No matter the season, I enjoy a colorful salad with a variety of textures, flavors, and even temperatures. This Warm Roasted Veggie Salad with Chunky Basil Oil (a.k.a. 3-Step Basil Oil) delivers in all of those areas for lunch or dinner.
Roasted veggies & cool lettuce equal deliciousness
Mixing warm and cold ingredients can be a pleasant experience in your mouth. In this case, warm roasted veggies (eggplant, potatoes, and onions) are paired with cool fresh spinach, roasted red peppers, and feta cheese. Then it’s topped with a sprinkle of golden raisins and toasted almonds.
This dish really comes to life with my vibrant 3-Step Chunky Basil Oil. Inspired by Lidia Bastianich’s Winter Salad recipe, this salad is simple but luscious, y’all! It’s a little warm, cold, sweet, salty, and tangy. Yum-ditty-yum-yum-YUM! Shoot, it’s so good that I made up a new word!
Pick your fave roasted veggies and toppings
Although I followed suit with Lidia’s veggie roast lineup of eggplant, potatoes, and onions, feel free to replace this trio with your favorites roasted veggies. And also add your favorite dried fruit, nuts, and cheese. Here are some creative examples to get your imagination going:
- Zucchini, sweet potato, and scallions with dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and parmesan
- Green beans, butternut squash, and shallots with raisins, walnuts, and gorgonzola
- Yellow squash, carrots, and purple onion with dried cherries, pecans, and goat cheese
- Pumpkin, asparagus, and leeks with currants, pumpkin seeds, and queso de freir
Any of these choices are hearty enough for roasting and will provide the perfect bite for this type of salad. Plus, adding a pickled or marinated ingredient (i.e., roasted peppers, olives, capers, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, giardiniera, etc.) will provide all the extra zing you need.
Keep it simple with the dressing
This Warm Roasted Veggie Salad with Chunky Basil Oil allows you to totally go crazy with your veggies and toppings, but I would recommend keeping the salad dressing simple. This is so that the natural flavors of each item can shine through and not get ‘lost in the sauce,’ per se. So all you really need to dress your salad is some extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper AND my easy peasy 3-Step Basil Oil for a little extra pop.
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- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup) and spray lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle the baking sheet with some of the salt and pepper and place the sliced eggplant, onions, and potato on the tray. Then, drizzle the olive oil over the top of the veggies and sprinkle them with the remaining salt and pepper. Roast them for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, flipping them once halfway through cooking.
- On a large plate, layer the spinach and roasted veggies. Then, add the red peppers and splash the red pepper liquid all over the veggies. Next, add the raisins, almonds, and feta. Pour the salad dressing all over (oil and vinegar).
- Lastly, drizzle on some basil oil (see recipe link below).
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Ingredients
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup) and spray lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle the baking sheet with some of the salt and pepper and place the sliced eggplant, onions, and potato on the tray. Then, drizzle the olive oil over the top of the veggies and sprinkle them with the remaining salt and pepper. Roast them for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, flipping them once halfway through cooking.
- On a large plate, layer the spinach and roasted veggies. Then, add the red peppers and splash the red pepper liquid all over the veggies. Next, add the raisins, almonds, and feta. Pour the salad dressing all over (oil and vinegar).
- Lastly, drizzle on some basil oil (see recipe link below).
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