Sautéed Summer Herb Salad

I don’t purposely eat seasonally, but I have noticed that I tend to crave certain flavors at different times of the year. Do you do this, too? Now that it’s getting closer to summer, I’m reaching for all the fresh flavors I can get. This sautéed summer herb salad has all of the flavors of summer while being super quick and easy to prep.

The Perfect Side Dish for Summer

This salad is perfect as a side dish to go along with whatever you’re grilling. The recipe makes enough to serve 6 which is perfect for my family. If you need more servings, just double or triple the ingredients. The process to put it together is the same. 

Before you get started, chop your zucchini and bell pepper. I prefer to use a red, yellow, or orange bell pepper in this salad because those tend to be a little sweeter and the color looks so pretty against the greens of the salad. 

Now, on to the bacon. There’s just something about bacon in a salad. Yum. For this sautéed summer herb salad you only need to chop and cook up 2 slices of bacon. Once the chopped bacon starts smelling amazing, toss your chopped zucchini and bell pepper into the same pan and cook them all together for about 2 minutes. Turn off your heat and add lemon juice, salt, cumin, and garlic. Toss to combine and transfer it all to a large salad bowl. Let this cool while you chop the rest of your salad ingredients. 

Sautéed Summer Herb Salad

You can’t have a summer salad without fresh corn. I’m pretty sure there’s a rule somewhere about it. I love to just slice mine off the cob for this sauteed summer herb salad. Since you only need 2 ears, don’t worry about boiling a big pot of water to cook your corn. I take the easy route and microwave it for about 4 minutes in the husks. Let it rest for a few minutes, and then husk it and slice your corn off the cob. For extra flavor, you could even grill the corn. 

Now that you have your corn ready to go, it’s time to halve your cherry tomatoes and finely chop your shallot.  Next, grab your fresh herbs. (For more on how I store and keep fresh herbs on hand, check out this post.) Cut your basil into ribbons, and chop your cilantro and mint. 

Add your corn, tomatoes, shallot, and herbs to your salad bowl with the bacon mixture. To this, add arugula, blue cheese and a light drizzle of olive oil. Toss it all together and finish with a little more fresh lemon juice. 

How I Serve this Summer Salad

We love to offer toasted pine nuts on the side of this sauteed summer herb salad for anyone who wants them. I love pine nuts on any salad! For macro tracking purposes, be sure to log any pine nuts you add with your protein. 

Serve this amazingly light summer salad with your protein of choice. Summer sides don’t have to be heavy or filled with calories to be delicious. Each serving of this recipe is only 114 calories which makes it perfect for tracking macros and hitting your goals all summer long. Let me know if you make this and tag me on Instagram @lillieeatsandtells. 

Sautéed Summer Herb Salad

All of the flavors of summer in one salad! This sautéed salad comes together really quickly and pairs perfectly with your favorite summer foods.

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Author Lillie

Course Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 114 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 pieces bacon chopped
• 2 zucchini chopped (463 g)
• 1 red yellow, or orange bell pepper, chopped (112 g)
• 1 lemon juiced (30 g)
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar 15 g
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp garlic
• 2.5 cups of sweet corn 2 ears or 325 g
• Handful of fresh basil ribboned (14 g)
• Handful of fresh cilantro chopped (14 g)
• Pinch of fresh mint chopped (6 g)
• 1 shallot finely chopped (45 g)
• 1.5 cup cherry tomatoes halved (250 g)
• 2 -3 cups arugula 100 g
• ½ Tbsp olive oil 7 g
• ¼ cup reduced fat blue cheese 28 g

Instructions

• Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add zucchini and bell pepper and cook for 2 more minutes until tender crisp.  Turn off heat and add lemon juice, salt, cumin, and garlic. Transfer the mixture to a large salad bowl and let it cool for a few minutes.
• Add corn (I like mine sliced off the cob), basil, cilantro, shallots, cherry tomatoes, arugula, blue cheese and a light drizzle of olive oil.  Finish with a little more fresh lemon and serve with your protein of choice!  

Notes

*We love to offer toasted pine nuts on the side, which are delicious on any salad, but especially with lemony arugula. Just make sure and log those on your own with your protein!

Nutrition

Serving: 206gFiber: 3.2gCalories: 114kcalFat: 3.2gProtein: 5.2gCarbohydrates: 16.6g

Keywords arugula, bacon, corn, herbs, salad, summer, zucchini

Tried this recipe?

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