It’s a million degrees in Manhattan and all I want is a refreshing meal (like this pasta salad!), air conditioning, a sundress and the beach.
Thank goodness I live near the water.
The cool breeze makes such a difference.
I know I’ve told you guys about my love affair with zucchini before…
About how they were the only veggie that made me feel good last year when I was so sick. They’re just so creamy and tender – I could snack on these guys everyday. And I do.
They remind me of summer and what better way to light up a gluten-free pasta dish than add a lil’ green jazz with zucchini?
Well, with corn, of course!
So, when my friend, Heather, the star behind Yum Universe and I decided to start working on monthly recipes together – we came up with a Mexican salad theme for July.
And I just had to pull this out out and release it to y’all.
This Gluten-Free Fiesta Pasta Salad is super easy to make at home, you just need to prepare some veggies and have gluten-free pasta on hand.
I chose fresh zucchini because I spotted some at the Union Square farmer’s market on Saturday and they were just begging to be used up in something tasty n’ fun.
I diced up a few green zucchinis and got to work while the pasta was cookin’.
A few minutes later and I had this gorgeous sunshine yellow and grass green fiesta salad, perfect for my weekend BBQ in the city.
So, go ahead and whip up this fun pasta salad.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound gluten-free penne pasta
- 1 large zucchini thinly sliced crosswise
- 6 button mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 10oz. package frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained
- 4 cups fresh spinach steamed
- 1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 chives finely chopped
- ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp. So Delicious dairy-free Greek plain yogurt
Instructions
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In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta, transfer to a large bowl, and toss with zucchini, mushrooms, corn and spinach. Set aside.
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In a small mixing bowl, combine lemon zest, juice, olive oil, chives, red pepper, sea salt and black pepper; whisk well to combine.
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Pour olive oil mixture over cooked pasta mixture; gently toss to combine.
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Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
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Serve chilled or at room temperature with a dollop of yogurt.
The recipe looks great. Which GF pasta do you recommend? I’m still looking for one that I like. Do I need to make my own?
Thanks Chloe! I love TruRoots Gluten-Free pasta but I am super excited for Barilla pasta to come out with their Gluten-Free pasta soon!
If you do not have dairy free plain yogurt what is a good substitute?
Heather, great to hear from you! You can use any yogurt for this salad if you don’t have a dairy-free yogurt, however I would certainly recommend using an organic yogurt if you are eating dairy so that you are not eating growth hormones or antibiotics. Stonyfield yogurt makes a wonderful plain yogurt and a great plain Greek yogurt, too! Enjoy.
Hello! Just found your site and it’s wonderful! One question about this recipe, though. The veggies appear to be steamed or lightly cooked (esp the 4 cups of spinach?!), the zucchini is sliced in a creative way not mentioned, and the photo of the finished product seems to include green onions (not chives?) and a sprinkling of spices (maybe just coarse pepper?) I think the dish shown in the photos looks fabulous, but it doesn’t appear to be the basic recipe! Can you update the recipe to reflect what you actually did–I’d love for my version to look like your version, which is fabulous!
Thanks Bette; this is the exact recipe with chives not scallions and there is steamed spinach along with sea salt, pepper and lemon zest on top for the photo. Enjoy!
Just made these and they are terrific… Next time, I am going to make them into a breakfast item with cinnamon, nutmeg and berries. THANK YOU!
So happy to hear that Vivki! Let me know how it turns out with the nutmeg! Enjoy your day.
Looks fantastic! May I make just a quick suggestion? Maybe put up one or two of the best photos of the finished recipe instead of 9? Those photos are large and that’s a lot of scrolling to get to the actual recipe!
Thanks Sarah; greatly appreciated. I’ve actually been asked to display more of my photos for my professional photography portfolio but I’ll be cutting down on them as I go along. Thanks so much for the feedback; enjoy your weekend!!
Beautiful and looks DELICIOUS. Zucchini and corn go so well together – and in summer it would be fun to cut them right off the cob!
Thanks darling; wish we didn’t live so far away. I miss you and Lucy so much. Hope you are well…xoox
This looks delicious – I’m anxious to try it! Just one request, please: nutrition information? So many gluten-free recipes don’t include the calories, fat, fiber, sodium, or carb counts, and as one who is trying to watch her weight while enjoying healthy, gluten-free food, this would be a huge help! Thanks!!
Thank you Susan; so nice to hear from you! I am actually going to start putting nutritional information on my website this week because so many people have been asking for it- so you are in luck!
Thank you again; enjoy your day!
Will definitely try this too. I LOVE that there is no cilantro (allergic). I just made a black bean GF pasta salad with corn and tomatoes that was also great but I’m always down for a good zucchini recipe! Thanks!
Thank you Lisa; hope you enjoy it! It’s delish and perfect for a summer dish. Have a great night!
so. the hubster and i managed to get a few large zucchinis from our neighbor… when we came across the website, we had to try it- so glad we did! this dish was truly amazing… thank you!
So happy to hear that Amber; hope it was yummy for you both. Have a great weekend. xo
Ooh ! looks fab ! I could eat this right now 🙂 Would like to grab some GF recipes from yr blog for my GF page. Will have a small pic which links up directly to your blog ! Let me know if that will be ok. Link to my GF page
http://www.suesnutritionbuzz.com/gluten-free-cafe/
Thank you so much! Of course you can link back! Have a great day and thank you again!
I love zucchini too! Are you eating pasta again now?
HI AMIE,
JUST ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL SALAD I WILL BE TRYING IT OUT THIS WEEK TOMORROW IS FARMERS MARKET AND I NEED TO GET THE CORN AND ZUCCHINI. THIS LOOKS SO COLORFUL AND EASY TO MAKE. I HAVE MY DAUGHTER FOLLOWING YOU NOW AND SHE IS MAKING THESE RECIPES FOR HER CHILDREN. LOVING ALL THE BEAUTIFUL PICTURES YOU PRESENT WITH YOUR DISHES. STAY COOL AND THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN.
Thanks Beverly; hope you enjoy this dish! It’s so festive and fun. I love all the colors. Have a great week and enjoy!
Another beautiful post with cookbook-worthy pics! Can’t wait to make this dish – just picked up zucchini at the farmer’s market YESTERDAY….and would you believe I went to a corn festival this past weekend as well???? I’m loaded with all the ingredients I need. So perfect 🙂 LOVING all of your delicious summer cooling recipes.
Thank you Mikelle; you are too kind and I hope you enjoy this recipe. I love zucchini and seriously eat a ton of it everyday…so creamy and delish. Wow; the corn festival sounds like so much fun! Enjoy and have a great afternoon.
This looks delicious Amie! I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Zucchini – my favorite summer veg! Paired with the corn and some spicy seasonings – HELLO. Will definitely try this recipe (today!!) 🙂
Awe; thank you so much Kristen! So great to hear from you darling and hope you enjoy this recipe. Have a great week and thank you again! xo