Summer Roasted Vegetable Salad with Muhammara

This Summer Roasted Vegetable Salad is taken up a notch with a smoky kick from Muhuammara, further enhanced with some creamy smoked cheddar. The perfect main-meal salad or side dish for an extra special summer feast!

These summer vegetables are roasted to perfection, giving you a golden-brown, delicious feast. We've then added a colourful mix of tomatoes and parsley and topped it all off with a smoky Muhammara dressing and some smoked cheddar for an extra kick of smokiness.

This roasted summer vegetable salad is an unforgettable main meal salad that will have your taste buds singing!

For more roasted vegetable salads, try our Pearl Barley Salad and Roasted Summer Squash, our Meditteranean Roasted Eggplant Salad or our Oven-Roasted Asparagus and Tarragon Salad.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Baby/Chinese/long eggplants/aubergine – we have used the long thin eggplants so that we can cut them into rounds, but feel free to use the globe eggplants and cut them into big chunks.
• Dark green zucchini/courgette – I find that the dark green “black beauty” variety of zucchini holds up better for roasting, but use what zucchini you have.
• Patty pan squash/button/scallop squash – for a pop of sunny colour, you may use yellow squash here instead or just use a light-coloured zucchini.
• Red Capsicum/bell pepper – I just love the sweetness of the red pepper in this salad. You can swap for a yellow or an orange if you prefer but not a green as they have a sharp taste to them.
• Spices – we have roasted the vegetables with some cumin powder to add some depth and earthiness; you can swap for some coriander powder or some fennel seeds if you prefer. You could also add some smoked paprika to enhance the smokiness of this salad further.
• Golden grape tomatoes – added for sweetness and their golden colour, use any small tomato variety you can find. Swap the golden for red if you are using a yellow/orange pepper for roasting.
• Smoked cheddar – for some smoky flavour, swap for feta (sensational!), goat cheese, or halloumi are all great alternatives.
• Parsley leaves – I find that parsley adds some bright, fresh flavour to this salad, and it holds up really well. Swap for another green, such as rocket/arugula, or with a quarter of a cup of a sturdy herb, such as rosemary, tarragon or thyme. If you are going to use a soft herb such as basil or mint, then I suggest adding them at the last minute, as the hot veggies will turn them brown.
• Dressing – we have used a combination of Muhammara and lemon juice for the dressing. Muhammara can be found in the international section of your supermarket or can be replaced with Ajvar, a Serbian red pepper paste. Alternatively, you can use a simple lemon garlic vinaigrette, or our basil balsamic would also be great here.

Seasonal Variations

While we have used summer veggies for this salad, you can swap them for whatever vegetables are in season or whatever veggies are lurking in your veggie bin that you want to use up:

• Winter Roasted Vegetable Salad – try beets, carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, and pumpkin.
• Autumn/Fall Roasted Vegetable Salad – try butternut squash, brussels sprouts, baby potatoes, eschallots/French shallots.
• Spring Roasted Vegetable Salad – try asparagus, radishes, Dutch/baby carrots, zucchini, and fingerling/kipfler potatoes.
• Brassica Roasted Salad – try cauliflower, broccoli, Romanesco, and red onion.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless with this salad.

How to Make It

Step 1 - Prepare the Veggies

Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Line one or two large baking trays with baking paper.

Wash the eggplants, remove the tops and ends and then cut them into thick rounds. I like to salt my eggplants before cooking as this removes the excess water and reduces the eggplants' ability to absorb oil.

To do this, place the eggplants, one layer at a time, in a colander and sprinkle with some coarse salt. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes (you should see water beads forming), then pat dry with a towel to remove the excess water and salt. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Step-by-step instructions are in our eggplant post.

Wash the zucchini and trim the zucchini, then cut into rounds, add to your bowl.

Wash and trim the pattypan squash, and any damaged parts. Cut the pattypan squash into quarters and add to your bowl.

Wash the red capsicum, remove the core and seeds, and then cut into large dice. Add to your bowl.

Step 2 - Roast the Veggies

Drizzle some oll in the bowl with all your preppared vegetables add some cumin powder, and season with salt and pepper.

Toss until they are all well coated with the oil and cumin.

Arrange the vegetables on 1 or 2 baking trays, spread them out evenly and do not overcrowd them (we want them to roast and not stew).

Place in the middle rack of your oven and cook until golden brown (approximately 20-30 minutes). Turning them halfway through the cooking process.

Remove and allow to cool slightly. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Step 3 - Prepare the Remaining Ingredients

While your veggies are roasting, wash your parsley leaves, shake to remove excess water, pat dry and chop roughly.

Wash the golden grape tomatoes, then cut them in half, and add to your bowl along with the chopped parsley and grated smoked cheese.

Step 4 - Assemble Your Salad

Place all the roasted vegetables in a large mixing bowl, add the Muhammara and lemon juice to the vegetables while they are still hot.

Season with some sea salt and cracked black pepper and toss until well combined.

Add the grated cheese, chopped parsley and tomatoes.

Give everything another mix through until everything is well combined.

Arrange in a salad bowl, then serve and enjoy!

Tips and Questions

Some More Roast Vegetable Salad Recipes

• Bulgur Salad with Roasted Veg
• Chinese Eggplant Salad
• Roasted Brussel Sprout Salad
• Moroccan Roasted Garbanzo Bean Salad
• Roasted Beet Salad

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