Roasted Vegetable Salad

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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

How to make

Be sure to scroll down to the full recipe card below, but I include tips & tricks for you in the post. And, whether you call these nourish bowls, Buddha bowls, grain bowls, or salads, you’ll love having this in your healthy day.

roast the veggies

First, you’ll toss the veggies with the oil and spices. I prefer to do this is a large bowl; it’s just easier to toss in my opinion. But, if you prefer, you can also toss them directly on the baking sheet – which will mean one less bowl to wash. Your choice.

Spread the veggies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet or roasting pan, and roast for 35-40 minutes, until the edges are starting to brown, and the veggies are soft when pierced with a fork.

cook the grains

While veggies roast, cook quinoa according to package directions.

make the dressing

In a small bowl mix together the dressing ingredients. The dressing will thicken as it stands. If you want a thinner dressing, simply add a small amount of water to thin it to the desired consistency.

In case you aren’t super familiar with tahini, it’s a creamy paste made from ground, hulled, and toasted sesame seeds, and it has an earthy nutty flavor that’s reminiscent of peanut butter. If your tahini has separated, and there’s a layer of oil on top, you’ll want to stir that oil into the rest of the jar. It’s like natural peanut better, where the oil separates out. The easiest way to do this is, if it’s in a glass jar, microwave it for 30 seconds and give it a stir with a long-handled spoon or butter knife. Microwave it again if needed. I always look for a glass jar when buying tahini or peanut butter for this very reason.

The recipe calls for dried minced garlic in the dressing. I like that it has a nice smooth mellow flavor, and it adds warmth to the salad. And it’s easy to measure out – no chopping. If you want more bite and zing in your dressing, use fresh garlic that you mince.

toss it all together and plate it

Once the veggies are done roasting, toss them with the cooked quinoa, arugula, and dressing. And, really, I gave a measurement for the arugula, but it’s just that you want to grab a big handful. And I like to toss a few more pretty sprigs on top once it’s plated.

Top with crumbled queso fresco, feta cheese, or grated Parmesan if desired.

Serve the salad warm right after it’s made. Or, serve it cold from the fridge. It’s great either way.

Storage

You can make this ahead and store the arugula separately (the arugula will tend to get wilted if stored with dressing on it). Store each component separately for up to one week in the refrigerator.

Leftover dressed salad will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge.

Serving suggestions and changes to the recipe

I love bowls like this because you can change them up any time and way you like. This would even be fantastic with leftover roasted veggies from thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Make it more of a meal by adding a nice piece of cooked salmon, grilled shrimp, chicken, or even steak

Use your favorite dressing, like Soy Vinaigrette, Ginger dressing, or a nice tangy balsamic vinaigrette.

Toss in some dried cranberries, pomegranate, or nuts like almonds or hazelnuts for color and crunch.

Change up the garbanzo beans for other legumes or beans like lentils, white beans, kidney beans, or cannellini beans.

Add in or swap out veggies with butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, carrots, or beets (though red beets will lend an overall pink color to the salad).

Not a fan of quinoa? Use your favorite whole grains like brown rice, bulgur, farro, barley, or couscous.

More delicious bowls

I’m a big fan of these types of bowls for lunch or dinner. If you want more healthy and delicious foods on your table, be sure to check out my Winter Grain Bowls, Chimichurri Shrimp Bowls, Cottage Cheese Sweet Potato Bowls, and Tahini Wild Rice Soup.