Roasted Garlic Marinated Zucchini Salad
To skip the post and step-by-step instructions and go straight to recipe, click here.With fall visible over the horizon, it’s time for one last summer fling. And that fling should be with fresh zucchini, juicy cherry tomatoes, and roasted garlic vinaigrette! This light and refreshing yet very flavorful salad is a wonderful side dish for your end-of-summer barbecues or just to use up all of that extra zucchini from the garden. The thinly sliced zucchini perfectly soaks up the savory and slightly spicy dressing for bursts of flavor in every single bite. Plus, it stays great in the fridge for a couple of days, making it a perfect make-ahead dish for potlucks or meal prepping.
Recipe Notes
Making ahead: Since this salad is one that needs to marinate for at least a half hour, it’s great to make ahead! Leftovers stay great for up to two days as well, but after that the texture of the zucchini begins to break down a bit.
What to eat it with: The freshness and Mediterranean flavors of this salad perfectly compliment a variety of grilled meat dishes - if you’ve got chicken, steak, or burgers on the barbecue, this is the side dish for you! Add in some rice or potatoes and you’ve got a great full meal. Or, if you don’t eat meat, I think this would be fantastic with a fry cheese such as grilled halloumi, or as a filling for a pita wrap with seasoned chickpeas and feta.
Ingredient Substitutions:
If you don’t love zucchini, this recipe can be easily transformed into a marinated cucumber salad!
The tomatoes add color and texture variety, so red bell pepper would be a great substitution.
As for the onion, any type that you prefer would be just fine - the main benefit of the red onion specifically is the color contrast.
If you don’t love kalamata olives, any briny ingredient could serve a similar purpose. An alternative olive type, capers, or pickled peppers would be great. As for the olive brine in the dressing, the brine of any of your alternative ingredients will do just fine.
Step-By-Step Walk-Through
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Step 1:
Roast Garlic
Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
Wrap 3-5 cloves of unpeeled garlic in a parcel of tin foil with the shinier side facing in.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until soft enough to be smashed with a fork.
Peel the roasted garlic and cut off the woody tip of each one.
Smash the garlic into a paste with a fork.
Step 2:
Make Dressing
Chiffonade 1 tablespoon of fresh basil by rolling the leaves together tightly and thinly slicing.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the smashed roasted garlic, the chiffonaded basil, 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of kalamata olive brine, 1 teaspoon of sugar, ½ teaspoon of red chili flakes, and 1 tablespoon of sour cream.
Whisk to combine and set aside.
Step 3:
Prepare Vegetables
Very thinly slice one large or two medium zucchinis (about 2 ½ cups total).
Halve ¼ cup of pitted kalamata olives.
Very thinly slice ⅛ of a large red onion.
Cut ½ cup of cherry tomatoes into quarters.
Step 4:
Marinate
Combine all of the prepped vegetables with the dressing in a large mixing bowl, tossing well.
Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Serve cold or room temperature. Enjoy!
Roasted Garlic Marinated Zucchini Salad
Servings: 4 Time: 15 minutes (active), 1 hour (total)
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
For Dressing:
3-5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 TBS. fresh basil
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
3 TBS. olive oil
1 TBS. lemon juice
1 TBS. kalamata olive brine
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. red chili flakes
1 TBS. sour cream
For Vegetables:
1 large or 2 medium zucchinis (about 2 ½ cups total)
¼ cup pitted kalamata olives
⅛ of a large red onion
½ cup cherry tomatoes
Directions
Step 1: Roast Garlic
Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Wrap unpeeled garlic in a parcel of tin foil with the shinier side facing in. Bake for 20 minutes, or until soft enough to be smashed with a fork. Peel the roasted garlic and cut off the woody tip of each one. Smash the garlic into a paste with a fork.
Step 2: Make Dressing
Chiffonade fresh basil by rolling the leaves together tightly and thinly slicing. In a small mixing bowl, combine the smashed roasted garlic, the chiffonaded basil, and all of the remaining dressing ingredients. Whisk to combine and set aside.
Step 3: Prepare vegetables
Very thinly slice zucchini. Halve the pitted kalamata olives. Very thinly slice the red onion. Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters.
Step 4: Marinate
Combine all of the prepped vegetables with the dressing in a large mixing bowl, tossing well. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Serve cold or room temperature. Enjoy!