Summer Pasta Salad with Golden Zucchini, Avocado & Almond Feta
A simple, colorful summer pasta salad with golden sautéed zucchini, cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, olives, avocado, fresh herbs, balsamic vinegar, and crumbled almond feta. Best served after resting for a couple of hours so the flavors can come together.
Ingredients
For the salad
- Pasta suitable for pasta salad
- 2 zucchinis
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt, to taste
- Fresh or dried thyme or rosemary
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- Sweet corn, cooked or raw, cut off the cob
- Radishes, thinly sliced, or bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 ripe avocado, diced
- Pitted olives, sliced
- Fresh dill or basil, finely chopped
- 1 cup crumbled almond feta (see recipe here)
For seasoning
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Method
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Once cooked, rinse or cool it down, drain very well, and set aside.
Meanwhile, cut the zucchinis lengthwise into quarters, then slice them diagonally into pieces. You can also dice them if you prefer. Heat a pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the zucchini with a pinch of salt and some thyme or rosemary. Stir-fry until golden and slightly tender, then set aside to cool.
Prepare the vegetables while the pasta and zucchini cool. Halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes, cut the corn off the cob, slice the radishes or dice the bell pepper, dice the avocado, slice the olives, and chop the fresh herbs.
Add the cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add the golden zucchini, tomatoes, corn, radishes or bell pepper, avocado, olives, herbs, oregano, and crumbled almond feta.
Pour over the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and black pepper, then mix well.
For the best flavor, let the salad sit for a couple of hours before serving.
Notes
This is very flexible. Dill gives it a fresher, almost Mediterranean summer feel, while basil makes it more Italian. Radishes keep it crisp and light, while bell pepper makes it sweeter and more colorful.
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