A light zucchini and corn quinoa salad in a bright lemon-y basil pesto dressing.
Although fall is officially here and the days are cooling, there is still plenty of zucchini around and I wanted to give summer one last hurrah with this zucchini and corn quinoa salad with a basil pesto dressing. This salad is as easy as it sounds with the quinoa, sautéed zucchini and corn, the basil pesto dressing and I like to add some chickpeas to fill it out a bit along with some green onions and toasted pine nuts as garnish. Really all you need to do is cook the quinoa, zucchini and corn and mix everything and you are done! This pesto zucchini and corn quinoa salad makes for a great side or even a light meal and it’s sure to brighten your day!
Pesto Zucchini and Corn Quinoa Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes Servings: 6
A light zucchini and corn quinoa salad in a bright lemon-y basil pesto dressing.
ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1 3/4 cups water or broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 cups zucchini (~2 medium sized zucchini), diced
- 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 (15 ounce) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups cooked beans, from 1/2 cup dry)
- 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1/2 cup basil pesto (homemade or store bought)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
directions
- Bring the water and quinoa to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the quinoa is tender and has absorbed the water, about 15 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes, covered.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat, add the garlic, zucchini and corn and cook until tender, about 12 minutes, before removing from heat and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix everything and enjoy!
Option: Garnish with grated/shredded parmesan.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 334, Fat 17.5g (Saturated 2.6g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 5mg, Sodium 142mg, Carbs 35.1g (Fiber 6.9g, Sugars 4g), Protein 11.9g
Nutrition by: 
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I love this Kevin – was just at the farmer's market yesterday and grabbing every last bit of summer I could!
Jeanette: I was doing the same!
This is my kind of salad! I'm headed to the farmer's market this weekend, and I'm sure there will still be zucchini aplenty!
It's still a zucchini party here in Sicily! No fall in sight. DEF trying this.
Love this salad!
fabulous salad Kevin!!!
This makes me happy, like there is still a hint of summer left!! YUM!
Kevin love to see all these fresh colors amid all things fall!! Beautiful looking salad!
The freshness of this is incredible! Makes me nostalgic for summer too <3
This. looks. DELICIOUS!
i LOVE pesto and this looks so deliciously healthy!
Love all the colors in this dish!!
Kevin: this looks so delicious and pretty! I feel like I haven't had zucchini in so long since east coast has been in fall mode for a while now.
This is such a great salad! Love these flavors!
This sounds like a wonderful fall meal!
Can't wait to try this.
This is my kind of salad!
This was dinner tonight. Main dish. Everyone loved it. So glad I found you on Instagram!
This is a lovely recipe, I love to learn and try out new recipe too, also have a food channel, u could check out my country's recipe too, am glad I found ur site
Lots of great flavors and colors in this salad! So excited to try it!
This dish looks so delicious! I love the idea of corn and zucchini together with quinoa and pesto…sounds great to me. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
This is my favorite kind of salad – where there is such a variety of flavor and texture that every bite tastes slightly different (but equally delicious).
This looks delicious and healthy at the same time! I'll try cooking it in the weekend. Wish me luck
Hi Kevin, the salad look perfect! It is hard for me to prepare the same, but my family is in love with this recipe. Every time when I have a short vacation, I am preparing similar to your salad. Well done!
Do you serve this hot or cold?
Chickpeas taste so much better if they are cooked. Cool if using in a cold salad. You'll love the flavor! I can't wait to make this salad!
I made this meal tonight and it was fantastic!
Thank you so much!
Hi Kevin! Do you saute the garlic with the zucchini and corn or add it to the quinoa while it cooks?
Thank you!
Kristen Berry: Yes, you saute the garlic with the zucchini and corn. I have updated the recipe. Thanks!
Thank you! I made this tonight and it was delicious!
Kristen Berry: I'm glad you enjoyed it!
It appears you eat this warm after making it? For leftovers do you tend to re-heat it or eat it cold? (the "salad" title is throwing me off!) It looks delicious and we are in prime zucchini and corn season here!
Kate: I enjoy this salad, warm, chilled or at room temperature!
The colors are so vibrant- your photography is fantastic! This is absolutely magnificent, scrumptious, delicious, super yummy pesto zucchini and corn quinoa salad. I love healthy food. It would be perfect breakfast! Thx for sharing!
So delicious! We loved this!
I finding this pesto zucchini and corn quinoa salad recipe for a long time. This dish is also gluten-free, paleo friendly, low-carb and I love it! Thx for sharing!
Made this tonight after getting the recipe in my e-mail…. ALL of Kevins recipes RoCk!! This one is Awesome!!
I’m glad you like it!
This is a great salad, I have always wanted to try something similar, but hadn’t figured everything out just yet. Zucchini based salads have always been amazing for me, and so was this corn quinoa blend. Great recipe! The recipe is very easy to follow too.
I’m going to make this today. Looks great and I have pesto on hand. The picture looks like there is shredded Parmesan cheese on top of the salad, but I don’t see it listed in the ingredients.
A parmesan garnish is nice!