Summer Sweet Corn Salad
This Sweet Corn Salad combines fresh corn, crisp vegetables, creamy avocado, pasta shells, and a tangy lemon vinaigrette for a simple and refreshing side dish.
Servings: 8 (1 cup each)
Calories: 226kcal
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Large Pot
- Colander
Ingredients
Lemon Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil $0.88
- 1 lemon juiced and zested, (2 Tbsp juice and ½ tsp zest) $0.70
- ¼ tsp dried basil $0.03
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard $0.04
- ⅛ tsp salt $0.02
- ⅛ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.02
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped, $0.20
Salad
- 8 oz. pasta shells uncooked, $0.49
- 2 cobs sweet corn $0.66*
- 1 pint grape tomatoes $2.78
- ⅔ lb. zucchini $0.94
- ¼ cup red onion diced, $0.11
- 1 avocado $0.89
Instructions
- Zest and juice the lemon. You'll need 2 Tbsp juice and ½ tsp zest. Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, basil, Dijon, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley in a bowl or jar. Whisk the ingredients in a bowl, or close the jar and shake until combined. Set the vinaigrette aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Add a couple large pinches of salt to the pasta water, then add the pasta. Continue to boil until the pasta is tender (about 7 minutes), then drain in a colander. Rinse the pasta briefly with cool water, then allow it to drain well.
- While the pasta is cooking and draining, prepare the rest of the vegetables. Slice the corn kernels off the cobs, slice the grape tomatoes in half, dice the zucchini, finely dice the onion, and dice the avocado.
- Once the pasta has drained well and cooled, add it to a large bowl with the prepared vegetables. Pour the dressing over top, then toss until everything is evenly combined and coated in dressing. Season with a pinch of salt to taste, then serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
*Fresh sweet corn gives this salad the best sweet, crisp flavor, but thawed frozen corn can work in a pinch. Make sure it's fully thawed and well drained before adding it to the salad.
Vegetable Measurements: The vegetable amounts are very flexible because this salad is more about texture and freshness than exact ratios. If you have a little more or a little less corn, tomato, onion, zucchini, or avocado, that's okay. Just taste at the end and adjust the salt or dressing as needed.
Meal Prepping: If making this salad ahead for meal prep, consider doubling the dressing. The pasta will soak up some of the vinaigrette as it sits, so extra dressing helps freshen it back up before serving. Store extra dressing in a separate airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Sodium: 54mg | Fiber: 4g