen gadget to shred for that matter. I actually had everything on hand too so that was great. 🙂 Thanks again!
Alyssa says
That’s so great to hear! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
consuelohoneyandfigs says
I have to try this right now! We’ve got like 50 zucchini plants and I can’t get enough ideas to use up all that wonderful summer produce. This recipe looks wonderful, and I love the fact that’s there’s no need to turn on the oven. And it’s healthy too! I adore it 🙂
Alyssa says
Let us know if you try it! Would love to hear what you think 🙂
forecastfood says
Yummy! If you need more ideas for zucchini check out my post for courgette, mint and bacon carbonara! So. many. courgettes/zucchini. atm!
Alyssa says
Your courgette carbonara looks lovely! Carbonara is one of my favorite pasta dishes, and this recipe adds a few nice twists. Thanks for sharing, and thanks for visiting our site.
Diane says
I LOVED this recipe…what a great way to eat my veggies!