Roasted Vegetable Salad

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Where are you headed this weekend? This Roasted Vegetable Salad wants to come with! A colorful medley of roasted veggies with chickpeas for bulk and a vibrant Mediterranean dressing, this salad is a big bowl of brightness.Loaded with a robust array of vegetables you can find in good form year round, like cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and zucchini, and creamy hunks of feta cheese, this hearty roasted vegetable salad is the go-with-the-flow friend who’s happy to follow your mood.

  • Carry this meal-prep and travel-friendly salad along for a potluck, where it will freshen up anything you plate alongside it.
  • Serve it for a healthy side dish with whatever you have planned for dinner tonight. Most of the cooking happens hands-free while the vegetables roast, so you can use the time while they are in the oven to prepare the rest of your meal.
  • Roast vegetable salad can be the meal. Thanks to hearty additions like chickpeas and the fiber-rich vegetables themselves, it has rib-sticking power.

I originally served this Mediterranean roast vegetable salad tucked inside warm pita bread for a meatless dinner. I think it would be equally delightful over prepared couscous or quinoa.

The leftovers I mixed with arugula the next day for lunch. Hello mid-day Mediterranean vacation!

As much as I enjoyed the salad when the vegetables were still warm from the oven at dinner, it tasted even better the next day as a cold roasted vegetable salad, once the flavors had a chance to marry in the fridge.

Even my husband Ben—a man who rarely says no to meat—finished this vegetarian meal, looked at me very seriously and said, “You can make this any time.”

Now that is my kind of endorsement!

How to Make Roast Vegetable Salad

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity here. Though the ingredients and preparation are straightforward, the flavor is complex.

Lightly roasting the veggies gives them a bit of caramelization and concentrates their flavors.

The easy homemade Greek dressing binds and brightens.

The Ingredients

  • Cauliflower. Like my tasty roasted vegetable salad Indian-style, Curry Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas and Sweet Potatoes, this salad takes full advantage of the magic of roasted cauliflower. Cauliflower caramelizes beautifully, and it soaks up whatever flavors you pair it with. It’s also packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
  • Sweet Potato. I adore Roasted Sweet Potatoes, especially in combination with cauliflower. The two are a super pairing (hence, I added them both to the Sheet Pan Tandoori Chicken in my cookbook; it’s so yummy I cooked it live on Good Morning America!)
  • Zucchini. Roasted Zucchini is a sweet, tender, and colorful addition to this salad. Plus, zucchini is rich in vitamins and antioxidants.
  • Red Onion. One of the most underrated roasted veggies! It crisps, caramelizes, and gives the salad surprising complexity.
  • Feta. Creamy hunks of this Mediterranean cheese provide just enough saltiness to allow the other flavors to shine. Cheese also makes salads more satisfying.
  • Chickpeas. Creamy, nutty, and protein-packed. Chickpeas make this salad ultra scrumptious and satisfying. Also fabulous addition in Quinoa Salad
  • Parsley. To bring the salad to life.
  • Greekish/Mediterraneanish Dressing. With olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper, the dressing is reminiscent of what you might find on a Greek or Mediterranean salad. It’s light, bright, and just flavorful enough to perk up the veggies.

TIPS FOR THE BEST ROASTED VEGETABLES

  1. A high temperature of 400 degrees F is best for roasting most vegetables and should work nicely with any you care to add to this salad.
  2. Don’t crowd the pan. I’ve suggested splitting between two sheet pans here to make sure that air can circulate around the vegetables. If the pan is crowded, it can make your roasted vegetables soggy. Roast vegetables uncovered to ensure they brown.
  3. Flip the vegetables. Use a large spatula (a thin, flexible fish spatula is my favorite) to flip and turn the vegetables twice during roasting. This will help the vegetables brown evenly.
  4. Rotate the pan. Ovens are often hotter in the back than they are in the front. If you notice the vegetables at the back of the pan browning more quickly, rotate the pan 180 degrees F. It’s also a good idea to switch the pans’ positions on the upper and lower rack.

The Directions


1. Place the cauliflower and sweet potato on one baking sheet and season with salt, pepper, and olive oil.
2. Do the same with the zucchini and red onion, on a separate baking sheet. Roast the veggies.
3. Whisk the dressing ingredients together.
4. Toss the vegetables and chickpeas with the dressing.
5. Stir in the feta and parsley. DIG IN!

How to Serve Roast Vegetable Salad

  1. As a Salad. Serve the roasted veggies over a bed of greens for a healthy and flavorful salad that makes the ideal lunch or dinner.
  2. With Grains. The roasted vegetables are delicious served alongside a grain like Quinoa, couscous, or rice. This Moroccan Couscous is a favorite.
  3. As a Pita Sandwich. Take a note from my Chickpea Salad Sandwich and serve the roasted veggies inside a pita for a tasty sandwich.
  4. As a Side Dish. Need an easy side for Chicken Kababs or Grilled Salmon in Foil? This roasted vegetable salad is the perfect thing!

Storage Tips

  • To Store. Refrigerate roasted vegetables in an airtight storage container for up to 5 days. 
  • To Freeze. While I don’t recommend freezing this salad as the vegetables will become mushy, you certainly can try it. Freeze roasted vegetables in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Perk up with fresh dressing.
source: https://www.wellplated.com/mediterranean-roasted-vegetable-chickpea-salad/









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