As an Amazon affiliate, I may earn commission at no additional cost to you. See privacy policy for more details. Thank you!
This roasted vegetable salad with citrus vinaigrette is made by roasting earthy red and golden beets, carrots, shallots, and garlic then topping it with a fresh citrus vinaigrette, crumbled feta and salty pistachios, making it the perfect combination of flavor and texture. It is gluten free, sugar free, and vegetarian. It is super easy to make, stores well in the fridge, and is a perfect lunch, or dinner side dish.
This roasted vegetable salad is a perfect way to use fresh beets and carrots. Fresh beets especially, are so special and this recipe (like this Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Toasted Sesame Aioli) is the perfect way to showcase their delicious flavors and colors.
To make a salad using only fresh beets, follow this recipe but only roasting beets. Serve it on top of fresh greens for a delicious beet salad.
Salad Ingredients
As in all recipes, the quality of the ingredients make or break the dish! So make sure your ingredients are fresh, and you can't go wrong.
- Beets- Red and golden beets are not only sweet and earthy and delicious, but so beautiful too.
- Carrots- Fresh, whole carrots are best here, but any will work!
- Shallots- They will caramelize, giving sweet, delicious flavor.
- Garlic- Is there anything better than roasted garlic? Creamy, soft and garlic-y without the aggressive punch of raw garlic.
- Feta- Crumbled Feta adds a creamy, tangy contrast to the sweetness of the roasted vegetables.
- Pistachios- These are so good! They add a salty crunch that just completes the flavor and texture perfection of this salad.
- Fresh Mint leaves- The subtle minty sweetness is so good here. Not only that, but it adds a beautiful bright color contrast, making it a photo worthy salad!
Citrus Vinaigrette Ingredients
This is such a simple, light, bright dressing. I think it truly is one of the very best salad dressing recipes, and perfect for a roasted vegetable or beet salad. Just put all of the ingredients in a jar and shake it up, or into a bowl and whisk it all together. That's all there is to it!
- White Balsamic Vinegar- You can use a plain, or flavored vinegar, such as a lemon or orange blossom white balsamic. Plain is just fine because we will be adding the fragrant and flavorful zest.
- Olive Oil- A good (doesn't have to be spendy) olive oil is important in salad dressings. Most importantly, make sure it is fresh. Olive oil can go rancid if it is old, or not stored properly, and that will impact the flavor in a way that is no bueno.
- Lemon and Orange Zest- We will use the zest of half of a lemon and half of an orange for bright, fresh flavor.
- Dijon Mustard- This is the secret ingredient in most vinaigrettes. It adds a little something extra that you might not be able to put a finger on, but you would miss if it wasn't there.
- Salt and Pepper
How to Roast the Vegetables
The beauty of this salad is that it is very rustic. There is no need to peel the carrots or beets. Wash and dry them really well and that is all you need to do. Not only will you not even notice the skins, they will add an extra dose of fiber, vitamins and anti-oxidants. Plus, they will kind of crisp up in the oven. Yum!
As for the shallots and garlic, simply cut the stems off and peel the shallots, and take the skins off the garlic cloves and that is all you need to do.
The real key to success when roasting vegetables is to roast similar type of vegetables together, in this case, they are all root vegetables. The other key is to cut them into all, roughly, the same size.
Cut the veggies into about ยฝ-1 inch chunks. Keep the garlic cloves whole, unless you have really large cloves, in which case, cut them in half.
Place all of the vegetables on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle 2 Tablespoons of olive over them, and toss them all together so everything is well coated with oil.
Feel free to add a little more oil if you think it needs it. Just make sure every piece is coated.
Spread them out evenly on the baking sheet, making sure they are not too crowded. If they are too crowded, they will steam. We want them tender but crisp.
Pop them into a pre-heated 400ยฐF oven for 45 minute, stirring them up after 20 minutes.
When they are darkened and tender with slightly crisp skins, take them out of the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet.
Putting it all together
This is one salad that will forgive you if you let it sit too long with the dressing. Feel free to toss it with the citrus vinaigrette and let it sit. Just wait until you are ready to serve before you garnish.
When you are ready to serve, place the dressed veggies into a serving bowl. Top it with the crumbled feta, pistachios and mint. Sprinkle a little bit of flaky sea salt on top and a few grinds of fresh cracked pepper and serve!
Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
This salad can be stored in a sealed container for up to a week.
This salad can be made more substantial by adding quinoa and mixed greens. This will make it a delicious, high protein, high fiber vegetarian salad.
Yes! This salad is gluten free. It is also vegetarian, and sugar free, and can be made dairy free and vegan by simply eliminating the feta!
Yes! The dressing will last in a mason jar or sealed container for up to a week.
More Vegetarian Recipes
- Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Toasted Sesame Aioli- Another delicious way to eat fresh carrots!
- Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Hazelnut Gremolata- Creamy, warm and delicious!
- Roasted Brussel Sprout Salad with Caesar Dressing- A delicious twist on a caesar salad, and dare I say better than the o.g.?
- Lemon Pesto Pasta- The lightest, freshest pasta recipe you will ever eat. One of my absolute favs!
I hope you love this recipe! I would love to hear from you in the comments below. Thank you and thank you for visiting Mollie in Montana~*! โฅ๏ธ
๐ Recipe
Roasted Vegetable Salad with Feta and Orange Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 5 Red Beets
- 5 Golden Beets
- 5 Carrots
- 1 head of garlic, or 10 peeled cloves
- 2 Shallots
- ยผ cup Feta
- ยผ cup pistachios
- 5 mint leaves, rolled and thinly sliced
- ยฝ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Citrus Vinaigrette
- โ cup White Balsamic Vinegar
- ยฝ cup Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- ยฝ lemon, zested
- ยฝ orange, zested
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- Pinch or couple of grinds of black pepper
Instructions
Citrus Vinaigrette
- Combine all ingredients in a mason jar or bowl and shake or whisk until it is all combined. It will be slightly emulsified and foggy.
- Set it aside, or in the fridge until you are ready to use.
Roasted Vegetable Salad
- Preheat oven to 400โ
- Cut the stems off the beets and carrots, and peel the shallots and garlic cloves.
- Cut all of the vegetables into roughly ยฝ-1 inch chunks. Leave the garlic cloves whole unless they are large, in which case, cut them in half.
- Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle them with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
- Toss everything together so that all the veggies are coated in olive oil.
- Sprinkle everything with salt and pepper and pop in preheated oven for 45 minutes, tossing veggies after 20 minutes.
- When veggies are darkened, tender and slightly crisp, remove them from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet.
- When you are ready to serve, toss the veggies and dressing in a large serving bowl.
- Top the salad with crumbled feta, pistachios and fresh mint.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Notes:
- Feel Free to use a flavored White Balsamic Vinegar. Lemon, or orange white balsamics work really well!
- There is no need to peel the beets or carrots. If there is a tough, woody type skin near the top of the beet where the stem is, you can cut that off, but the thinner skin is full of fiber and antioxidants!
- This salad is also delicious served warm! Just toss the veggies with the dressing when they come out of the oven and then transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish and serve!
- Add quinoa and mixed greens to make it a more substantial main course dish!
- Eliminate the feta to make it dairy free and vegan!
Sandi says
Oh this recipe for the green beans was just what we needed since I have a huge crop of them in my garden! Itโs always really nice to serve a healthy low fat appy. Thank you Mollie
mollieinmontana says
Oh, I'm so glad you liked the green bean recipe! I bet it was especially good with fresh green beans from your garden! โฅ๏ธ