Chilled Corn And Zucchini Salad With A Sweet Vinaigrette

August 7, 2026 by 2 Comments

corn side salad

This is my take on a side dish I recently ordered at a restaurant. It was a chilled corn salad with a zesty, sweet vinaigrette. I instantly loved it and thought what a great salad to make when summer produce is at it’s peak.

I changed up a few things and added in zucchini along with the corn in my version and I must say this salad has really been a summer hit.

corn pile

Get your hands on some good corn, the sweeter the better because it’s the star ingredient in this salad.

corn and zucchini side

The corn when added in with all the other fresh ingredients makes for a truly delicious combination of flavors.

summer corn salad

This is in now my top three favorite summer salads which I’ll be making on repeat until summer zucchini and corn go out of season which will be a sad day, but until then, enjoy!

Chilled Corn And Zucchini Salad With A Sweet Vinaigrette
 
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When corn and zucchini are at it's peak you need this salad on repeat.
Author:
Recipe type: Summer salad
Ingredients
  • 2 fresh corn on the cobs steamed for 4 minutes, cooled and cut into planks and kernels
  • 1 or 2 small zucchini, cut in half lengthwise then sliced thin into half moons
  • red and yellow mini peppers sliced thin
  • radishes cut in quarters
  • cherry tomatoes, halved
  • red onion, diced
  • green onion, diced
  • feta, queso fresco, or fresh mozzarella, diced
  • basil and fresh parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • FOR THE VINAIGRETTE.
  • ¼ cup, olive oil
  • 2 Tbl. white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbl. lime juice
  • 1 Tbl. honey
  • pinch of granulated garlic
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • whisk til emulsified
Instructions
  1. All the ingredients besides the corn and zucchini I added as much to my liking, so do the same, no exact measures there. You can also double the vinaigrette as well.
  2. Place all the ingredients into a pretty serving bowl then pour the vinaigrette over the top and toss gently to coat.
  3. ENJOY!

 

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2 Comments Filed Under: Party Foods, Salads, Side Dishes, Summer, Vegetables Tagged: , , ,

Summer Stuffed Shells With Zucchini And Corn

July 12, 2023 by 8 Comments

veggie stuffed shells

Looking for a lighter, summer take on stuffed shells? This summer dish consists of creamy ricotta, a little burrata, pecorino, with a hint of garlic and lemon zest and then fresh summer corn and zucchini sautéed and tossed into the mix.

It has a light tomato cream sauce that goes really well with all the fresh flavors.

stuffed shells

Serve this as a side or as a main course with a tossed salad. It was the first time I ever made these, as I always make stuffed shells the traditional way.

I fed them to a few family members to see what they thought and they all loved them, me included, so I decided it was worthy to share the recipe here in a blog post.

A light easy meal you can make mid week!

a pan of stuffed shells

You’ll want to garnish the top with more of the sautéed zucchini and corn, topped off with fresh basil from the garden.

5.0 from 2 reviews
Summer Stuffed Shells With Zucchini And Corn
 
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A lighter take on stuffed shells with corn and zucchini tossed into the creamy ricotta mix. Perfect for summer eating!
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 -12 oz. box of jumbo shells
  • 2 cups whole milk ricotta, drained well
  • 4 oz. hand shredded burrata
  • ¾ cup of grated pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano
  • 2 medium zucchini, diced
  • 1- ½ cups of fresh corn kernels or frozen thawed
  • 2 small garlic cloves grated or 1 large
  • 1 egg
  • the zest of one lemon
  • 4 oz. of shredded mozzarella
  • basil
  • olive oil
  • 1 28 oz can of whole San Marzano tomatoes, or homemade marinara or a high quality store bought marinara
  • heavy cream
Instructions
  1. Make a quick marinara by coating a heavy sauce pan with olive oil, warm up a couple of cloves of chopped garlic, add the canned tomatoes squishing them til smooth but with some chunks.
  2. Add a teaspoon of salt and fresh basil simmer for 20 minutes or so. When finished pour in some heavy cream, start with ¼ cup and see if that's good for you, if not, add a little more.
  3. Quick saute the chopped zucchini and corn together for a few minutes in a little olive oil, set aside.
  4. Boil shells according to directions on the box, the lesser time for further baking, then drain and cool down with cool water.
  5. Mix up the filling in a bowl with the ricotta, burrata, the egg, grated cheese, garlic, lemon zest, chopped basil, salt and pepper to taste, but not the shredded mozzarella.
  6. Fold in the cooled down sauteed zucchini and corn, reserve some to sprinkle on top.
  7. Grease the bottom of a casserole dish with olive oil, then spread a layer of the tomato cream sauce on the bottom.
  8. Stuff your shells and place them single layer on top of sauce.
  9. Spoon more sauce on each shell but don't drown them with sauce.
  10. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella cheese all around, along with more pecorino or Parmigiano and the reserved sauteed corn and zucchini.
  11. Drizzle the top with olive oil and bake uncovered in a 350 oven for 25 minutes, garnish with fresh basil.
  12. To serve spread some sauce on the bottom of the dinner plate, add the shells and topped them off with more warmed sauce.
  13. Enjoy!

 

 

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8 Comments Filed Under: Pasta, Summer, Vegetables Tagged: , ,