Winter salads can be surprisingly good, if you know how to work with winter veggies! Salads almost make themselves in the summertime, but the veggies that are in season in the colder months require a little help to shine. Enter this deeply flavorful roasted vegetable salad!
I created it as a happy marriage between two salad recipes I’ve shared before; roasted sweet potato salad, and a fresh and crispy shaved Brussels sprouts salad with a dreamy, creamy maple dressing. Best of all, this salad can be made with almost any roasted veggie you love, and can make a hearty, super healthy lunch or light dinner.
Ingredients
- Winter veggies: Brussels sprouts, carrots, sweet potatoes, beets is my go-to combination, but you could use almost any combination of root vegetables that you love.
- Kale: I like Italian kale, because the stem-to-leaf ratio makes it easier to prep, but any kale works fine.
- Olive oil: You can’t make roasted veg without olive oil.
- Crunchy bits: Roasted pumpkin seeds and nutty hazelnuts are my favorite combo, but you could play around with the type of nuts and seeds you use.
- Goat cheese: Fresh, tart and creamy, goat cheese gives the salad a springy lift. If you want to keep the salad vegan, it is OK to skip this.
For the dressing
Homemade dressing MAKES this salad! Creamy, sweet, and tangy, it’s sooo good. Just whisk together:
- Mayonnaise
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Maple syrup
- Stone-ground mustard
- Apple cider vinegar
- Salt & Pepper
TIP: Make the dressing a few days ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. When it’s time to serve, just give the jar a good shake, pour and serve.
How To Make Roasted Vegetable Salad
- Roast the veggies at 425°F for about 30 minutes, or set leftover roasted vegetables out to come to room temperature before you toss them with the rest of the salad.
- Make the dressing while the veggies roast.
- Massage the kale directly in the serving bowl.
- Toss the kale with the roasted vegetables, nuts, cheese and dressing.
- Serve!
Variations
- Other winter veggies that work well: parsnips, honey nut or butternut squash, cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, or even quartered fennel bulbs.
- Instead of kale, you could use arugula, spinach, romaine, or even Swiss chard.
- Add protein to make it a fuller meal: Roasted chickpeas, quinoa, chicken, or top it with an egg.
- Swap in a different cheese: Feta, Parmesan, a crumbly blue cheese, or even shaved manchego.
- Try a different nut: Walnuts, pecans, almonds, pine nuts, pistachios, or sunflower seeds.
- To make this salad vegan, use balsamic vinaigrette instead of the creamy maple dressing.
Tips For Success
- Massage the kale with salt and olive oil to tenderize it before you toss it with the roasted veggies. About a minute of massaging is usually enough.
- Don't overcrowd your sheet pan while roasting the veggies. You might even want to spread them out over two sheet pans.
- Cut the veggies into roughly the same sizes if you can, that way they’ll cook at the same rate. Sometimes beets take a little longer than everything else, so you may want to start the beets first.
- This salad is a great one for using up leftover roasted vegetables! Last nights side dish can become tonight’s main event.
Serving Suggestions
This hearty salad is almost a meal. I like to serve it with simply prepared proteins, like:
More Hearty Winter Salad Recipes
Meal Ideas To Cozy Up To
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