You will love this Mediterranean Zucchini Pasta Salad during the warmer months. This light and healthy salad mixes spiralized zucchini noodles with chickpeas, fresh vegetables, olives, feta cheese, green onions and parsley and is topped with a light Greek dressing. This would be great for a bbq, potluck or summer celebration!     

MEDITERRANEAN ZUCCHINI PASTA SALAD

One of my favorite things to use in salads in the summer is spiralized zucchini like in today’s Mediterranean Zucchini Pasta Salad.

You can think of it like a pasta salad but with soft, spiralized zucchini.

Don’t get me wrong, I love pasta salads as much as the next person but sometimes you just want something a little lighter. 

Today’s Mediterranean Zucchini Pasta Salad is one I make on rotation all summer long.

You can use spiralized vegetables in so many ways from this Mexican Zucchini to this Spiralized Greek Salad to this Spring Vegetable Minestrone to this Asian Cucumber Noodle Salad.

When making today’s salad I suggest you add the zucchini noodles and dressing once you are ready to serve the salad.

I find that if you let the zucchini noodles sit overnight they can become soggy. 

If you are hosting a get together this summer I highly suggest you try this easy to make Zucchini Pasta Salad! 

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN THIS ZUCCHINI PASTA SALAD?

• ZUCCHINI NOODLES: You can either buy spiralized zucchini noodles pre-spiralized or you can spiralize them yourself. 
• CHICKPEAS: I like adding chickpeas to this salad for protein. You can leave these out if you don’t like them. 
• ENGLISH CUCUMBER: English cucumber is a nice addition to this salad and adds crunch. 
• CHERRY TOMATOES: Sweet cherry tomatoes are an easy thing to add to this salad. If you don’t have cherry tomatoes you can use any tomato sliced or diced. 
• BELL PEPPER: I added red bell pepper into the salad but you could also use green, orange or yellow. Remove the seeds and diced. 
• KALAMATA OLIVES: I love adding salty kalamata olives to this salad. You can use any pitted olive you like or lave this out. 
• FETA CHEESE, CRUMBLED: Creamy tangy feta cheese is great in this salad. You could also use a block of feta and cut that into chunks. 
• GREEN ONIONS: Green onions are a nice finishing touch to any salad. 
• PARSLEY: Fresh parsley always adds a nice flavor to recipes. You can use curly or Italian parleys. It is peppery and delicious. 

FOR THE DRESSING: 

• LEMON JUICE: Lemon juice works well in the light Greek dressing by adding sweet citrus to the vinegar and olive oil. 
• EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: I love using extra virgin olive oil in salad dressings. My suggestion is to use the best quality you can when making a salad to help it bring out the flavor. 
• RED WINE VINEGAR: The vinegar works well with the lemon juice and olive oil. 
• OREGANO: Oregano is the herb I like to add to Greek salads but you could use an Italian seasoning or a Greek seasoning if you want. 

HOW DO YOU MAKE A MEDITERRANEAN ZUCCHINI PASTA SALAD?

Spiralize your zucchini if you aren’t using pre-spirzlied zucchini.

Lay the zucchini noodles in a single layer on a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and let the moisture come out. After 15 minute pat dry.

Place the zucchini noodles in a large bowl. Add the chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, feta cheese, green onions and parsley.

In a mason jar or a salad dressing container combine the lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano and stir or shake to combine.

Pour over the salad and gently toss. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with pepperoncinis and lemon wedges.

HOW CAN I MODIFY THIS ZUCCHINI PASTA SALAD?

ADD MORE VEGETABLES: Add a variety of vegetables like radishes, carrots, celery and cauliflower. 

GREENS: Greens would be a nice addition to this salad. I love kale, romaine, spinach or arugula. I suggest chopping it up before adding it in. 

SWITCH THE BEANS: I used chickpeas but you could try white beans or kidney beans. 

ADD MORE FRESH HERBS: Fresh herbs take this salad to the next level. Other herbs I like are fresh dill, oregano or cilantro. 

CHANCE UP THE CHEESE: If feta cheese isn’t your favorite try goat cheese or Parmesan cheese instead. 

  

WHAT SHOULD I SERVE THIS MEDITERRANEAN ZUCCHINI PASTA SALAD?

CHICKEN: Chicken works great with this salad. I especially like this Greek Lemon Chicken, Moroccan Chicken Thighs, Lebanese Chicken Kebabs or this Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken. 

BEEF: Some of my favorite beef recipes to pair with this zucchini pasta salad are these Mediterranean Beef Kabobs, Lebanese Meat Pies, Beef Kafta Meatballs or this Spiced Beef and Hummus Pita.

SEAFOOD: Seafood always go nicely with a light salad. Try this Air Fryer Cod, Baked Cod with Lemon, Black Sea Bass or this Greek Baked Tilapia. 

Today’s post is sponsored by Heinen’s. As always, opinions are 100% my own.