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!
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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Jeanette says
October 10, 2014 at 11:27 amI love this Kevin – was just at the farmer's market yesterday and grabbing every last bit of summer I could!
kevin says
October 10, 2014 at 11:32 amJeanette: I was doing the same!
Joanne says
October 10, 2014 at 11:43 amThis 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!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
October 10, 2014 at 11:51 amIt's still a zucchini party here in Sicily! No fall in sight. DEF trying this.
Maria says
October 10, 2014 at 12:58 pmLove this salad!
marla {Family Fresh Cooking} says
October 10, 2014 at 1:09 pmfabulous salad Kevin!!!
Heather Christo says
October 10, 2014 at 1:54 pmThis makes me happy, like there is still a hint of summer left!! YUM!
ami@naivecookcooks says
October 10, 2014 at 4:15 pmKevin love to see all these fresh colors amid all things fall!! Beautiful looking salad!
Tashiana says
October 11, 2014 at 6:45 amThe freshness of this is incredible! Makes me nostalgic for summer too <3
Matt Vekakis says
October 11, 2014 at 4:09 pmThis. looks. DELICIOUS!
Jess says
October 11, 2014 at 9:31 pmi LOVE pesto and this looks so deliciously healthy!
Julie @ Table for Two says
October 12, 2014 at 4:06 pmLove all the colors in this dish!!
Katya | Little Broken says
October 13, 2014 at 2:44 amKevin: 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.
Jenny says
October 13, 2014 at 12:45 pmThis is such a great salad! Love these flavors!
Gaby says
October 13, 2014 at 6:29 pmThis sounds like a wonderful fall meal!
Mimsie says
October 14, 2014 at 3:35 amCan't wait to try this.
Gaby says
October 16, 2014 at 3:29 amThis is my kind of salad!
Sadie says
October 16, 2014 at 4:05 amThis was dinner tonight. Main dish. Everyone loved it. So glad I found you on Instagram!
BBMChannel C00219980 says
October 20, 2014 at 5:19 pmThis 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
Jeni says
October 22, 2014 at 11:25 pmLots of great flavors and colors in this salad! So excited to try it!
Jodee Weiland says
October 26, 2014 at 3:11 pmThis 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!
Marissa says
October 26, 2014 at 4:38 pmThis 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).
Unknown says
June 17, 2016 at 9:34 pmDo you serve this hot or cold?
Cleone says
April 13, 2017 at 3:37 amI made this meal tonight and it was fantastic!
Thank you so much!
Kristen Berry says
August 8, 2017 at 8:32 pmHi Kevin! Do you saute the garlic with the zucchini and corn or add it to the quinoa while it cooks?
Thank you!
kevin says
August 9, 2017 at 7:33 pmKristen Berry: Yes, you saute the garlic with the zucchini and corn. I have updated the recipe. Thanks!
Kristen Berry says
August 10, 2017 at 12:47 amThank you! I made this tonight and it was delicious!
kevin says
August 10, 2017 at 10:39 pmKristen Berry: I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Kate says
August 18, 2017 at 2:00 pmIt 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!
kevin says
August 22, 2017 at 4:33 pmKate: I enjoy this salad, warm, chilled or at room temperature!
Jill Roberts @ Wellnessgeeky says
January 8, 2018 at 11:50 amThe 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!
Jenae says
April 24, 2018 at 1:55 amSo delicious! We loved this!
Bella Hardy says
May 22, 2018 at 1:03 pmI 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!
Debbie says
July 23, 2018 at 9:21 pmMade this tonight after getting the recipe in my e-mail…. ALL of Kevins recipes RoCk!! This one is Awesome!!
kevin says
July 26, 2018 at 11:24 amI’m glad you like it!
Christina Moore says
October 15, 2018 at 6:58 amThis 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.