Vegan Basil-Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad
Bright, herby, and refreshingly light, this zucchini noodle salad is the kind of dish that makes you forget you're eating something genuinely good for you. The star is a vibrant, dairy-free pesto blended from fresh basil, parsley, garlic, and lemon — no cheese or nuts anywhere in the recipe, just bold flavor from real ingredients. Salting and squeezing the zucchini noodles before dressing them is the move that keeps everything from turning watery, so you get a salad that actually holds up rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Kalamata olives and crisp cucumber slices add briny, cool contrast that makes every forkful interesting. The whole thing comes together with a food processor and a spiralizer, no stovetop required, which means it's just as welcome on a hot summer evening as it is for a quick weekday lunch. A final drizzle of olive oil and torn fresh basil over the top takes it from simple to genuinely stunning on the plate.
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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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