This sweet and savory balsamic roast vegetable salad is crazy versatile and easy to throw together. Serve cold as a salad, warm as a side dish or even serve with a baguette for a wonderful appetizer. Mix in some quinoa and you have a filling and nutritious vegetarian and healthy meal.
Roasting isn’t just great for meats, it’s even better for vegetables! Roasting is one of the easiest cooking techniques, in my opinion. And it really brings out the best flavor from your foods with minimal effort.
I love to take salads and veggies to pot lucks and parties so that I can guarantee at least one healthy food option to enjoy Some favorites are my Shirazi Salad or Orzo Pasta Salad.
Today, I am sharing one of my most requested dishes that I make for potlucks and parties. This balsamic roasted vegetable salad is incredibly easy to throw together and you can vary the vegetables with whatever you have on hand.
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Laura says :
Why this recipe works
- Customize it: You can easily adjust the recipe to use your favorite vegetables.
- Versatile: Serve it as a warm salad or cold, appetizer or side dish. Stir in some cooked quinoa and you have a light meal.
- Flavorful: Roasting the vegetables caramelizes them while the balsamic vinegar adds a sweet and sour note. The fresh basil is the final flavor punch that pulls the dis together.
- Party friendly: This recipe can easily be halved or doubled. It is easy to be transported and it keeps in the refrigerator for several days.
- Make ahead: You easily make this a day ahead and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to serve. I make a big batch and my kids like to serve themselves for lunch during the week.
Ingredients needed
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- Extra virgin olive oil: Yes you can roast with extra virgin olive oil. You just have to read the labels and choose a high quality oil. You can learn more about how to choose an olive oil.
- Balsamic vinegar: I also recommend a high quality balsamic vinegar, especially the thick varieties. Glazes have added sugar in them, don’t use them. As balsamic vinegar NATURALLY ages, the thicker it gets.
- Eggplant: Big globe eggplant has more water than the smaller varieties. I like to use Italian or Japanese eggplants. I also love baby eggplants.
- Zucchini: You can also use yellow or patty pan squash varieties.
- Mushrooms: You can use portobello mushrooms, white or baby cremini mushrooms.
- Onions: Red onions are really flavorful, but you can also choose regular white, yellow or even sweet Vidalia onions.
- Bell peppers: I love using red, orange and/or yellow bell peppers as they are sweeter than green peppers.
- Fresh basil: I finish the salad with fresh basil. You could use dried, but the flavor is just not the same.
- Salt and pepper
Step by step directions
- Prep the eggplant. Peel the eggplant if it has thick skin, but you can also keep the skin on. Cut into desired shape, salt both sides and let them sit on paper towels to draw out the water. This reduces any bitter flavor from the eggplant.
- Dry the eggplant. Press the eggplant dry with paper towels and place on a baking sheet.
- Add other veggies. Cut the remaining vegetables to same approximate thickness for even roasting and place on a baking sheet.
- Mix the dressing. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Drizzle this over the vegetables and toss to coat completely.
- Roast the veggies. Roast vegetables until browned, stirring and mixing them for even roasting.
- Finish salad. Transfer vegetables into serving bowl and let cool. Adjust seasoning and stir in extra vinegar, if needed. Toss vegetables with chopped fresh basil and serve.
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Expert tips and recipe FAQs
The key to roasting vegetables so that they caramelize and crisp up is to NOT OVERCROWD THE PAN. You want the vegetables to fit on your baking sheet in one even layer. If you overcrowd, your vegetables will steam and turn to mush.
When I am roasting a lot of vegetables for a crowd, I typically divide the veggies into two sheets and roast them separately. It goes by quickly, so the extra step doesn’t take very long.
You also want to make sure that you cut the vegetables to be about the same size. You do not want some vegetables to be big and fat and undercooked and the small vegetables to be burnt.
I serve this roasted vegetable salad in a number of different ways. If I serve it as a side dish to a nice roasted chicken or prime rib, I like to serve them warm, fresh out of the oven. You can also serve it cold, like a salad.
My favorite way to serve this up is as an appetizer. Typically it’s at room temperature and served with a big basket of toasted baguette slices, kalamata olives and even a charcuterie board. So amazing and always a crowd pleaser!
To serve this as a light meal and toss in some cooked quinoa. The quinoa soaks up the delicious vinaigrette, so if you do use quinoa add more oil and vinegar to the mix. Serve it vegetarian style or toss in some shrimp.
Now do you see why I love this dish so much? It’s not just a plate of boring vegetables.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store any leftover salad in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
TO FREEZE: You could freeze leftovers, but the vegetables will be super soft and mushy once thawed.
Roasting not only makes the veggies caramelized and full of flavor, but it also gives the veggies a bit of crispiness. Some of my favorite vegetables for a roasted vegetable salad include eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, and red onions. You can also do this with broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Asparagus can also be used, but will require much less roasting time. Throw them in in the last 10 minutes of cooking
Absolutely! A high quality extra virgin olive oil can be heated to 420°F before it reaches smoke-point. Vegetables are roasted at 375ºF.
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Roasted Vegetable Salad
Ingredients
- 5 Italian eggplants cut down the center and halved
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 zucchini cut down the center and halved
- 2 portobello mushrooms gills removed and sliced
- 1 red onion peeled and cut into wedges
- 1 red bell pepper seeded & cut into thick slices
- 1 yellow bell pepper seeded & cut into thick slices
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- If you find eggplant to be bitter, take this extra step to remove the bitter water. Peel and cut eggplants into ½-inch rounds. Sprinkle both sides with 1 tablespoon salt.
- Place eggplants over paper towels on a cooling rack and cover with more paper towels. Place a baking sheet on top along with heavy objects and let it sit like this for 1 hour. This will remove the bitter water from the eggplant.
- When paper towels are wet after 1 hour, squeeze eggplant dry with paper towels and remove excess salt. Place eggplant on a large baking sheet.
- Cut zucchini into ½-inch rounds and place on baking sheet with eggplant.
- Wipe mushrooms clean with a paper towel and cut into ¼-inch thick slices and place on the baking sheet.
- Peel onion and cut into wedges about same thickness as rest of vegetables and place on the baking sheet.
- Core and remove seeds from bell peppers and cut into thick pieces. Transfer to the baking sheet.
- In a bowl whisk together olive oil, 2 tablespoon vinegar, 1 ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper.
- Pour dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat vegetables completely and spread into one layer.
- Roast for 45-60 minutes or until the vegetables are browned. Be sure to stir and mix the vegetables for even roasting.
- Transfer the vegetables to a serving bowl and let cool, about 10 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning and stir in extra teaspoon of vinegar, if needed.
- Toss vegetables with chopped fresh basil and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
Roast veggies are wonderful! One of my favorite ways to prepare them. Don’t often use balsamic vinegar when I make them, but I will. 🙂 Good post — thanks.