Roasted Zucchini Salad with Tomatoes and Feta Cheese

This roasted zucchini salad with tomatoes and feta cheese is easily and swiftly prepared. The light side salad is the ideal companion for your favorite sandwich, an upcoming cookout, or simply to grab and go.

Have some leftover zucchinis and are unsure of how to best eliminate anything going to waste? Join the club.

I had zucchini squash, tomatoes, and feta cheese in the fridge that needed to be used up and came up with a delightful new salad recipe that’ll make your mouth water. Adding fresh basil and dried oregano will enhance our dish with beautiful notes of Italian “flair.”

Even though zucchinis taste great when eaten raw, I’ve opted for the roasted version thereof. I feel it gives our dish a more pronounced flavor and more of a bite!

Ingredients

Only 3 main ingredients are needed to serve this scrumptious zucchini salad:

• Zucchini Squash: As shown in my photos, I’ve used regular zucchini as well as yellow squash to prepare this recipe. Simply choose the squash that better suits your preference or whichever you have on hand.

• Tomatoes: Our second main ingredient is tomatoes. For best results, choose a smaller, firmer variety, such as cherry or grape tomatoes. These have less water content, lowering the risk of watering down your salad too much while simultaneously providing a nice crunch.

• Feta Cheese: Feta cheese packs a mighty punch in terms of protein and provides the dish with a wonderful touch of creaminess. Alternatively, you may also use mozzarella or goat cheese. Feta, however, works best when combined with the above ingredients; especially when it comes to texture and taste.

Our yummy dressing is made with olive oil, oregano, basil, some vinegar, and our sweet element, honey. Everything is kept as simple as possible here, no fancy ingredients are needed.

See recipe card for exact quantities.

Instructions

The zucchini tomato feta salad is straightforward and easy to whip up. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1

Thoroughly rinse and drain your squash and proceed by cutting off each end. Now, cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. If you are working with smaller-sized produce, the above step should suffice.

In case of larger zucchini, cut each half into two or three additional vertical strips. “Bite-sized chunks” is the name of the game here. The goal is easy consumption. Continue to chop your strips into smaller cubes.

Step 2

Using a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, toss in your zucchini, generously season with salt, pepper, and oregano; then sauté until beautifully, golden brown. Keep an eye on the texture though.

We want our squash to be on the slightly softer side, but still maintain some of its original bite.

The key here is to keep our squash from becoming too mushy and preserve some of its raw-state texture. 😉

While it may seem like we are using a lot of olive oil to get our “roast” on (no pun intended), keep in mind that the dressing will not contain additional oil.

Transfer your sautéed squash to a large bowl and set aside to cool off.

Step 3

Thoroughly rinse and drain the tomatoes, then cut each in half.

Remove your feta cheese from its packaging and chop it into small cubes.

Next, grab your previously washed scallions and cut them into rings. If you happen to have larger scallions, cut them in half lengthwise first, before continuing to chop them into small rings.

Either finely chop your fresh basil, or even better, tear them by hand into tiny pieces.  

Step 4

Place all the ingredients in the bowl with your slightly cooled-off squash and incorporate well.

Chef’s Tip: Feel free to add your feta cheese to the zucchini while it’s still slightly warm to the touch. By doing so, the light melting of our feta will facilitate the process of absorbing the flavors provided by the oil and other spices even further.

Step 5

Next, drizzle the vinegar and honey over your goodies and give it another good stir (additional oil will most likely not be necessary). Lastly, season your salad once more with salt, pepper, and oregano to taste.

Don’t hesitate to add a bit more water or olive oil if the liquid level isn’t to your liking, but I truly believe it should be fine as is.