Margherita Pasta Salad is a combination of my two favorite summer dishes, the flavors of margherita pizza and pasta salad. This version of pasta salad has all the best summer flavors – fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and summer squash paired with slightly sweet white balsamic dressing and loaded with as much mozzarella cheese you can get your hands on. Since this dish uses summer squash noodles, it's naturally gluten free and extremely healthy, although it doesn't taste that way.
Dave and I have been making a weekly dinner date on Saturday nights where we have been trying out new restaurants with gluten free menus. Dave has really missed being able to go out and get pizza since he found out about his gluten allergy and we have found restaurant nearby that has a very good gluten free crust. He was so excited when it was a flat crust and crispy! My favorite pizza is margherita pizza and I've been looking for ways to recreate it's flavor during the week when I tend to eat lighter meals. This margherita pasta salad was the perfect way to get all the flavors I love without all of the extra calories and carbs that come in with pizza!
Dave asked me why I eat squash noodles (zoodles) so often. I told him I used to eat whole wheat pasta thinking it was a healthy dinner option. But then I started realizing that I would eat until I was uncomfortably full and even with all of that food in my stomach I would still find myself digging around the freezer later that night looking for dessert or something more to eat. However, when I started replacing the pasta noodles with vegetables, I found that I could eat a HUGE bowl of these noodles and once I was full, I would be satisfied and didn't look like I had a baby belly when I was done eating which I would get when I ate that much wheat pasta in one sitting.
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If you just can't imagine having dinner without pasta, you can make this dish with your favorite brand or even better do half pasta and half squash noodles. That way you can get the benefits of the squash nooldes (an extra serving of vegetables, filling fiber, and none of the heavy feeling in your stomach) as well as the pasta noodles that you are used to having.
This margherita pasta salad is has an easy homemade dressing made with white balsamic vinegar, basil, garlic powder and extra virgin olive oil. For the salad, you will need summer squash or zucchini, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and any other flavors you love. I have added pepperoni to this for Dave and I've enjoyed this with avocado and chopped walnuts for lunch as well as on the side of simple salmon. This dish is really super versatile and you will be surprised how quickly it comes together.
Since you don't have to wait on the water to boil, the noodles to cook and then for the noodles to cool off before you can make the margherita pasta salad, since the base is summer squash that is already nice and chilly from the fridge. Simply chiffonade (chop into ribbons) the basil and add it to the vinegar, this will keep the basil from turning black and looking unappetizing. When I first started eating healthy, I realized that the flavors I craved were actually the spices and herbs that were in the foods, not the food themselves. So using fresh basil is an easy way to add flavor without a ton of added fat or calories.
Margherita Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 medium summer squash - or zucchini squash cut into noodles (zoodles)
- 10-15 cherry tomatoes - cut into quarters or halved
- 2 handfuls of spinach - chopped
- 5-10 leaves of basil - rolled into a log and cut into ribbons
- 3 tbs. white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbs. olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 10-12 mozzarella balls
- grilled portobello mushrooms - optionals
Instructions
- Using a spiaralizer, made zoodles out of the summer squash or zucchini.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, fresh spinach and mozzarella cheese to the squash noodles.
- If adding portobello mushrooms, marinade in balsamic dressing and grill 10 minutes on a griddle or outside. on the grill.
- In a small bowl, combine the basil, white balsamic, garlic powder,olive oil, salt and pepper. Add a lid and shake vigorously.
- Pour the vignette over the pasta noodles and toss.
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What about you?
- Have you ever heard of a Margherita Pasta Salad before?
- What is your favorite pizza flavor?
- Do you have a weekly date night with a spouse, friend or group of friends?
Elaine
This looks amazing!! Thanks for Sharing on My 2 favorite Things on Thursday!! Hope to see you again this week!! Pinned!
Deborah Davis
I love any recipe with zoodles so thanks for sharing this scrumptious salad with us at the Healthy Happy Green Natural Party. I’m pinning and sharing.
Lou Lou Girls
I’m just stopping by to let you know that your pasta salad will be featured at our party tonight at 7 pm! Woo Hoo! We appreciate you bringing such amazing things to our party. I hope to see you tonight. Lou Lou Girls
Sam
Thanks so much for the feature!!
Karly
This looks so delicious! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
jill conyers
Yum! Margherita is one of my favorites for several different types of dishes, pizza, salad, sandwich…..
Love chatting with you. Right after yoga and I was energized for the day.
Brittany
Stopping by from the Foley Fam linkup. This looks delish! Thanks!
Pauline Molinari
This looks scrumptious! Thanks so much for sharing your yummy recipe on the Monday Funday Party!
Karren
I need a new spiralizer the one I have kills my hand, any suggestions?
Your salad looks so good, my husband loves having a salad every night so changing things up is good.
Thanks for stopping by Oh My Heartsie Girls Friday Features to #Linkup this week. Hope to see you next week.
Have a great weekend!
Karren
Alli @ Tornadough Alli
This looks awesome! I can’t help myself when I see fresh chunks of mozzarella cheese like that! Plus, the good thing is that I just bought myself a veggie pasta spiralizer so I can make some zoodles! Can’t wait to try! I would love if you could come and link up some of your recipes to this weeks Throw Back Thursday link party!
Catherine Holt
Oh wow, this looks totally amazing. The combination of the taste of pizza and a salad all rolled into one…genius!
Thanks for linking up to Marvelous Monday on Smart Party Planning.
Sarah
This looks delicious!
Amanda
We love zoodles and this recipe looks so delicious! Love how fresh this is 🙂 pinning & sharing!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate
I absolutely LOVE this recipe and the idea behind it! Using squash as noodles is brilliant and a great way to get more veggies out of a dish… something I desperately need to be doing more of these days.
My favorite pizza is probably margherita, as well, though I love a good BBQ chicken pizza if it’s done right! And we aren’t doing date nights as often these days since we had a baby in March, but I hope we’re able to reinstate that tradition in the near-ish future.
Sam
Oh I’m so glad you love the idea of squash noodles. Oh man BBQ Chicken pizza sounds like something Dave would go crazy for – thanks for the idea!! I hope you get back into date nights soon, but at least you have an awesome excuse 🙂 Babies tend to take up your energy but OMG they are so worth it 🙂
Trish
This looks amazing. I’m not on the zoodles train yet…but maybe one day!
Trish – tales from trish
Jess @hellotofit
Love that you guys have a weekly date night 🙂 Ray and I try to have at least one a week, whether it’s out to eat somewhere or being couch potatoes inside. Margherita pizza is so good. All the time.
Sam
Couch potato season is about to start once football is on 🙂 So glad you and Ray make date night a priority too, it’s so fun and gives us something to look forward to!
Heather@hungryforbalance
Marghertia pizza is my favorite kind. And I love that you used zoodles in this recipe! I am a big fan of zoodles because, like you, I am happy that I get to eat a giant bowl of “pasta”, feel satiated, and not feel like I swallowed a balloon.
Sam
YAY!! Sounds like this would be just up your alley! It’s delish!
GiGi Eats
I would swap in some spaghetti squash and add anchovies and be one happier camper.
GiGiGiGi Eats
This salad is CRAZY SEXY – I would swap in spaghetti squash and be the happiest camper !! I would probably even add some anchovies! 😛
rachel@ atheltic avocado
I love maghertia Pizza! When we went to italy, That’s all I got! This looks awesome! 🙂
Sam
Sounds like you had an awesome trip to Italy then, how delicious!! I bet it tasted 1000 times better there too!
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness
Sounds delicious! I love margherita anything… Give me tomatoes, mozzarella & basil, and I’m a happy camper!
Sam
Me too girl!! I burn out of just mozzarella, tomato and basil because I gorge on it the first month of summer!
Dani @ Dani California Cooks
I recently bought a zoodle maker and I can’t wait to try out recipes like this!
Cassie Tran
Wait a minute, this isn’t breakfast food! Hahahaha, naw seriously, this look awesome!
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner
We are on a similar wavelength today! I love the roasted tomatoes and mozzarella. Thanks for joining us have a great week!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
A combination of pizza flavours and a salad? I am SO on board with that. Tomato and basil are just perfect together.
Susie @ SuzLyfe
I was just thinking hmmmm, I’m not really a pasta salad person. And then you solved that problem by making it zoodles. Margherita pizza is one of my all time favorites–nothing compaires to the fresh tomato and basil. yum yum yum!