This easy Zucchini and Pasta Salad is the perfect fresh, flavorful dish for warm days, small picnics, or as a light meal-for-one. Crisp thinly slice zucchini mingle beautifully with al dente fusilli pasta, brightened with fragrant basil and a tangy lemon-Dijon dressing. This salad is refreshing, quick to prepare, and ideal for enjoying on its own or as a side dish.
Want more single-serve ideas? Take a peek at my dinner recipes for one recipe collection.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
What I love about this salad is its simplicity and clean fresh flavors.
Ingredients Notes
- Pasta: I like to use the Fusilli because the ribs and corkscrew absorbs the dressing nicely. other good pasta to use include a ribbed penne or farfalle pasta.
- Mustard:The Dijon mustard in this recipe serves as an emulsifier, helping the olive oil and lemon juice blend smoothly so they coat the pasta and zucchini evenly without separating or feeling oily. The flavor from such a small amount is subtle but essential—so don’t skip it!
- Squash Varieties: This salad is ideal for showcasing fresh, unique zucchini and summer squash varieties like sunburst, yellow zucchini, striped, or bianco. Bonus points if it comes out of your kitchen garden!
Shortcut: Use your favorite bottled vinaigrette. I sometimes use Panera Bread’s Balsamic Vinaigrette.
- Cook the pasta per package instructions, drain and give it a light rinse. Place in a bowl.
- Slice the zucchini, chop the garlic and basil.
- In a small bowl mix the dressing ingredients, or use a bottled variety.
- Add all the ingredients to the pasta, toss and chill for a few minutes before serving.
Easy Variations
- Add leftover grilled chicken for a heartier meal.
- Toss in crumbled feta, fresh mozzarella pearls, or grated Parmesan for extra richness.
- Add cherry tomatoes, sliced bell peppers, or fresh spinach for additional color and flavor.
- Try sun dried tomatoes, thinly chopped. You will want to use the dry packed, not the ones in oil.
Tips for Cooking Perfect Pasta
- Salt Generously: Season pasta water well; it should taste slightly salty, like seawater. This ensures your pasta has flavor from the inside out. I normally use a Coarse Sea Salt.
- Al Dente: Cook pasta just until it’s tender but still firm to the bite—overcooking leads to mushy pasta, which won’t hold up well in salads.
- Cool Pasta Properly: Drain cooked pasta and briefly rinse under cold water to stop cooking and preserving the texture for the salad. Don’t over rinse.
Zucchini Pasta Salad
A simple, fresh pasta, served cold, with raw zucchini and a light dressing for a side dish or light main meal.
Ingredients
Recipe Directions
- Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and set aside to cool.
- Slice zucchini into very thin slices. The thinner the slices the better they will absorb the dressing.
- Wash and dry the basil. Shred or chop into thin pieces.
Dressing
- In a large bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. Whisk until smooth and well emulsified.
- Add the sliced zucchini to the dressing and toss thoroughly coat the slices with the dressing. Add in the cooled pasta and basil and mix.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Nutrition
Notes
Best served the same day.
Can be stored, covered, in the fridge for 1 day, but the pasta will absorb the dressing and change the texture slightly.
A simple, fresh pasta, served cold, with raw zucchini and a light dressing for a side dish or light main that is easy to pull together and perfect for hot days. When thinly sliced, the raw zucchini softens in the lemony dressing and is a perfect showcase for garden fresh produce or farmer’s market finds. Delicious and refreshing way to use up summer zucchini.