Description
This robust salad has enough presence to serve as a light, yet satisfying, main course – or it can act as the perfect complement to more neutral dishes, like grilled chicken breast or a mild white fish.
Scale
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- ¾ c. extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ c. white balsamic vinegar
- 2 T. fresh lemon juice
- 1 T. Dijon mustard
Salad
- 1 pound spiralized zucchini
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 T. olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, washed and chopped, seeds and excess liquid removed
- 12–15 large fresh basil leaves, washed, dried and cut into thin strips
- 2 t. fresh oregano with stems removed and chopped
- ½ c. Kalamata olives
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ c. fresh or preserved lemons, chopped into small chunks with rinds
- 2 c. fresh arugula
- 2 T. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
- 3 oz. block feta cheese, cut into equal sized chunks
Instructions
- To make the vinaigrette, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and mustard together in a small bowl until blended smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Add olive oil and garlic to a cold pan and set heat to medium-high.
- Sauté for approximately 2 minutes before adding chopped tomato.
- Cook for 3 minutes or until the tomato softens.
- Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked tomato and garlic mixture with the basil, oregano, olives, red onion, and preserved lemons.
- Add the cooked pasta, arugula and both types of cheese.
- Finally, add the vinaigrette and toss to combine.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
You can use fresh or preserved lemons to make this recipe. I recommend trying the preserved lemons because they add more intense flavor.
These can be purchased HERE or you can learn how to make Salt Cured Preserved Lemons HERE.
