ROAST VEGGIE SALAD
A simple roast veggie salad is a great meal to have in your cooking repertoire. It’s super versatile and a great way to use up any veggies you have on hand.
Pesto and haloumi add the delicious factor, turning this into the type of salad you might order at a café. Go vegetarian or spice things up with a little chorizo.
I first tried roasting the haloumi on the tray with the veggies. While this was definitely an easier option (check out the recipe notes if you want to do this), the haloumi isn’t quite as juicy as when it’s panfried.
If you don’t like haloumi (say what?! 😲), feta is a great substitute. A dollop of aioli on top of the salad won’t go amiss either!
ROAST VEGGIE SALAD
Roast veggie salad is a great meal to have in your cooking repertoire. It’s super versatile and a great way to use up any veggies you have on hand. Pesto and haloumi add the delicious factor!
Ingredients
ROAST VEGGIES
- 800 g red kumara (1lb 12oz)
- 1/2 small cauliflower
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 tsp garlic powder, divided
- 250 g button mushrooms (8.8oz)
- 1 large capsicum (any colour)
- 1 large red onion
- 400 g can cannellini beans (14oz)
TO SERVE
- 200 g haloumi (7oz)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 120 g baby spinach (4.2oz)
- 100 g basil pesto (3.5oz)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200ºC (390ºF) fan bake and line two oven trays with baking paper.
PREPARE ROAST VEGGIES
Peel kumara and cut into 2cm / 0.8in pieces. Cut cauliflower into florets. Place on one of the prepared trays, drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Arrange in a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes in the middle of the oven.
Meanwhile, cut mushrooms in half, cut capsicum into pieces and slice onion into wedges. Rinse beans and drain well. Place on the second oven tray, drizzle with remaining tablespoon of oil and teaspoon of garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper, toss to combine and arrange in a single layer.
Move tray of kumara to a lower level in the oven and place tray with other veggies above. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until veggies are golden and crisp around the edges.
PREPARE SERVING INGREDIENTS
When veggies have 10 minutes left to cook, slice haloumi into strips. Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium. Fry haloumi for 1-2 minutes each side, until golden brown. Remove from heat. Cut haloumi strips into thirds.
SERVE
Place roast veggies, spinach and pesto in an extra-large salad bowl. Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir through haloumi and serve.
Recipe Notes
WINE MATCH: Try a Pinot Gris or a Riesling.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Check the pesto is gluten-free, otherwise this meal is naturally gluten-free.
INGREDIENT SWAPS / NOTES: This is a super versatile meal - feel free to use up any veggies you have on hand. Haloumi can be added to the top tray of roast veggies 15 minutes before the end of cooking, if you don’t want to pan fry it. This is an easier, less dishes option but doesn’t give quite as tasty results! You can use feta instead of haloumi (reduce quantity to approximately 100g / 3.5oz, no need to cook it). The basil pesto could be swapped for sundried tomato pesto. A dollop of aioli on top of the meal is a nice addition!
MAKE IT MEATY: For a non-vegetarian option, try adding some pan-fried sliced chorizo.
STORING AND REHEATING: For an easy option, store individual portions in containers in the fridge and reheat in the microwave. If you know you will have leftovers, keep roast veggies separate from serving ingredients. Pan fry roast veggies and haloumi with a little olive oil to warm up, then toss through spinach and pesto.
