Zoodle Salad with Green Peas, Pine Nuts, and Basil
By Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic
This beautiful Zoodle Salad with Green Peas, Pine Nuts, and Basil is full of fresh, bright flavors and is perfect for spring!
When winter starts to subside and temperatures warm up and trees start budding again, we start to crave lighter foods. As silly as it sounds, I start to crave the color green! Brothy soups full of vegetables, stir-fries, and tons of salad.
This beautiful salad is a fun low-carb play on a pasta salad. Zucchini noodles stand in for pasta here! Green peas add natural sweetness, pine nuts give nutty crunch, and basil takes it to the next level.
The dressing for this Zoodle Salad is very simple so the flavors of the vegetables can shine. Extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt, and black pepper create a fresh, bright dressing. You can add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for a little kick if you want.
How to Make Salad Into a Full Meal
This salad makes a great side dish for any number of things! However, if you want to add protein to this salad and serve it as a complete meal, here are a few vegan protein sources you could use:
Beans, such as cannellini beans
Lentils
Tofu
Do Zoodles Need to Be Cooked?
Zoodles do not need to be cooked! Because of zucchini’s high water content, zoodles have a tendency to become waterlogged (aka mushy) if they’re cooked even for a short time.
As-is, zoodles have a wonderful al dente texture. Additionally, the dressing will soften the zoodles quite a bit. This is why I recommend tossing the zoodles in the dressing right before serving.
This Zoodle Salad is vegan, paleo, and low-carb, so it’s a great option if you have food allergies, or are cooking for someone who has food allergies.
Zoodle Salad with Green Peas, Pine Nuts, and Basil
Yields 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: N/A
Dressing
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste (optional)
Salad
2 medium-large zucchinis, spiralized into “zoodles”
1 cup frozen petit green peas, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced into a “chiffonade”
Instructions
Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing in a large glass bowl.
Add the zoodles and green peas, and toss to coat.
Sprinkle on the pine nuts and basil, and serve immediately.
Notes
To Make Ahead: You can spiralize the zucchini the day before. Store it in a covered glass container in the fridge, and wait to toss it with the dressing until right before serving.
Serving Size and Serving Suggestion: This recipe makes 4 side dish-sized servings or two main course-sized servings. To make it a full meal, top it with beans or lentils for added protein.
