Beef Free Basil-Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad
This vibrant, plant-forward salad is everything you want on a warm day — fresh, bright, and packed with bold Mediterranean flavor. Spiralized zucchini takes the place of pasta, and once you salt and squeeze out the excess moisture, the noodles hold onto that glossy, herb-forward pesto beautifully. The pesto itself is blended from scratch with fresh basil, parsley, garlic, and a generous hit of lemon juice and zest, so every bite has a clean, zippy finish that store-bought versions just can't match. Kalamata olives and crisp cucumber slices round out the salad with a satisfying briny crunch. The whole dish comes together with pantry-friendly ingredients and zero animal products, making it an effortless choice when you want something hearty but completely free of meat. A final drizzle of good olive oil and a scatter of torn basil leaves take it from weeknight simple to genuinely impressive. It's the kind of recipe that converts skeptics — nobody misses the noodles.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the zucchini noodles
- 4 medium zucchini (about 2 lb total)
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt, divided
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tbsp lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For the salad
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
- 1 cup thinly sliced english cucumber
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn, for serving (optional)
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Spiralize the zucchini into long noodles using a spiralizer, or cut into thin ribbons with a julienne peeler. Place the noodles in a colander set over the sink, toss with 1/2 tsp of the sea salt, and let stand for 10 minutes until the zucchini releases some of its moisture.
- 2
While the zucchini drains, combine the basil leaves, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 1/4 tsp sea salt in a food processor or blender. Pulse 6–8 times until the herbs are roughly chopped.
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