Zucchini “Pasta” Salad

 Nothing screams summer to me quite like pasta salad. I’ve made this dish for numerous cookouts, 4th of July BBQs, and pool parties and is always a hit.

I initially made this dish thinking I would bring it along as a simple side dish for me to enjoy without indulging in all of the food that I know doesn’t make me feel my best. Little did I know what a success it would be with EVERYONE. Not going to lie, there were many skeptics, but after a few praises people got a little braver to give it a shot. My bowl quickly disappeared and this is now requested by people who do not even follow any sort of clean diet! You know it has to be delicious!

Ingredients:
2-3 medium spiralized zucchini
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes diced in half
1/2 orange bell pepper diced
1/2 cup of cucumbers
1/4 cup of onion diced finely
1/4 cup of banana peppers

Fresh cilantro to garnish

Dressing:
2 Tbsp of extra light virgin olive oil or avocado oil
2 Tbsp of red wine vinegar
1 tsp of lemon juice (optional)
1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of Italian seasoning
Directions:
  • You can purchase your zucchini already noodled for you or can you use a spiralizer to do it yourself. I suggest purchasing a spiralizer if you plan to eat “zoodles” often as it is much more inexpensive to do it yourself. There are so many inexpensive options out there. This is the one I use and love.
  • Come the all the veggies in a large bowl. This is super easy to double (and you might want to) by using all of the pepper and cucumber and adding in some more tomatoes and onion. There really is no strict ingredient amount, just make it your own and have fun with the flavors!
  • Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and shake or stir to combine. Pour over veggies in large bowl and let it soak into the zoodles. I recommend making this a day ahead of time as it gets better with age! (Wish we all did)
  • Enjoy!