Giada De Laurentiis’ Zucchini Crudo Is the Perfect No-Cook Side Dish for Those Hot Summer Nights

If you always seem to have a plethora of zucchini growing in your garden come midsummer, then you’re probably desperately looking for new ways to enjoy it because grilling and sauteeing can only get you so far! Giada De Laurentiis has the perfect recipe for your zucchini-filled summer that actually doesn’t require any cooking at all, making it a perfect throw-together side or appetizer for those hot days where you can’t stand the thought of working over a hot stove.

Here's How Ina Garten, Giada De Laurentiis & More Make Potato Salad

“Look how many zucchini I have from my garden,” De Laurentiis says in a recent video posted to the Giadzy Instagram account. “One of my favorite things to do in the summer is turn it into a crudo … Some people wonder, ‘Can you eat zucchini raw?’ You sure can!”

The first step to making this delicious crudo is to slice the zucchini into rounds that are about an eighth of an inch thick. De Laurentiis uses a mandolin to achieve the thinness. Then, she zests a bit of lemon over the slices and sprinkles a bit of salt and pepper on top.

“As it sits with the salt, it starts to soften,” she says. “So it almost cooks it, which is awesome.”

For more freshness, De Laurentiis tears a bit of fresh basil over the zucchini and finally adds burrata for a creamy element before “dousing” the entire dish with olive oil. So, yes — it’s just like a caprese salad, but with a few twists!

“This is the best,” she says. “ The BEST!” And we believe her!

“My garden just exploded with zucchini and I’m always looking for new ways to serve it,” one person wrote in the comments. “So this is going to be a perfect dish to serve to the family … I just need that mandoline.”

Another person added, “Let’s face it — the zucchini is only there to be tiny plates for the burrata!” Is that such a bad thing?

So before you trick yourself into thinking you can’t eat another zucchini this summer, give De Laurentiis’ no-cook crudo a try. You may just find yourself falling in love with zucchini all over again!

Before you go, check out our gallery :