Name: Easy 5-Ingredient Zucchini Onion Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 red onion; 3 cloves garlic ((approx. 2 teaspoons)); 1-15 oz. can chickpeas drained; 1-15 oz. can sweet corn drained; 2 Zucchini ((approx. 2 cups chopped zucchini)); 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil; salt and pepper to taste; 2 tsp Harissa (OPTIONAL)

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Charred zucchini and caramelized onions add a ton of flavor to this Easy 5-Ingredient Zucchini Onion Salad! This is a delicious and quick side dish that is packed with plant protein!

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5-ingredient zucchini onion salad in a bowl with some parsley.

It blows my mind how, when it comes to recipes, a change in technique can result in such a different outcome. For example, a flourless chocolate cake is one of my favorite desserts to whip up.

If I make it using whipped egg whites that are gently folded in at the end, the resulting chocolate cake is so light and fluffy.

In comparison, if I add the eggs in and whip them up with all the other ingredients, the resulting chocolate cake is denser, almost fudge-like. Now, they are both delicious, but it’s hard to imagine that the same ingredients went into each!

Which brings me to this Easy 5-Ingredient Zucchini Onion Salad.

Quite often, I make a salad with raw zucchini, red onion, canned corn, and canned chickpeas. Sometimes, I drizzle it with a vinaigrette or lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and red wine vinegar.

However, if I caramelize the onion, pan-sauté the zucchini until it’s charred, mix in the canned chickpeas and canned corn, and add the condiments, the resulting salad tastes remarkably different.

Same ingredients, different technique, completely different outcome!

Here’s what makes this Easy 5-Ingredient Zucchini Onion Salad so good, for me:

This zucchini recipe is so easy to make.
This is a vegan dish.
This warm salad is so good, so tasty, and so flavorful.
This works as an easy side dish as well as a main.
It is versatile. It can be enjoyed as is or paired with pasta or chicken as well.
It is healthy.
And, it is made with only 5 ingredients!

5 ingredients needed to make this zucchini onion salad.

The ingredients needed to make this Easy 5-Ingredient Zucchini Onion Salad and Substitutions:

The five ingredients are:

Red onion
I used a medium-sized red onion. But, a yellow onion would work as well. If you prefer not to have to peel and chop the onion, you can find peeled and chopped onion in the produce section of most grocery stores.
Fresh Garlic
Fresh garlic adds delicious flavor to this dish. But, if you prefer, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder could be used instead.
Canned Chickpeas
I always have canned chickpeas on hand, so I used some. However, the chickpeas can be replaced with kidney beans, black beans, or cannelini beans as well.
Canned Sweet Corn
I love the pairing of corn, chickpeas, and zucchini. However, the corn can be replaced with bell pepper, celery, or green peas.
Zucchini
I used a couple of medium zucchini. If you prefer, you could also use yellow squash. Or, use one of each.

I also used some sea salt and black pepper to taste, and some extra virgin olive oil to char and saute everything up with.

a tasty recipe that takes advantage of summers abundant harvest of zucchini.

Instructions to make this warm salad

Step 1: Peel and dice the red onion and the garlic. And, slice the zucchini into bite-sized pieces. And, drain the liquid from the canned corn and canned chickpeas. Then, rinse both the corn and chickpeas.

Step 2: Add the extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet or pan and place it over a stovetop set to medium-low heat.

Step 3: Then, add the diced onion to the pan and let it saute for about 20-25 minutes, stirring often so the onion doesn’t burn. At this point, the onion should be tender and caramelized. This can be a long and tedious process, but the caramelized onion adds so much flavor to this simple salad.

Step 4: Next, add the garlic to the caramelizing onions, and stir well. If needed, use a couple of splashes of water or vegetable stock to deglaze the pan. After a couple of minutes, spoon the onion and garlic mixture into a bowl and set aside.

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Step 5: Add more oil to the pan. Turn the stovetop to medium-high heat. When the oil is warm, add the chopped zucchini slices. Let the slices sit for about a minute or two. At this point, they should have a char on them, so flip them and let them char on the other side as well. Charring zucchini gives it such a delightful taste.

Step 6: When the zucchini is charred, add in the caramelized onion and garlic mixture, toss in the corn and chickpeas, and stir for a minute or so.

Step 7: Season with salt and black pepper, and this dish is ready to dine on.

Recipe Tips

Make sure to set your stovetop to low or medium low heat when caramelizing the onion. It might be a long process, but the caramelization over low heat results in the onion not burning.
On the contrary, to char the zucchini, set the heat up medium-high.
The zucchini does not need to be patted dry. The medium-high heat helps remove some of the liquid in zucchini.

Serving suggestions

While this dish is delicious by itself, it is a versatile dish that can be served as a side dish or as part of a larger meal.

Sometimes, I like to sprinkle a bit of red pepper flakes as well as some fresh herbs that complement this dish, such as fresh basil, parsley, or cilantro, before serving it.

This cooked zucchini salad is also delicious topped with some pine nuts or pistachios as well as some feta or parmesan cheese flakes.

This Easy 5-Ingredient Zucchini Onion Salad can also be served as a side dish with some harissa chicken, marry me tofu, and these zata’ar turkey balls.

It can also be added to some boiled pasta and served as a satisfying pasta meal.

How to store leftovers

Leftovers of this Zucchini Onion Salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, place it in a saucepan or skillet and let saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often with a spatula. This can also be reheated in the microwave

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think of it, or tag your creation on social media with @savoryspin or #savoryspin.
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Here are a few more recipes with zucchini as the star:

Air Fryer Zucchini Fries (Gluten Free)
Vegan Chipotle Tofu Zucchini Recipe
Zucchini Pancakes with Chocolate Chips
Easy Zucchini Fritters Recipe
Easy Plant-based Zucchini Curry Recipe