In honor of there only being a month of summer left (which is so depressing), I wanted to create another go-to zucchini pasta salad.
This recipe’s got all the summer classics – corn, tomatoes, zucchini and basil. And this dressing will become a go-to for you, once you make it – it’s tangy, zesty, creamy and low calorie, made with nonfat Greek yogurt, fresh herbs and sherry vinegar.
You all love my Italian Zucchini Pasta Salad, but I’m sure you’re looking for something different now to switch things up. Your friends are probably getting tired of you bringing the same salad to BBQs.
Well, I’ve got just the ticket – this new pasta salad! The creamy, light and citrusy Greek yogurt herb dressing is the quintessential refreshing taste that every summer pasta salad needs.
Everything comes together very quickly, since everything but the corn is raw.
Speaking of corn, let me go off on a tangent for a second and say this: never buy canned corn. Nothing good will ever come from it. If you don’t have access to fresh corn, frozen is better than canned. There is nothing like a freshly boiled sweet corn (especially here in New Jersey – ours is the best!) It takes less than 10 minutes to make freshly boiled corn and your guests eating this pasta salad with thank you.
If you want to make this into a complete meal, serve it up with some freshly grilled shrimp or chicken – nothing too heavy. It’ll work so well at barbecues and won’t weigh you down.
This salad travels well and stays fresh for long. Actually, I made this Tuesday morning and went out on Tuesday night to celebrate my engagement over dinner with some friends in New York (check out Louro in the West Village – delicious farro salad!) and came back after having a few glasses of wine and snacked on this salad! The longer the dressing sits with the noodles, the more the zucchini absorbs the flavors.
Go ahead and add anything else into this pasta salad, it’s extremely versatile, just remember my one bit of advice – use fresh corn!
What’s your favorite dressing for summer pasta salads?
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Summer Zucchini Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt-Herb Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 medium ears of yellow corn husked
- salt to taste
- 1 cup of grape tomatoes quartered and seeds squeezed out
- 1 14 oz can chickpeas drained, rinsed
- ½ cup small diced red onion
- 1 large basil chiffonade a handful of ribbon-sliced basil
- 2 medium zucchinis
- For the dressing:
- 1 clove of garlic very finely minced
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon onion salt
- 1 tablespoon finely minced parsley
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- Place the corn in a pot and cover with water. Lightly salt the water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, let cook for about 2 more minutes or until corn is easily pierced with a fork. Drain into a colander and shave the kernels off the corn with a knife and set aside.
- Slice the zucchinis halfway lengthwise, careful not to pierce the center. Spiralize, using Blade B and place in a bowl with the tomatoes, corn, beans, onion and basil. Pour over the dressing and toss to thoroughly combine.
comments