A light and refreshing salad full of delicious flavors! Fresh zucchini and cucumber noodles provide the perfect base for sliced meats, marinated vegetables, olive, and cheese. Toss this zucchini and cucumber noodle antipasto salad with a sun-dried tomato-basil vinaigrette for the best summer salad!
Here we are – Monday morning again! I’m getting a slow start today, which probably makes you think I did something fun over the weekend, right? Well I didn’t. Unless you consider laundry, cleaning, and other household chores fun.
The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing on the porch, hanging with neighbors, and enjoying the beautiful weather. I sure hope it was as nice where you live as it was here!
Anyway, can you believe next Monday is the 4th of July?! The summer is flying by. To celebrate, this week will I’ll be providing you with some ideas to serve up/take to a cookout.
First up we have this tasty zucchini and cucumber noodle antipasto salad! Think of it as a healthier take on a pasta salad with the flavors of an antipasto. It’s just as delicious as it sounds!
If you don’t have a spiralizer yet, what the heck are you waiting for?! Just kidding. Well kind of. You could totally use a vegetable peeler to make thin ribbons, but a sprializer is just so much easier and fun! ?
Once you have your noodle tool of choice, you’ll turn your zucchini and cucumber into noodles. Toss in some cut up meats, marinated artichokes, roasted red peppers, olives, and cheese. Then, comes the vinaigrette!
If you’ve been with me for a while, you know my obsession with this basil dressing. I’ve taken a version of that and added sun-dried tomatoes. Not only do the sun-dried tomatoes add a ton of flavor, but they help thicken up the dressing perfectly. Since we are using noodles made out of vegetables, you’ll want a thicker dressing so things don’t get too watered down.
If you’d like to serve this up at your next summer barbecue, you can make this ahead as long as you keep a few things in mind.
- Make your “noodles” and store them separately from everything else. The vegetable noodles will let off a lot of water, so before you’re ready to toss the salad together, you can drain off the excess liquid so you don’t want a watery salad!
- Cut up the meats, artichokes, peppers, olives, and store them, along with the cheese in an airtight container.
- Obviously you’ll want the dressing kept separate as well. If you’re serving the entire salad at once, you can toss it just before serving with 2-3 tablespoons of the dressing. If you plan on just having this in your fridge for a quick lunch or dinner, you’ll want to dress each individual portion.
This zucchini noodle and cucumber noodle antipasto salad is the perfect summer side! It’s so light and refreshing, but full of flavor and texture. It will pair well with any grilled meat, pulled pork (which is what I’m making for the 4th!), or it’s great as is for a light lunch or dinner!
I highly suggest you make this salad. It’s healthy and fun to eat!
Have a great week, friends!
- 2 Cups Fresh Basil
- ¼ Cup Oil-Packed Sun-Dried Tomatoes, drained and patted dry
- 1 Clove Garlic, finely minced
- 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
- ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Medium Zucchini, cut into noodles using a spiralizer
- 1 Medium Cucumber, cut into noodles using a spiralizer
- ½ Cup Sliced Turkey, cut into thin strips
- ½ Cup Sliced Salami, cut into thin strips
- ½ Cup Roasted Red Bell Peppers, sliced into thin strips
- ¼ Cup Chopped Marinated Artichokes
- ¼ Cup Chopped Kalamatta Olives
- ½ Cup Grated Asiago Cheese
- 2 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Combine the basil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Pulse a few times to combine. Slowly pour the olive oil in while pulsing until a smooth vinaigrette forms. Set aside.
- Combine the zucchini, cucumber, turkey, salami, roasted peppers, artichokes, kalamatta olives, asiago cheese, and parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Toss well to combine.
- If serving the entire salad right away, toss with 2-3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Otherwise, just toss individual portions with enough dressing to coat and store the remaining salad and vinaigrette separately in the refrigerator.
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says
What a fun and pretty salad! I really need to join the cook kids club and get me a spiralizer!
Keri says
Thanks Rachelle! I’m not one to overload my kitchen with gadgets, but I do think a sprializer is a must!
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
Loving the sound of this dish! Veggie noodles are seriously THE best thing ever!! Loving how crunchy and delicious this salad is. I am totally loving the flavors here.
Anu – My Ginger Garlic Kitchen recently posted…No Churn Peach Blueberry Ice-Cream | Video Recipe
Keri says
Veggie noodles really are the best, Anu! Thanks for the kind words 🙂
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
Lol, I didn’t do anything exciting over the weekend either. Guess we could both say we are saving our excitement for the upcoming holiday. 😉 Love this dish, seriously I will take any excuse I can to bust out the spiralizer, so you can bet I will be making this deliciousness! Such a clever spin on antipasto and that sun-dried tomato-basil vinaigrette sounds like the perfect finishing touch! Cheers, girlfriend!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary recently posted…Avocado, Mango & King Crab Rolls
Keri says
That’s exactly what we are doing! 😉 Thanks for the kind words, Cheyanne. This is definitely my new favorite way to have antipasto!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Sounds like you had a nice and relaxing weekend! Sometimes those are much needed. I’m all about the summer salads lately, and this looks perfect! I just started using my spiralizer and am hooked. This anitpasto version sounds so delicious, Keri!
Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Berry Vanilla Pudding Pound Cake Trifle
Keri says
Definitely much needed! I’ve been all about summer salads, too. Anything that keeps the kitchen cool is right up my alley! Thanks Gayle!
Kelly says
This summer is seriously flying by too quickly! Can’t believe June is almost over! This antipasto salad looks perfect for all those summer parties or barbecues!
Keri says
It definitely is flying by too quickly, Kelly! Thank you 🙂