Shaved Zucchini Salad with Goat Cheese + Pine Nuts

This shaved zucchini salad recipe combines lemon, goat cheese, microgreens, and toasted pine nuts for an exquisite and luscious side dish. It’s zesty and flavorful while showcasing some of the best summer vegetables.

I love how this ribboned zucchini recipe is a perfect side dish or a light and refreshing lunch.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Tips for Making This Shaved Zucchini Recipe
• Substitutions & Variations
• Can You Eat Raw Zucchini?
• How to choose the best Zucchini
• Storage
• What to Serve with This Shaved Zucchini Recipe
• More Delicious Summer Side Dishes
• Shaved Zucchini Salad Recipe

This light, summery salad recipe is a beautiful celebration of fresh, crunchy zucchini. When zucchini is shredded like this it retains so much of its light floral flavor that gets lost when it’s cooked.

If you’ve never tried raw zucchini in a dish, you will be pleasantly surprised by the mellow flavor plus the crunch.  

Ingredients

• Fresh zucchini - You can typically find zucchini at the grocery store any time of year, but it's particularly abundant at stores and the farmers market in the summer months from May to August. 
• Lemon zest - Lemon zest gives this salad a nice lemon flavor
• Fresh lemon juice - You'll get the juice from one lemon.
• Olive oil - Use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
• Salt and pepper - I prefer kosher salt (a coarse salt) and freshly ground black pepper for the best flavor.
• Pine nuts - You can typically find pine nuts in the baking section of the grocery store, but you can use other types of nuts, like walnuts, almonds, or another oily nut if you prefer.
• Goat cheese - Other types of cheese also work if you don't like goat cheese. Feta cheese and pecorino would both be great. If you would like to make this recipe vegan, use vegan cheese. 
• Microgreens - Microgreens are the sprouts of various vegetables and herbs. They add a bit of a spicy-herby flavor and are delicious. You can usually find them at the grocery store near the bagged salads.

Instructions

Making this zucchini salad recipe is a snap - you just need to:

Ribbon the zucchini. Finely shave the zucchini with either a vegetable peeler or on a mandolin (I set the mandoline to ⅛th inch). Discard the seedy core. 

Marinate the zucchini. Gently combine the zucchini, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Toss lightly to combine so the zucchini ribbons don’t break. Marinate for 10 minutes.

Plate the zucchini. Place the zucchini in a bowl or plate. Twist the strands to create some circular shapes in the salad.

Toast the pine nuts. Toast the pine nuts over medium heat in a non-stick pan for five minutes or until the nuts are golden brown.

Add the toppings. Top the zucchini with the toasted pine nuts, goat cheese, and microgreens.

Tips for Making This Shaved Zucchini Recipe

• I highly recommend using a mandoline to shave the zucchini into consistently thin strips. I also recommend using cut protection gloves which will keep your fingers safe! If you'd prefer to use a vegetable peeler for this recipe, you absolutely can.
• It's important to give the zucchini ribbons a few minutes to marinate - it makes them more pliable to roll when you plate the salad.
• Zest your lemon before juicing it to make things a bit easier.  

Substitutions & Variations

If you want to add a bit of spice, you can add some red pepper flakes. 

Fresh herbs like fresh basil, fresh dill or fresh mint leaves would all be a great addition to this salad. 

This recipe would also work with yellow summer squash if you have an abundance you are trying to use up. 

Can You Eat Raw Zucchini?

You can absolutely eat raw zucchini. It's a bit heartier and earthier than other vegetables, but in this recipe, we marinate it in a simple lemon vinaigrette, which mellows it out a bit. The thin slices of raw zucchini suck up the flavors and will make you want to always eat your zucchini raw. 

How to choose the best Zucchini

Zucchini is at its best in the late summer months - specifically in July, August, and September. Smaller, younger zucchini have better flavor.

Zucchini can grow to be quite huge if not harvested early - while it might be fun to see gargantuan zucchini, they don’t taste nearly as good and are often quite dry and seedy.

The best zucchini will have a dark green color and feel firm to the touch. They should feel heavy for their size (when they feel light, it's because they’re older and drying out).

Zucchini will usually keep in the fridge for up to one week, but if they start to feel soft or have any mushy sections they are past their prime.

Storage

You can store this salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I recommend storing the pine nuts and microgreens separately from the salad, as the nuts will start to soften, and the microgreens will lose their texture. 

What to Serve with This Shaved Zucchini Recipe

• Grilled Pork Chops - If you love a juicy pork chop, these pair perfectly with this raw zucchini salad recipe and make a great meal for a hot day when you don't want to use your oven. 
• Grilled Halibut - This halibut is perfectly grilled with a lovely citrus butter flavor that's hard to resist. Grilled fish has a mouthwatering flavor, and it's easy to make!
• Lemon Herb Grilled Shrimp - This lemon herb grilled shrimp recipe is the perfect weeknight meal - it's easy to make, full of flavor, and will be popular with the whole family!
• Homemade Spaghetti Sauce - This homemade spaghetti sauce is classic comfort food. Because it's made with fresh, juicy tomatoes it has a bright, summery flavor that's reminiscent of your favorite fancy Italian restaurant.

More Delicious Summer Side Dishes

If you love a summer veggie side dish, you’ll enjoy these recipes as well!

• Roasted Radish Salad Recipe - This easy recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes and makes for an exciting side dish or light lunch.
• Grilled Zucchini with Feta & Pine Nuts - This delicious grilled zucchini recipe is a fabulous, flavorful side dish with just a few ingredients.
• Easy Grilled Romaine Hearts Recipe - These grilled romaine hearts with a creamy yogurt dressing are a must-make! You are going to love this easy-to-make, flavorful salad.
• Yellow Squash Recipes - I've rounded up the best yellow squash recipes. From sauteed squash to squash casseroles, all the best summer side dishes are here. 

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