Lemon tahini courgette salad is a delicious vegan side dish that's ready in 20 minutes! This raw salad features crisp slices of courgette, sweet cherry tomatoes, tender artichoke hearts, and protein-packed chickpeas tossed in a light lemon tahini dressing!
This delicious courgette salad recipe features juicy cherry tomatoes, tender artichoke hearts, protein-packed chickpeas and it's tossed in the most delicious lemon tahini sauce! The creamy lemon tahini dressing is one of my favorites! I put it on my daily salad, it's delicious drizzled over roasted asparagus, and it's even great as a dip for veggies.
This salad can be your main course or you can pair it with lentil sloppy joes or quinoa pizza for a healthy and filling vegan dinner. I prefer to enjoy this zucchini salad cold because I try to eat as many raw vegetables as possible, but if you prefer the flavor of roasted artichokes and zucchini, this salad is delicious roasted too!
5 Reasons Why You're Going to Love This Salad
- You can enjoy it as a side dish or main course.
- It's easy to make! Chop some veggies, drain a can of chickpeas, whisk together the dressing, and throw it all in a bowl...that's it!
- This recipe is ready in 20 minutes!
- You can enjoy the salad hot (roasted) or cold (raw).
- It's naturally high in fiber and protein!
Substitutions
- Courgette - Instead of courgette, you could use cucumbers.
- Chickpea - You could use great northern beans, pinto beans, or cannellini beans.
- Artichoke - Sliced hearts of palm or asparagus are good options.
- Cherry Tomato - You can use grape tomatoes or any chopped fresh tomatoes (not canned) you have on hand.
- Tahini - You can use any nut butter 1:1 in its place. I prefer almond butter or sun butter over peanut butter for this recipe. If the substitute nut/seed butter is thick, you will need to add a splash of water (up to 1 tbsp) to thin the sauce.
How to Make Courgette Salad
First, you're going to slice and quarter the courgettes, halve the cherry tomatoes, and roughly chop the artichoke hearts. Next, rinse and drain the canned chickpeas. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, chickpeas, and artichokes to a large bowl.
Lastly, add the tahini, dijon mustard, lemon juice, maple syrup, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper to a small bowl. Whisk it together until the dressing is smooth and creamy. Add a splash of water to thin the sauce to your desired preference.
Pour the sauce over the vegetables in the bowl and toss to combine until everything is coated evenly. Garnish with lemon zest. You can enjoy the courgette salad immediately or you can pop it into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes if you prefer it cold.
Can I make it the day before?
I prefer to make this salad the day of so the zucchini and cherry tomatoes have the best fresh texture. However, you can make it one day before you want to serve it if you need to, but I wouldn't make it any earlier than that. Wait to dress the salad until right before you serve it.
Zucchini has a high water content so if it is cut and stored in the fridge it will lose its fresh, crispy texture rather quickly. Also, the juice from the halved cherry tomatoes will make the salad a little watery if prepped too far in advance.
Ways to adapt this recipe
- Courgette Pasta Salad: This recipe makes about 6 hearty servings, but you can stretch it even further by cooking 8oz of cooked noodles (I love these chickpea noodles) and mixing it with the zucchini salad. If you do this, I recommend that you double the dressing recipe so you have enough to coat the noodles.
- Roasted Courgette Salad: You can enjoy this salad raw or roasted. If you prefer it to be hot, please follow the recipe card instructions to make the salad and then follow the roasting instructions below.
Roasting Instructions
Follow the instructions to make this salad and then put it in a large 9x13 casserole dish and cover it with parchment paper or foil. Roast it at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can eat raw courgette and you don't need to cook it before you eat it.
Yes, you can eat the skin. I never remove the skin from zucchini before I eat it because it's extra fiber and the vibrant green color is lovely.
Success Tips
- If your tahini is very thick, add a splash of water (up to 1 tbsp) to thin the sauce. This is the organic tahini that I use and love. The texture is perfect for dressing, it tastes delicious and it's not bitter at all like some tahini's taste.
- Use fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes will not taste the same in this salad. However, you can use canned artichokes and chickpeas.
- Gently squeeze each artichoke heart to release any excess juice before you add it to the salad so it won't make your salad watery.
Want More Vegan Zucchini Recipes?
Zucchini Avocado Grilled Cheese
Low-Carb Zucchini Mushroom Pizza Bites
30-Minute Vegetable Barley Soup
Lemon Tahini Courgette Salad
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Small Bowl
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 medium courgette sliced and quartered
- (2) 14 oz cans artichoke hearts (in water) roughly chopped
- (1) 14 oz can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
Dressing
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- First, slice and quarter the courgettes, halve the cherry tomatoes and zest the lemon. Before you roughly chop the artichoke hearts, gently squeeze each one over the sink to release any excess juice.
- Next, rinse and drain the canned chickpeas. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, chickpeas and artichokes to a large mixing bowl.
- Add 1 tbsp tahini, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp maple syrup, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp sea salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper to a small bowl. Whisk it together until the dressing is smooth and creamy. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of water (up to 1 tbsp) to thin the sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the vegetables in the bowl and toss to combine until everything is coated evenly with the dressing. Garnish with a little bit of lemon zest.
- You can enjoy the salad immediately or you can put it into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Store leftovers in the fridge for 1-2 days. After a few days, the zucchini and tomatoes will soften and the sauce gets a little watery. Do not freeze it.
This looks like a perfect Shabbat lunch salad, but:
Heavens! don't throw out that water in the can with the chickpeas. It's better known now as aqua faba and can be used as an egg white substitute in many many ways. You can store it in the refrigerator or freezer while you explore uses. There are many recipes online and even a few facebook groups for sharing.
I would never throw out the aquafaba, I use it to roast vegetables, potatoes, and to make hummus! It's the best!