Recipes Ingredients Vegetables Zucchini Recipes Zucchini and Squash Salad Serve this easy, colorful summer side dish at your next cookout. Prep Time: 25 mins Total Time: 55 mins Servings: 6 Jump to recipe This easy squash and zucchini salad is just right for your next cookout, potluck, or picnic. It's a colorful crowd pleaser that holds up well for outdoor gatherings. Simply toss thin slices of zucchini and yellow summer squash in a dressing made with lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, and olive oil. Then add salty, savory grated Pecorino Romano cheese, buttery toasted pine nuts, and plenty of fragrant fresh basil. It's ready to eat immediately, and keeps well outdoors without becoming limp or sweaty. This no-cook way to serve zucchini and summer squash together is sure to become your new favorite side dish for grilling season. 25 Summer Salads Made With Fresh, Seasonal Produce Credit: Carson Downing Buying and Storing Summer Squash With its thin skins and mild-flavored flesh, summer squash is ideal for the kind of laid-back, low-stress cooking summer calls for. You can probably find the yellow squash and zucchini for this recipe year-round at the grocery store, but we strongly suggest waiting to make this salad until they're in season from June to August. Peak-season zucchini is earthy and slightly sweet, while yellow squash is mild and buttery. When shopping for summer squash, choose smooth, unblemished ones that feel heavy for their size. They should be firm and stiff—move on from any that are limp or yield to gentle pressure. Storing Summer Squash When you get your summer squash home from the market, store them in your crisper drawer, where they'll stay good for four to five days—unlike winter squash, they're not meant for long storage, and they'll lose moisture and begin to deteriorate if left for much longer. Slicing summer squash: Since the zucchini and yellow squash in this recipe are served raw, it's important to slice them nice and thin for the best eating experience. If you have a mandoline, it will make quick work of the process, but it's easy enough to do with a sharp chef's knife. Aim for slices no thicker than 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, and try to make them as even in thickness as possible. Why Salt the Squash for This Recipe? Zucchini and yellow squash contain quite a bit of moisture, which will make for a soggy salad and diluted dressing if it's not removed beforehand. Like in our recipes for zucchini fritters and this buttery zucchini bruschetta, we call for tossing the squash with salt and letting it drain in a colander for half an hour. (Use that time to toast your pine nuts, grate the pecorino cheese, and make the dressing.) After 30 minutes, the salt will have worked its magic on the squash, drawing out water and subtly seasoning the flesh. Rinse it under cold water to remove the excess salt, then pat dry before continuing with the recipe. Directions Credit: Carson Downing Salt zucchini and squash slices: Generously sprinkle zucchini and squash slices with salt; let stand in a colander 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry, then transfer to a large bowl. Credit: Carson Downing Make dressing: Whisk together oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and honey. Credit: Carson Downing Add dressing, pine nuts, cheese, and basil to squash: Drizzle mixture over slices. Add pine nuts, cheese, and basil; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Credit: Carson Downing Serve: Serve immediately, or let stand at room temperature up to 2 hours. How to Store Zucchini and Squash Salad This mild, fresh-tasting salad is best served the day it's made, but you can store it for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Refresh the flavor before re-serving with more lemon juice and salt, if needed. Variations All one squash: You can use all zucchini or yellow squash instead of a combination. Halved and thinly sliced patty pan squash, which is often available at farmers markets in the summer, can also be used. Other nuts: In place of the pine nuts, which tend to be pricey, use an equal amount of toasted and chopped walnuts or toasted slivered almonds. A handful of sunflower seeds would also make a delicious swap. 5 More Summer Squash Recipes to Try Marinated and Grilled Zucchini and Yellow Squash Shrimp Scampi With Yellow-Squash Noodles Corn and Zucchini Orzo Salad Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin Baked Fish With Summer Squash Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.