Spiralized Zucchini Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Spiralized Zucchini Salad is a fresh and fun summer salad tossed with a simple Lemon-Olive Oil Dressing, Fresh Herbs, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese.  Low Carb, low in calories, HUGE in flavor. 

If you love a cold summer pasta salad,  that is fun and fresh and does not mess with your bikini goals, look no further than this spiralized Zucchini Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese. Bouncy zucchini noodles that have been spiralized and tossed with a simple vinaigrette made from lemon juice and olive oil.

Some people call them Zoodles, Zucchini Noodles, Zucchini Spaghetti, Zucchini Pasta – whatever you want to call these, they are an AMAZING invention. I’ve been eating this low carb salad on repeat for WEEKS now – and I’m not even tired of it!

This zucchini salad recipe is low carb, healthy and crazy simple to make. You’ll need 15 minutes tops and bam,  your meal is practically served. And if you’re like most people and are not at home for lunch, know that you can definitely prepare this the night before or in the morning, pack it and enjoy it at work.

In summer, I like to keep my recipes simple and with minimal ingredients to cut down on time spent sweating in the hot kitchen! Plus I really want to allow that fresh summer produce to shine. The vinaigrette is made from olive oil and lemon – so really simple but I find it just goes perfectly with the delicate taste of zucchini noodles.

Can You Eat Zucchini Salad Raw?

Of course! You totally don’t have to cook them. The spiralized raw zucchini in this recipe is what gives it it’s fun bouncy, crisp and delicious mouthfeel. So no worries here!

Zucchini is nice and pretty sturdy.  Apart from this salad recipe, you could also use it as a dipper for all your favorite sauces and dips (hello baba ganoush) for a quick and healthy snack.

How to make  Spiralized Zucchini Salad:

Toast the pepitas:

Heat a small skillet over medium heat and scatter the pumpkin seeds in a single layer. Toast, stirring from time to time. They should be ready in about 3 minutes, but this will depend on your stove so keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. Set aside to cool.

Make the zucchini noodles:

Using a spiralizer (I use this one), make zucchini noodles. To ‘zoodle’ a zucchini, I find the easiest thing to do is to use a  spiralizer.  I  use this model by Inspiralized which allows me to choose my desired noodle shape (there are FOUR shapes – ribbon, fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti. I picked spaghetti).

If you don’t have one handy, use a vegetable peeler to peel the zucchini into long strips! Once cut, place your zucchini noodles on a paper towel to absorb the rest of the water.  Zoodles can be made well ahead of time and will last days in the fridge.

Assemble the salad:

Top with sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, basil, and roasted pumpkin seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with pepper (I didn’t add salt but try and taste to see if it’s salted enough for you) and serve.

Recipe variations:

• Use feta instead of goat cheese.
• Olives would work well in this salad too.
• Feel free to use some pesto instead of olive oil and blend with the lemon juice before tossing.
• Toasted pepitas can be swapped for pistachios, slivered almonds or sunflower seeds. Make sure to also toast them before assembling the salad.

Tips for making this recipe:

• The dressing can sometimes result in the ‘zoodles’ softening slightly but it’s delicious that way too. So, when making this zucchini salad in advance, I would simply spiralize your zucchini and refrigerate them.  That way, they’ll stay crisp for days.  Add the remaining ingredients just before serving! To save some more time, mix olive oil and lemon in a small bowl and add it right before mealtime.
•  What to do with the zucchini core? Toss it in a stir fry like my chicken 5 spice stir-fry.
• About the pumpkin seeds: for this recipe, I’m using raw pumpkin seeds. I prefer to roast them myself to avoid the oil that usually comes with the store-bought roasted pumpkin seeds but if you’re short on time, it’s still a great option.
• For more servings, simply double or triple all ingredients.

5 from 5 votes

Print

Spiralized Zucchini Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goats Cheese

Spiralized Zucchini Salad is a fresh and fun summer salad tossed with a simple Lemon-Olive Oil Dressing, fresh herbs, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese.  Low Carb, low in calories, HUGE in flavor. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword spiralized zuccini salad, zucchini noodle salad, zucchini salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 1 people

Calories 292 kcal

Author Marie

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds - see notes do not skip this ingredients, it's important in this recipe!
• 1 medium zucchini peeled or not, to taste
• 4 sun-dried tomatoes drained, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons soft goat cheese crumbled (I used a pepper variety)
• 1 handful of fresh basil leaves roughly chopped if large
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• sea salt to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and scatter the pumpkin seeds in a single layer. Toast, stirring from time to time. They should be ready in about 3 minutes, but this will depend on your stove so keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn. Set aside to cool.

2. Using a spiralizer (I use this one), make zucchini noodles and arrange in a plate.

3. Top with sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, basil and roasted pumpkin seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with pepper (I didn't add salt but try and taste to see if it's salted enough for you) and serve.

Recipe Notes

• The dressing can sometimes result in the ‘zoodles’ softening slightly but it’s delicious that way too. So, when making this zucchini salad in advance, I would simply spiralize your zucchini and refrigerate them.  That way, they’ll stay crisp for days.  Add the remaining ingredients just before serving! To save some more time, mix olive oil and lemon in a small bowl and add it right before mealtime. 
•  What to do with the zucchini core? Toss it in a stir fry like my chicken 5 spice stir-fry.
• About the pumpkin seeds: for this recipe, I'm using raw pumpkin seeds. I prefer to roast them myself to avoid the oil that usually comes with the store-bought roasted pumpkin seeds but if you're short on time, it's still a great option.
• For more servings, simply double or triple all ingredients. 

Nutrition Facts

Spiralized Zucchini Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goats Cheese

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 292 Calories from Fat 207

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 23g 35%

Saturated Fat 6g 30%

Cholesterol 12mg 4%

Sodium 139mg 6%

Potassium 907mg 26%

Total Carbohydrates 12g 4%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 8g

Protein 13g 26%

Vitamin A 15%

Vitamin C 48.7%

Calcium 7.1%

Iron 18.4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you tried this zucchini salad recipe don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More easy healthy zucchini recipes from the blog:

• Zucchini Salad with Mint and Feta 
• Muffins with Zucchini, Feta and Chives 
• Zucchini Pasta alla Puttanesca 
• Pasta with Turkey Bolognese
• Chicken And Pesto Zucchini Pasta

UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published on  25 April 2016 and republished in June 2020 with an updated recipe, new photos and more tips.