Salad doesn’t have to be raw! If the typical lettuce-tomato-onion rotation is getting old, why not try this luxurious spread of oven-roasted vegetables?
Zucchini and eggplant ribbons, fresh tomatoes, and purple onions are roasted in olive oil to bring out their sweeter flavors and then garnished with snow pea shoots and fresh herbs to add a refreshing crunch.
It’s an ideal salad for the summer market season when most of the ingredients are in season, so you can get the juiciest tomatoes and the freshest zucchini to create your masterpiece.
“Pea shoots” might give you a moment of hesitation: peas are legumes, so “pea shoots” don’t sound like a very Paleo-friendly food. But pea shoots aren’t the same thing as peas: they’re considered a green vegetable, and the vast majority of their mass is simply water.
They’re basically a spring green, just like baby spinach or watercress; there’s nothing to be afraid of here.
Such a rich-flavored salad would work perfectly as a side for anything Italian or Mediterranean: just to give you some ideas, why not try it with lamb, porchetta, or sun-dried tomato chicken?
Eggs would also be delicious or try whatever else you can think of. It’s an elegant way to appreciate the summer harvest and shake up the salad routine with something new.
Cooked Vegetable Salad Recipe
SERVES: 4 PREP: 20 min COOK: 25 min
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup light olive oil;
- 1 eggplant, sliced lengthwise;
- 2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise;
- 2 red onions, cut into wedges;
- 4 ripe tomatoes, sliced;
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced;
- 5 cups baby spinach;
- Young snow pea shoots;
- Fresh mint leaves, to taste;
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, to taste;
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;
Dressing ingredients
- ¼ cup homemade mayonnaise;
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil;
- Juice of 1 lemon;
- 1 tbsp. dried mint leaves;
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 425 F.
- In a bowl, combine all the vegetables except for the spinach, snow peas, mint, and parsley. Pour the olive oil over them, and season with pepper to taste. Toss to coat.
- Spread the oil-coated vegetables over a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 to 25 min.
- In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dressing. Whisk together and season to taste.
- Assemble the salad by tossing the cooked vegetables with spinach, snow peas, mint, and parsley.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently mix.
- Serve immediately.
📖 Recipe
Cooked Vegetable Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup light olive oil;
- 1 eggplant sliced lengthwise;
- 2 zucchini sliced lengthwise;
- 2 red onions cut into wedges;
- 4 ripe tomatoes sliced
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced
- 5 cups baby spinach
- Young snow pea shoots
- Fresh mint leaves to taste
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves to taste
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dressing ingredients
- ¼ cup homemade mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp. dried mint leaves
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 F.
- In a bowl, combine all the vegetables except for the spinach, snow peas, mint, and parsley. Pour the olive oil over them, and season with pepper to taste. Toss to coat.⅓ cup light olive oil;, 1 eggplant, 2 zucchini, 2 red onions, 4 ripe tomatoes, 2 garlic cloves, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Spread the oil-coated vegetables over a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 to 25 min.
- In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dressing. Whisk together and season to taste.¼ cup homemade mayonnaise, 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, Juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp. dried mint leaves, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Assemble the salad by tossing the cooked vegetables with spinach, snow peas, mint, and parsley.5 cups baby spinach, Young snow pea shoots, Fresh mint leaves, Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently mix.
- Serve immediately.
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