Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Lemon and Parmesan Cheese

Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Lemon and Parmesan Cheese is a simple and easy to make salad that’s loaded with fresh flavor! It’s the perfect way to use this year’s summer zucchini crop!

 It’s almost time to start getting my garden ready for summer and I couldn’t be more excited! Fingers crossed that Denver won’t have a late May snow, but as of right now it looks like we’re in the clear.

I’m already thinking about what to plant and as always at the top of my list are tomatoes and zucchini. I plant these every year and they always do well, especially the zucchini. My plant usually ends up growing so big it takes up a third of the garden space.

One year I planted two zucchini plants and quickly learned my lesson. I was picking at least five a week and then occasionally finding one that I had missed under a big leaf that was the size of a butternut squash! The big ones never taste that great and their seeds are huge and ruin the texture.

I almost always end up with a surplus of it and then struggle to figure out what to do with it. This year I’ll definitely be using it in this simple and easy to make Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Lemon and Parmesan Cheese.

After Monday’s extensive spice ingredient list to make the Tandoori Chicken Naan Flatbread, I thought you might appreciate a recipe that you only need a handful of ingredients to make. Even though the ingredients are simple and few the flavor isn’t lacking.

Zucchini by itself really doesn’t have much flavor, but it absorbs whatever you add to it like a sponge. In this case lemon juice, fresh mint, shaved Parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts are adding big flavor to this simple salad.

When you make a salad that doesn’t involve many ingredients, it’s important that the ingredients used are high quality and preferably in season. I highly recommend buying Parmigiano Reggiano and nothing that’s been pre-grated or in this case, shaved. I know it’s a little more expensive, but the flavor is far superior.

When you’re shopping for zucchini the small, thin ones are what you want. The large ones tend to be pulpy and have large seeds. Their color should be vibrant, the skin free of any nicks and they should feel firm. You don’t need anything fancy to make the ribbons, just a simple vegetable peeler.

This quick and easy salad is the perfect way to change up your usual lettuce salad routine and take advantage of the season’s best zucchini!

More Ways to Use Zucchini

Cheesy Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Grilled Zucchini, Ricotta and Pine Nut Pizza

Zucchini Lasagna Rolls