Teresa Giudice’s Zucchini Spaghetti Salad from her Skinny Italian cookbook is a wonderful starter or side dish. It really lets the zucchini shine. So make this when the zucchs are in season, which is now, now, now in my lovely Garden State. Yay!
It is light and refreshing and packed with flavor, all good things you should look for in a salad. Basically, you take an ordinary carrot peeler and peel the zucchini into thin strips. Don’t go into the seedy part, because that will make the salad turn to mush. About a half hour before serving, toss with the lemon vinaigrette. As the strips marinate, they become wiggly and twirly like spaghetti glistening in the lemon juicy goodness. Love it! This would be great to serve on a night you’re grilling since it involves zero cooking time.
Zucchini “Spaghetti” Salad
Course: Appetizers, SidesCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes5
minutesIngredients
3 large zucchini (about 1 1/3 pounds) scrubbed well, ends trimmed
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Directions
- Using a vegetable peeler, mandoline, plastic V-slicer or spiral slicer, cut the zucchini into long, thin julienne strips. (The Jersey Girl uses the vegetable peeler method.) Do not use the seedy center of the zucchini as it can be too soft and will ruin the look and texture of the strips.
- Whisk the lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. (You may also make the lemon dressing in a small dressing bowl ahead of time and then toss the dressing with the zucchini noodles closer to serve time.) Add the zucchini and basil and toss well. Let stand at room temperature for a few minutes so the zucchini can soak up the dressing and soften slightly. (The Jersey Girl tosses the the dressing and noodles about 20 minutes before serving.)
- Using a fork with long tines, twirl each portion of zucchini onto the fork so it looks like a little bird’s nest and transfer to a plate.
