Courgette Salad

This is the best courgette salad recipe! It has the most refreshing flavour and the dressing is so easy to make with pantry staples like olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and balsamic vinegar. The pine nuts on this salad give it the perfect crunch and you will love how easy this healthy salad is to make. 

Why you will love this recipe: 

• Move over Jamie Oliver! This is the best raw courgette salad recipe!
• It has the most incredible refreshing flavour. 
• It’s so easy to make in just a few minutes. 
• The dressing on this zucchini salad is made with simple ingredients that you likely have in your pantry including olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and balsamic vinegar. 
• This salad is healthy, dairy free, gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, low carb, low calorie, keto, paleo and Whole30 compliant. 
• This raw zucchini salad is perfect for warm spring and summer meals. It’s nice and light and not too filling. 

Key ingredients and substitutions: 

• Courgettes – you can use either green or yellow raw courgettes to make this salad. Another name for courgette is zucchini, so either green or yellow raw zucchini will work for this salad. 
• Olive oil – olive oil makes the most delicious dressing for this zucchini salad. You could swap this for avocado oil instead. 
• Lemons – lemons are use for both the lemon zest and fresh lemon juice in the dressing. This gives the dressing the most refreshing citrus flavour. 
• Balsamic vinegar – to add a hint of sweetness to the dressing on this summer courgette salad. 
• Pine nuts – pine nuts have such a unique flavour that blends perfectly with the dressing on this salad. Plus they add a delicious crunch to make this salad even more satisfying. I recommend using raw, not roasted pine nuts.  

How to make this recipe: 

Step one: 

First, to make the dressing, add all of the dressing ingredients to a bowl or glass measuring cup and stir together until combined. Set the dressing aside.

Step two: 

Next, using a vegetable peeler or mandolin, slice the courgettes lengthwise into strips or ribbons about 2mm-3mm thick. Discard the inner part of the courgettes with the seeds.

Step three: 

Then add the zucchini ribbons to a bowl with the pine nuts. Pour the dressing over top and toss well to combine.

Step four:

Serve and enjoy!

Chef’s tips: 

• You can use yellow or green courgettes for this recipe (or a combination of both). 
• If you are serving a crowd you can easily double or triple this recipe. 
• To prepare this salad ahead of time I recommend making the dressing ahead of time but not slicing the zucchini and making the actual salad until you are ready to eat it.

Variations and add ins: 

• If you eat dairy, you can top this salad with feta cheese or parmesan cheese. 
• If you like a sweeter dressing, add a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup to the dressing. 
• Instead of pine nuts you could use cashews, hemp hearts or sesame seeds in this salad. 
• To make this a warm courgette salad: add a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium heat and add the plain, sliced courgettes to the pan. Heat the sliced zucchini for a few minutes until warm. Transfer the warmed courgettes to aa bowl and toss with the dressing and pine nuts. Then serve and enjoy!
• To make this salad look even prettier, you can use your spiralizer to create a spiralized courgette salad. 

How to store: 

Raw zucchini salad is best eaten right away but can be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge in an air tight container if you don’t mind the zucchini getting a bit wilted. 

What to serve with zucchini salad: 

Zucchini salad is a great side dish to pair with hamburgers, turkey burgers, pork burgers, salmon burgers, duck burgers, lamb chops, steak, chicken, pork, ribs, blackened cod, or grilled salmon. 

Frequently asked questions: 

Can you eat raw courgette?

Courgettes can be eaten raw or cooked, whichever way you prefer. To eat courgettes raw you can make them into a salad by either shaving them into ribbons or finely slicing them – raw courgettes are delicious served with simple ingredients like olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and feta cheese. 

Do you leave the skin on a courgette?

You can safely eat the skin on a courgette. In fact, the skin is where most of the vitamins and minerals are so you won’t want to throw it out. 

Are courgettes and zucchini the same?

Courgettes and zucchini are the same thing. Courgette is the French term for zucchini, which is a form of summer squash. Zucchini is the common term used in American English speaking countries, while courgette is the term used among French and British English speaking countries. 

Is this zucchini salad keto? 

This zucchini salad is low carb and keto friendly. Each serving only has 5 grams of total carbs and 4 grams of net carbs with 1 gram of fiber. 

Other salad recipes you will love: 

• Healthy broccoli salad
• Dairy free potato salad
• Kale apple salad
• Low carb coleslaw
• Healthy asian coleslaw

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5 from 3 votes

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Courgette Salad

This courgette salad recipe is so light and tasty. It comes together in just a few minutes and makes the perfect healthy side dish.

Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetables

Cuisine American, Italian, Vegan

Keyword picnic food, plant based, summer salad

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 175 kcal

Ingredients

Dressing Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1-2 tsp lemon zest (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (more or less to taste)

Salad Ingredients

• 2 courgettes
• 1/2 cup pine nuts

Instructions

1. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a bowl or glass measuring cup and stir together until combined. Set the dressing aside.

2. Using a vegetable peeler or mandolin, slice the courgettes lengthwise into strips about 3mm thick. Discard the inner part of the courgettes with the seeds.

3. Add the sliced zucchini to a bowl with the pine nuts. Pour the dressing over top and toss well to combine. Then serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

1. You can use yellow or green courgettes for this recipe (or a combination of both). 
2. Nutritional values are an estimate and will vary depending on the exact ingredients used and your serving size. 
3. This zucchini salad is best served right away but can be kept in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 3 days if you don't mind the courgettes getting a little wilted. 

Nutrition Facts

Courgette Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 175 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Fat 17g26%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Polyunsaturated Fat 5g

Monounsaturated Fat 9g

Sodium 201mg9%

Potassium 248mg7%

Carbohydrates 5g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 135IU3%

Vitamin C 13mg16%

Calcium 15mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

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

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