Home / Recipes / Most Posts / Zucchini Caprese Salad

Zucchini Caprese Salad

A simple easy to make Zucchini Caprese Salad, the perfect no cook Summertime main dish or side dish recipe. Ribbons of Zucchini, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella with a simple olive oil / balsamic dressing.

zucchini caprese salad on a white plate


 

Well Zucchini Season is finally upon us!

A lot of people either love or hate this vegetable and I have to admit that I am a lover of Zucchini. The Italian and his kids on the other hand can tolerate it only a couple of ways. They do not like the fact that it is what they call “molle” or mushy

For that reason he prefers zucchini or eggplant or even tomatoes well cooked or grilled in a recipe.

zucchini caprese salad how to make zucchini ribbon sliced, in a bowl with caprese ingredients in a bowl

But this Zucchini Caprese Salad was the exception to the rule. Probably because being raw it was crunchy and not mushy!

How to make a Zucchini Caprese Salad

  • It’s best to use new tender small zucchini, and slice ribbon thin.
  • Fresh Mozzarella and not firm.
  • Either cherry or grape tomatoes.
  • and lots of Fresh basil.

I found the best way to make this Caprese Salad is with new smallish zucchini, medium to large zucchini can have too many seeds. Although I did do a small experiment.

  1. The salad made immediately with fresh raw zucchini cut into ribbons (thin).
  2. The raw ribbon zucchini placed in a bowl and tossed with a little salt and left to rest for 20 minutes.
  3. The raw ribbon zucchini placed in a bowl and tossed with a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice and left to rest for 20 minutes.
caprese salad mixed in a plate

And what did I discover?

  1. The salad made immediately was just as good as long as the zucchini is firm and tender.
  2. I preferred the zucchini under salt rather than lemon, although I think that is probably just preference. To tell the truth it really isn’t needed unless your zucchini may be a little soft and on the larger side.
caprese salad on a white plate

More Caprese Recipes you may Enjoy.

If you are looking for a new fresh Summer Salad to try I hope you give this Zucchini Caprese Salad a try and let me know how it turns out. Buon Appetito!

up close zucchini caprese salad on a white plate
up close zucchini caprese salad on a white plate

Zucchini Caprese Salad

Rosemary Molloy
A simple easy to make Zucchini Caprese Salad, the perfect no cook Summertime main dish or side dish recipe.  Ribbons of Zucchini, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella with a simple olive oil dressing.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Antipasti, Appetizer, Main Dish, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Calories 71 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 -2 small / medium zucchini (firm & tender)
  • 1 small mozzarella (fresh)
  • 10-12 cherry or grape tomatoes (halved)
  • 6-8 fresh basil leaves (chopped)
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablesppon balsamic vinegar

This would serve 4 side dishes or 2 main dishes. Depending on the size of zucchini if they are very small use 2, or 1 medium.

    Instructions
     

    • Cut zucchini** into thin ribbons and place on a large plate. Spread on the plate.
    • In a medium bowl add chopped fresh mozzarella, halved cherry or grape tomatoes,  chopped fresh basil, oregano, salt, olive oil and balsamic.  Toss gently to combine.
    • Spoon mozzarella mixture over zucchini ribbons.  Top with more fresh basil if desired and serve.  Enjoy!
    • **If you find the zucchini not so firm or tender you can either place the ribbons in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and let sit 20 minutes, then drain but do not rinse. If you use the salt method, then eliminate the salt from the ingredients.  (taste before adding any additional salt if needed).

    Nutrition

    Calories: 71kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 92mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 9.7mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.4mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

    4 Comments

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.