Roasted Root Vegetable Salad

Roasted Root Vegetable Salad is a warm and hearty vegetarian side dish that’s perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s made with oven roasted root vegetables with rosemary and kale, and topped with creamy goat cheese and crunchy pumpkin seeds! 

This post was originally published in October 2018 and has been updated with new text, photos and adjustments to the recipe. Scroll to the bottom to see an original photo!

Inspiration for this roasted root vegetable salad

This salad was inspired by a lunch I had at a local restaurant a few years ago. It was early fall and I had ordered a spinach salad with roasted beets, parsnip and butternut squash, topped with goat cheese and pumpkin seeds. The goat cheese was a bit melty from the warm vegetables and the pumpkin seeds added texture and crunch.

After lunch, I immediately stopped at a local market, picked up a range of root vegetables and went home to recreate the salad. Now, this salad is a staple during root vegetable season, and always makes an appearance at our Thanksgiving table. 

Roasted root vegetables for Thanksgiving

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I know it’s a few months away for my American friends, but it’s just a month away here in Canada. So, naturally, we’re already talking about our Thanksgiving menu, which is one of our favourites to prepare and eat. (We love it so much, we also celebrate the US Thanksgiving!)

If you’re planning ahead for Thanksgiving, here are a few other roasted root vegetable recipes we’ll be preparing:

• Air Fryer Carrots, with savoury, spicy and sweet seasoning options included in the recipe.

• Roasted Beet Salad with Maple Walnuts, is loaded with greens, goat cheese, roasted carrots and beets, and topped with a cranberry balsamic dressing (my go-to holiday salad dressing).

• Air Fryer Beets, with a simple seasoning of salt, pepper and oil, they turn out sweet and caramelized around the edges.

How to roast root vegetables

• Peel and chop your veggies in roughly the same size. The beets tend to take a little longer to roast, so you may wish to cut them into slightly smaller pieces. (I usually just cut them the same size as I don’t mind my beets a little firm).

• Toss the veggies with a good amount of oil. You don’t want them to be too greasy but if you don’t add enough oil, they will be too dry.

• Don’t overcrowd the pan or cover the veggies while roasting. If you crowd or cover the veggies, they will steam instead of roast. I like to use my large 12-inch cast iron skillet, but for even greater space, use a large baking sheet.

• For caramelized root veggies, roast them at a high temperature. I usually roast them at 425F for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure they don’t burn. This is for 1-inch pieces. If you cut your veggies into smaller pieces, you should reduce the roasting time.

How to assemble this salad

• While the veggies are roasting, prep your kale by placing it in a large bowl with some salt and massage it for a few minutes until it shrinks a bit in size.

• Once the veggies are ready, add the kale to the pan and stir to combine. This will warm the kale and wilt it a bit.

• Divide into bowls and serve with goat cheese and pumpkin seeds.

Storage and reheating

How to store: If you’re making this salad in advance or think you’ll have leftovers, don’t combine the kale and veggies in the pan. You’ll want to store them separately in the refrigerator in airtight containers. The roasted vegetables will keep for 3-4 days if stored properly.

How to reheat: When ready to enjoy this salad, arrange the root vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet and reheat in the oven at 425F for 4-5 minutes. Once warmed, combine with the kale and add the goat cheese and pumpkin seeds.

Can you freeze roasted root vegetables?: While you can freeze roasted veggies, I don’t recommend it. I find the texture to be a little too soft and rubbery once they’re defrosted and reheated.

Additional recipe tips and substitutions

• I used kale in this salad because the heartiness pairs well with the root vegetables. If you prefer, you can substitute spinach or arugula, just note that you won’t need to massage it or let it wilt with the warm veggies.

• The recipe calls for fresh rosemary, but you can also use dried rosemary, just reduce the amount to one-third.

• If you don’t have access to some of the root veggies in this recipe, just use more of one of the other veggies.

• While it’s not a root vegetable, I’ve also made this recipe with butternut squash. Just make sure to cut the squash into slightly larger pieces as it roasts quicker than the other veggies.

• The beets will add some discolouration to the other veggies, so just keep that in mind for presentation purposes. If you can find golden or candy cane beets, feel free to use them instead.

• To keep this salad dairy-free, just forego the goat cheese.

• In place of the pumpkin seeds, try sunflower seeds or savoury pecan granola.

Other Thanksgiving side dishes you might enjoy

• Healthy Cranberry Sauce is refined sugar-free with the flavour of orange and blackberries, sweetened with maple syrup and thickened with chia seeds. 

• Roasted Red Pepper and Butternut Squash Soup is sweet and smoky with hints of coconut and spice. It’s dairy-free and makes a delicious appetizer. You can also make it a meal by adding leftover ham from your Thanksgiving dinner.

• Roasted Brussels Sprouts are a little sweet, tart and savoury, with fresh cranberries, prosciutto and maple syrup.

• Air Fryer Butternut Squash Home Fries are sweet and spicy with a simple mix of spices, herbs and maple syrup. You can also free up valuable oven space during the holidays by preparing this side dish in the air fryer.

If you make this roasted root vegetable salad, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.

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