Summer of Salads continues with today’s Rainbow Roasted Vegetable Salad. It’s bright and beautiful with an array of flavor and texture.
This week’s summer salad is truly a favorite. Lines of boldly colored raw and roasted vegetables topped with a quick, and zesty, pesto vinaigrette. Imagine taking this to your next neighborhood potluck. You might actually have a salad on the table that will disappear as fast as the baked beans and potato casserole. I love the combination of cool crispy raw veggies mixed with soft sweet roasted vegetables. This particular blend of roasted red and golden beets, roasted tomato slices, crunchy red cabbage, carrot ribbons, and cool silky avocado slices provided the perfect balance of sweet tangy flavors and crunch.
Although admittedly, the roasted vegetables need a bit of time in the oven, you can roast them several days in advance if desired to make the salad prep quick and easy when it’s time to serve the Rainbow Roasted Vegetable Salad. Beets can be roasted on high heat. However, I find roasted tomatoes taste best when roasted for a longer amount of time at a lower temperature. Simply slice small tomatoes in round and lay out on baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then set the oven timer and go on your merry way. After roasting the beets and tomatoes until soft and sweet, you can assemble the salad right away, or refrigerate until ready to use.
You can serve this Rainbow Roasted Vegetable Salad with any sort of salad dressing you like. However, a zippy pesto vinaigrette brings out the fresh garden appeal of the salad. To make the Pesto Vinaigrette, simply whisk basil pesto, golden (or white) balsamic vinegar, and olive oil together, then season to taste. It’s a fabulous go-to dressing that makes any salad shine! Our Rainbow Roasted Vegetable Salad is a wonderful way to celebrate the season’s bounty. Serve with grilled chicken or steak and creamy deviled eggs.
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