There is something magical and very satisfying about eating a meal where the main ingredients started the day in the soil. This ribboned courgette salad came from a morning harvest in my little vegetable patch. Courgette and borlotti beans picked from the vine and red onion plucked from the soil, all on the plate in just a few hours.
Most people think courgette needs to be cooked, but it can be a star ingredient raw too. Shaving them into thin, elegant ribbons creates a perfect canvas for a bright dressing of olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. These courgette ribbons become a summer showstopper with dollops of creamy, fresh ricotta cheese, earthy borlotti beans, tangy capers, and a hint of heat from gochugaru.
The whole dish takes just 15 minutes to prepare; you only need to briefly blanch the borlotti beans. The result is a bright, fresh salad you can serve as a side or a light main course. A memorable dish from simple ingredients.
why you'll love this Ribboned courgette salad
- Uses fresh produce from the garden/allotment.
- Little cooking involved - you only need to blanch the borlotti beans.
- Ready in 15 minutes.
- Works as a light main dish or a side salad.
- Brings together seasonal ingredients.
Jump to:
- why you'll love this Ribboned courgette salad
- key Ingredients & notes
- How to Make Ribboned courgette salad with borlotti beans and ricotta
- Substitutions & variations
- Equipment
- Storage
- Recipe Tips
- FAQ
- MORE recipes using courgette and borlotti beans
- 📖 Recipe
- More courgette and borlotti bean recipes
- food safety
key Ingredients & notes
- Green or yellow courgette - Eaten raw as thinly sliced ribbons in this recipe. No cooking needed.
- Borlotti beans - A great addition to a simple summer salad with a nutty, earthy flavour and attractive speckled appearance.
- Ricotta cheese - I like to use this for its milder flavour, so it doesn't dominate like salty feta would, giving all the other flavours a chance as well.
- Capers - These add a salty, tangy burst of flavour to the salad.
- Lemon zest and juice - Used to brighten up the salad.
- Red onion - When pickled with lemon juice, they add a bit of crunch and flavour
- Fennel fronds and chives - herby additions to the salad for flavour interest.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Ribboned courgette salad with borlotti beans and ricotta
- Remove the borlotti beans from their pods.
- In a saucepan, bring water to a boil and add the borlotti beans. Blanch them for two minutes. Immediately after, plunge them into a bowl of ice-cold water.
- Peel and finely slice the red onions.
- In another bowl, squeeze the juice of half a lemon and mix it together with the onion (to create quick pickled onion).
- Finely chop the chives.
- In a bowl, add the ricotta cheese, the lemon zest, salt and pepper. Mix to combine and set aside.
- Using a vegetable peeler, slice the courgettes into thin ribbons (about 1mm thick). Work from top to bottom to make long ribbons.
- Transfer the ribbons to a bowl and season with salt, pepper, olive oil, and the juice of half a lemon.
- Add the blanched borlotti beans and mix everything together thoroughly.
- To plate and serve, transfer the courgette ribbons and borlotti beans onto a plate.
- Follow with dollops of the ricotta, the red onions, capers and chopped chives.
- Finish with a few fennel fronds and a sprinkling of gochujang or chilli flakes.
Substitutions & variations
- You can, of course, use canned borlotti beans.
- Any cooked white bean will work in this recipe too.
- Swap feta for ricotta - I use ricotta for balance of flavour with the other ingredients; however, if you want a punchier flavour, you can use feta.
- Make this vegan by using a plant-based cream cheese instead of ricotta.
- Do you have carrots ready to harvest, or some in the fridge you need to use up? You can also cut carrot into ribbons to work into the salad. Courgette and carrot make a good pair.
- Add sliced radish for another layer of flavour.
- You can use shallots instead of red onion.
- Citrus swap - use lime zest and juice if you prefer. You can even add some orange zest with the lemon zest.
- Add nuts and seeds for more texture. Try my super seed mix.
- Add fresh chilli for more kick, or drizzle with chilli oil for a different way to add heat.
Equipment
This recipe requires minimal equipment. Here is what you'll need:
- A suitable vegetable peeler to create the thin courgette ribbons.
- A saucepan to blanch the borlotti beans.
- A bowl to toss the salad together.
- A microplane to zest the lemon.
Storage
This salad is best eaten freshly prepared. It does not keep very well in the fridge, tending to go soggy. You can prepare the elements ahead and leave the assembly to the last minute - blanch the borlotti beans, make the whipped ricotta, and make the Pickled onions. You can slice the courgettes a couple of hours ahead and keep them in an airtight container to prevent them from drying out. Dress the courgettes just before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Do not salt the courgette in advance; it will release too much water, making the salad very soggy.
- After boiling the borlotti beans, shock them in cold water immediately to stop cooking and help them hold their shape and colour.
- Plate just before serving as the courgette will wilt and pool liquid if left too long.
- A vegetable peeler is best for producing courgette ribbons of an ideal thickness. You can use a mandolin slicer as well, but be careful, as it is easy to cut yourself if you are not paying full attention.
FAQ
No need to peel; the courgette skin is edible. Just wash the courgette thoroughly.
Perhaps because you added the salt too early. Salt draws all the water out of the courgettes, which is why you dress them just before plating.
MORE recipes using courgette and borlotti beans
If you are a home grower like me and need more recipe ideas for your courgettes and borlotti beans, or if you just love these ingredients and want more ideas, try these recipes.
📖 Recipe
Ribboned Courgette Salad with Borlotti Beans & Ricotta
Equipment
- Peeler
- Microplane grater
Ingredients
- 550 g Green and yellow courgettes
- 200 g Borlotti beans
- 250 g Ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 Lemon for juice and zest
- 1 tsp Sea salt
- ½ teaspoon Cracked black pepper
- 40 g Capers
- 50 g Red onion
- 5 g Chives
- A few fennel fronds
- 1 pinch Gochugaru or chilli flakes
Instructions
- Remove the borlotti beans from the pods.
- In a pot, bring water to a boil. On the side, have a bowl of ice-cold water with a few ice cubes. Once the water boils, add the borlotti beans and blanch for 2 minutes. When the time is up, use a sieve to transfer to ice-cold water.
- In a bowl, transfer the ricotta cheese; add lemon zest, ½ teaspoon salt and half of the black pepper. Mix to combine and set aside.
- Peel and finely slice the red onions. Squeeze the juice of ½ a lemon into them and mix well.
- Wash and pat dry the courgettes. Using a vegetable peeler, slice thin ribbons (about 1mm) of courgette lengthwise, working from top to bottom.
- Transfer the courgette ribbons into a bowl. Season with the remaining salt and black pepper, olive oil and the other ½ of the lemon juice. Add the blanched and drained borlotti beans and mix well.
- Finely chop the chives.
- To plate, transfer the ribboned courgettes and borlotti beans onto a plate, then top with dollops of ricotta, chopped chives, capers, red onions, and a few fennel fronds. Finish with a sprinkle of gochugaru or chilli flakes. Serve immediately.
More courgette and borlotti bean recipes
If, like me, you have a bumper harvest of homegrown produce to use up, or you just love these ingredients, here are a few more recipe ideas for courgette and borlotti beans.
food safety
- Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
- Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
- If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
- Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
- Store food correctly.
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