My Roasted Vegetable Salad made with seasonal veggies, whole grains, feta cheese and a fresh herb dressing. The perfect winter or fall side!
It's HARD to eat your veggies in the winter, when all you want are carbs and mac and cheese (try my hidden veggie mac and cheese). My top tips: embrace the veggie-packed soups and try a wintery salad!
That's right, salads aren't just for the summer. I love a kale harvest salad in the fall and in the winter, I turn to this warm roasted vegetable salad. If you haven't tried a warm salad yet, let me explain: we add all of the caramelized goodness of roasted veggies, hearty whole grain farro, salty feta and a fresh herb dressing to pull it all together. This is the perfect veggie-packed side that everyone will love!
Why This Recipe Is Dietitian Approved
- Fibre rich. This roasted vegetable salad is so good for our gut health, with a variety of vegetables, whole grains and fibre.
- Meal prep friendly. I love a salad that's great for meal prep. You can enjoy this roasted vegetable salad warm or cold; it's delicious either way for a packed lunch.
- Eat the rainbow. Did you know we should be eating a green and orange fruit/vegetable everyday? These coloured foods typically include a wide range of nutrients, including vitamin A, C, K, as well as folate, iron and magnesium.
Ingredients
For the salad:
Carrots. Full of vitamin A, carrots are the perfect hearty root veggie to add some nutrients and a little sweetness to this salad.
Parsnips. If you haven't tried roasted parsnips before, they have the perfect, slightly sweet caramelized flavour.
Chickpeas. For plant-based protein we add spiced crispy chickpeas for the ultimate crunch. Chickpeas are also a great source of fibre.
Delicata squash. This is my personal favourite variety of squash! It has a thinner exterior, making it easier to slice (and you can also eat the skin so no peeling required).
Shallots. This is the perfect way to add a very delicate, slightly sweet onion flavour without it being too overpowering.
Arugula. The perfect leafy green to add a little spice to this salad! I love adding a leafy green for some freshness and a pop of green.
Pickled onions. I included my quick pickled onion recipe in the recipe card below. I love adding anything pickled to salads to provide extra acidity to balance out the warm, cozy flavours.
Farro. Farro is a variety of wheat. Similar to brown rice or bulgar, farro provides a hearty fiber-filled carbohydrate that pairs perfectly with the roasted veggies and freshness of the dressing for a filling and balanced salad.
Feta cheese. I always recommend purchasing feta cheese stored in the brine. This is the best way to ensure it stays fresh and offers the best flavour.
Pine nuts. Similar to cashews, pine nuts provide a soft nutty flavour. They aren’t too overpowering and provide a wide range of nutrients including manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and vitamin E.
Spices. All you need is salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and cumin.
For the dressing:
Mixed herbs. Any will work!! Use what you have available. I love a combination of dill, chives, cilantro and and mint for the perfect blend of freshness.
Lemon. Fresh lemon juice is best for the freshest flavour.
Oil. This is the base of our dressing. I typically opt for olive oil as its a great source of monounsaturated fatty acids (healthy fats), which can help us absorb the vitamins A and K in this salad.
Garlic. Fresh garlic is always best, but jarred garlic will work if you are in a pinch.
The complete ingredient list with measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and prepare 2 large baking trays with parchment paper.
- On one tray, add carrots, parsnips and delicata squash. Drizzle with ½ of the olive oil (1 tbsp) and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Toss to combine.
- On the second tray,arrange chickpeas and shallots. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss with the remaining ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper along with cumin, garlic powder, and paprika.
- Place both trays in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. *Note the chickpeas may be done faster than your carrots etc. If you are noticing the chickpeas getting quite roasted, take them out and continue cooking the carrot/ squash tray.
- While the vegetables are roasting, cook farro according to package instructions.
- To make the green goddess dressing add fresh herbs, lemon juice oil, garlic, water and salt + black pepper to a high powered blender. Blend until smooth.
- Once the vegetables are done. Add cooked farro, roasted vegetables, feta cheese, pickled red onions, and pine nuts to a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine.
- Serve over a bed of arugula. If you are making this salad to be eaten right away you can instead, add 4 cups of arugula directly into the salad and mix well.
Substitutions and Variations
To make gluten-free: swap farro for quinoa.
To make dairy-free/vegan: use a dairy-free feta.
To make nut-free: swap the pine nuts for pumpkin seeds.
Missing ingredients? Try these:
- Farro: swap for quinoa, brown rice (or you can also just use the vegetables with no grain)
- Carrots/ parsnips: any root vegetable will work great in this recipe, if you prefer you can use all carrots, all parsnips, add some diced beets etc.
- Delicata squash: any squash will work! Diced butternut squash, or honeynut squash are great options or even sweet potato.
- Chickpeas: swap for lentils
Equipment
Storage
Without the arugula, this roasted vegetable salad is stores well in the fridge for up to 5-7 days. I like to add the arugula when serving, to prevent sogginess. If you make the salad with arugula added directly, it will typically last around 2 days before getting soggy.
Top Tips for Success
Here's how you can make the prep even easier:
- Make a batch of pickled onions in advance. These also store great in the fridge and add so much flavour to salads, bowls and sandwiches!
- Soaking farro in advance in the fridge will decrease cook time
- Make a batch of dressing and store in the fridge
- Use a produce chopper to easily dice vegetables
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on how hungry you are! This is a balanced salad containing protein from the chickpeas, fiber filled carbohydrates from the farro, and tons of veggies and healthy fat so it can absolutely serve as a full meal. However it also works great as a filling side dish as well.
No! If you are looking for more of a vegetable forward salad you can absolutely skip the farro and only use vegetables.
More Salad Recipes
Try these winter/fall salads next:
- Fall Pasta Salad
- Crunchy Kale Pomegranate Salad
- Bang Bang Roasted Broccoli Salad
- Curried Couscous Vegan Salad
See you in the kitchen!
PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you decide to make this roasted vegetable salad, don't forget to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it!
📖 Recipe
Warm Roasted Vegetable Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 2 large carrots diced
- 2 parsnips diced
- 1 delicata squash seeds removed and finely sliced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper divided
- 1 540 mL can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 4 shallots finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup farro uncooked (can be replaced with quinoa etc.)
- ¾ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ½ cup pickled red onions see notes section for recipe
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- Arugula for serving
For the green goddess dressing:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1.5 cups mixed fresh herbs I enjoy dill, mint cilantro and chives
- Juice of 1.5 lemons
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup water to thin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and prepare 2 large baking trays with parchment paper.
- On one tray, add carrots, parsnips and delicata squash. Drizzle with ½ of the olive oil (1 tbsp) and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Toss to combine.
- On the second tray,arrange chickpeas and shallots. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss with the remaining ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper along with cumin, garlic powder, and paprika. Place both trays in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. *Note the chickpeas may be done faster than your carrots etc. If you are noticing the chickpeas getting quite roasted, take them out and continue cooking the carrot/squash tray.
- While the vegetables are roasting, cook farro according to package instructions.
- To make the green goddess dressing, add fresh herbs, lemon juice oil, garlic, water and salt + black pepper to a high powered blender. Blend until smooth.
- Once the vegetables are done. Add cooked farro, roasted vegetables, feta cheese, pickled red onions, and pine nuts to a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine. To serve-serve over a bed of arugula (if you are making this salad to be eaten right away you can instead, add 4 cups of arugula directly into the salad and mix well)!
Notes
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon salt
Dominique Briggs says
I made this as a side for Christmas dinner. It was a huuuuuuge hit! Definitely a keeper!
Nicole Addison says
The PERFECT salad for when you are craving a veggie-packed meal but are looking for something a little bit more comforting during the colder months! I hope you enjoy this one!!