Pasta and Grilled Zucchini Salad

Lately, I've been obsessed with grilled zucchini. Sprinkled with a little Tony's and lightly brushed with olive oil is my favorite way to make it. I add grilled zucchini to veggie wraps, or just eat it by itself...I never tire of it's smokey goodness. When I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, I knew immediately I had to try it. I also knew right away that I wanted to grill my zucchini instead of fry it. There's already a good bit of olive oil in the homemade pesto, and the flavor of grilling your veggies versus frying them can't be beat. 

It may seem like there's a lot of steps involved, but it actually came together pretty quickly. There's very little chopping, and it's pretty easy to multi-task. From start to finish, it only took me about 30 minutes. Not bad at all, and the end result is worth it! I'd like to say it gets even better the next day, but I went on a mini vacay the next day, and Chris ate the rest. Obviously, he thought it was pretty nummy. Can you blame him?

I didn't think so.

Pasta and Grilled Zucchini Salad

Ingredients

Cooking spray

3 medium (or 2 large) zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3/4 cup fresh or frozen edamame or peas

2 cups basil leaves, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup parsley leaves

1/3 cup olive oil

9 ounces pasta (stozzapreti, penne, etc.)

Zest of 1 lemon

1 1/2 tablespoons capers, chopped (mine were pretty big)

7 ounces buffalo mozzarella, torn into chunks

Salt and pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, lightly spray grill with cooking spray. Grill zucchini slices over medium high heat, about 3-4 minutes per side, turning once. Transfer to a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and pour vinegar on top. Set aside.

When the water is boiling, cook pasta until al dente, adding the edamame during the last 3 minutes of cooking if frozen, or during the last 1-2 minutes if using fresh. Drain and rinse under cold water; set aside.

While the pasta cooking, combine half of the basil and all of the parsley and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth, then season with salt and pepper. 

Transfer pasta back to the empty pot, or a large bowl. Add zucchini and any juices, basil-parsley oil, lemon zest, capers, and mozzarella. Gently stir together, then season generously with salt and pepper. Right before you serve it, stir in remaining basil leaves.

Recipe source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi