This Roasted Vegetable Winter Salad is a salad for people that think salads aren't filling or they think they are boring. It's the salad for people that think they don't like salads! Warm and hearty - perfect for a cold winter day. Roasting vegetables is the best way to cook them in our opinion, and the easiest way to get people to eat more veggies. This is the BEST vegetarian salad.
Winter is all about comfort food, but that doesn't mean that can't include salad. Just make sure the salad is loaded with warm and hearty toppings that will keep you going. This warm salad is comforting, but still light and fresh.
A salad is more than just green leaves after all. Pick you favourite seasonal winter ingredients and put them on a salad. Crispy root vegetables and mixed greens all brought together with an easy dressing and topped with your favourite cheese. You will be making this roasted vegetable salad all winter!
Looking for other winter salad recipes to make? Why not try our Beetroot and Goats Cheese Salad, Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad or Easy Lentil Salad.
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Why you will love it
- For salad haters - It is the salad for people that think they don't like salads. Live with a "salad dodger"? This veggie salad WILL change their minds.
- It is healthy comfort food - Comforting roasted vegetables, but still a light salad. It's one of our favourite winter lunch ideas.
- Low in calories - This roasted vegetable salad is under 500 calories for a big filling bowl.
- Easily adaptable - Got some vegetables looking a bit sad in the back of the fridge? Roast them up to make this. We have got lots of ideas for vegetables for salad.
- It can easily be vegan - Just leave the cheese out of this vegetarian salad to make it vegan.
Ingredients needed
- Red onion - You can use shallots for this winter salad, which would give a sweeter flavour. But we love the colour that red onion adds.
- Butternut squash - Such a great winter vegetable for salads. Adds a lovely creaminess and it caramelises nicely when roasted.
- Potatoes - This helps to make this roast veg salad much more filling. You can use baby potatoes or cubed sweet potatoes.
- Carrots - To add some extra colour to this vegetable salad recipe, use a mixture of orange and purple carrots.
- Parsnips - These are amazing when roasted and they add a nice mixture to the roasted root vegetables.
- Oil - Use a good quality olive oil for the best flavour.
- Salt and pepper - Generously season.
- Salad leaves - Anything goes here on this vegetable salad recipe. We used a bag of lettuce leaves, but you could add in some spinach and kale for some extra nutrients.
- Balsamic vinegar - This adds a lovely sweetness to the salad dressing. Use the best quality you can, as the cheaper ones tend to be a bit watery.
- Herbs - We used a mixture of fresh basil, parsley and coriander. So, it's a great way to use up herbs.
- Cheese - We love some feta crumbles on top of this warm salad before serving.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make a roasted vegetable salad - Step by step
One: Chop all the vegetables so they are fairly chunky. Put them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and some salt and pepper and mix well.
Two: Put onto a baking tray in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 for 35-40 minutes.
Three: Make the salad dressing by mixing together the olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper and herbs.
Four: Remove the vegetables from the oven.
Five: Divide the salad between 2 bowls and top with roasted vegetables. Drizzle the dressing on top and crumble over the feta.
Roasted vegetables
I must admit, that these roasted vegetables nearly didn't even make it on to a salad. When they came out of the oven I had to give them a try to make sure that they were done and I just couldn't stop. They are THAT good.
This is quite root vegetable heavy and we used a mixture of potato, butternut squash, carrot and parsnip. You could roast up anything though. Swap the white potato for some sweet potato and add some broccoli and cauliflower or even some radish.
Salad dressing
Now, let's talk about the dressing for a minute shall we? As a dressing as really make or break and salad. We made a dressing that was bursting with fresh herbs, because a dish with this many vegetables needs a good mixture of herbs to go with it.
If you have a few different herbs to use up, then this dressing will help you to do just that.
Remember, we are all about wasting less food at the moment and herbs are one of those things that always go to waste. You buy some for one recipe, only use half, and then they are left to wilt in the back of the fridge. No more! Make this dressing instead.
We mixed the herbs with a good glug of olive oil and some balsamic vinegar and seasoned it. Next time I would add a squeeze of lemon juice and some zest too.
What to serve with a Winter Salad
I think this vegetable salad recipe is pretty perfect the way it is, but if you are serving it as a side salad then it would go well with Chicken Skewers, Air Fryer Steak or salmon. If you are having it as a light lunch, then we like some warm crusty bread on the side of it.
We usually serve up small portions of this as a starter to the main dish. However, if we are having it as a main then we would either add some Sourdough Croutons, or serve it with a slice of White Bread or Easy Bagels.
Frequently asked questions
You can roast all the vegetables in advance and then mix them with the salad, dressing and cheese just before serving. It's best not to mix everything in advance, as the salad can get a little soggy.
The vegetables really are the star of this salad, however that doesn't mean that you can't top it with something extra too. You could add a grilled chicken breast or some grilled salmon or prawns on top to give it a protein boost. If you want to keep it vegetarian, then mix some cooked chickpeas in when mixing the salad.
This is best eaten straight after serving, however if you do have any leftovers then they can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to two days.
Extra tips
• Roast any vegetables you have that need using up. Cauliflower and broccoli roast well too.
• Mix up the salad greens by adding some spinach and kale.
• Keep the vegetable salad vegan by skipping the feta, or using an alternative.
• Add some extra texture to this salad by sprinkling some seeds on top before serving.
• Next time I would add some lemon juice and zest to the salad dressing too.
• Give the warm salad a protein boost with some chickpeas or grilled chicken.
• Add some pomegranate on top for an extra burst of colour and flavour.
• For some sweetness, thinly sliced apple is a really nice addition to to a winter salad.
More veggie packed recipes
If you’ve tried this Roasted Vegetable Winter Salad, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Roasted Vegetable Winter Salad
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- 1 Red onion
- 1 Butternut Squash - small
- 10 Baby potatoes
- 2 Carrot
- 2 Parsnips
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper
Salad
- 4 Handfuls of Watercress/Rocket (arugula) salad mix
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Fresh basil - finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Fresh coriander (cilantro) - finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Fresh parsley - finely chopped
- 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 30 g (0.25 cups) Light Feta - (or dairy-free equivalent)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6
- Chop 1 Red onion, 1 Butternut Squash, 10 Baby potatoes, 2 Carrot and 2 Parsnips so they are fairly chunky. Put them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon Olive oil and 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper and mix well.
- Put onto a baking tray into the oven for 35-40 minutes.
- Make the salad dressing by mixing together 1 tablespoon Olive oil, 2 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar, 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper, 2 tablespoon Fresh basil, 2 tablespoon Fresh coriander (cilantro) and 2 tablespoon Fresh parsley.
- Remove the vegetables from the oven.
- Divide 4 Handfuls of Watercress/Rocket (arugula) salad mix between 2 bowls and top with roasted vegetables. Drizzle the dressing on top and crumble over 30 g Light Feta.
Recipe Tips
- Roast any vegetables you have that need using up. Cauliflower and broccoli roast well too.
- Mix up the salad greens by adding some spinach and kale.
- Keep the salad vegan by skipping the feta, or using an alternative.
- Add some extra texture to this salad by sprinkling some seeds on top before serving.
- Next time I would add some lemon juice and zest to the salad dressing too.
- Give the warm salad a protein boost with some chickpeas or grilled chicken.
- Add some pomegranate on top for an extra burst of colour and flavour.
- For some sweetness, thinly sliced apple is a really nice addition to to a winter salad.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Jan says
I made this for a ladies lunch. It was delicious. I thought it would need more dressing but this was perfect. I added some pepitas and they gave it a nice crunch.
Dannii Martin says
So glad you enjoyed it :)
Tavo says
This combination of veggies is just perfect! I skipped the feta cheese to make it vegan. It was delicious!
Sue says
It's been ages since I've made a warm salad, I'm excited to try this!
Tayler says
This is one of my favorite salads! We make it often and it always turns out perfectly!
Liz says
We've been loving salads lately and this was a great one to switch things up, even in summer! Thanks for the tasty recipe!
Ana says
Can this also be served cold?
I'm asking this while it's cooking in the oven haha
Dannii Martin says
Yes, you can!
Nathan says
Salad definitely isn't my typical first thought when I think of comfort food, but this looks so warm and filling! I'll be keeping this in my back pocket for when it gets colder here.
Lee says
Fantastically delicious. Change up from normal salads
Kate says
I had to cook the cauliflower for longer than suggested, but that’s because I’m a heathen who likes to turn my veggies to mush :)
A great recipe that I’ll definitely be making again.
Kelly Reilly says
I definitely don’t think only 1 tbsp of olive oil for dressing is correct.
Dannii says
It is correct. We don't like an oil heavy dressing. As with all recipes, taste them as you go and adjust them to suit your own tastes.
Aleta Beaver says
I made this last night. I used carrots, tiny purple potatoes, sweet potatoes, large radishes, a small turnip, and a small purple onion. I roasted them and put them over just kale. Although I REALLY want to make the dressing, I didn’t have any herbs. I used a small amount of a high quality bottled balsamic dressing. The kids loved it almost as much as the adults, in part because it’s so colorful as well as tasty!
Cheryl says
This has become a go-to! I'm grilling some scallops to add tonight. Super delicious, and the kids even eat it!!
Dannii says
Scallops sounds like a great addition!
Eloise says
how much butternut squash do you use for 3 people? 1 whole butternut pumpkin in Australia would feed 8-10 people.
Dannii says
We use around 600g. Wow - you must have huge butternut squash over there. Sadly ours are pretty small here in the UK.
India Puryear says
I literally ate this salad everyday in winter. It is so delicious, filling and warm!
Dannii says
I would happily eat it every day too.