How many times have you found yourself face to face with a "sad salad?" You know, a little bed of iceberg lettuce, a few tomato chunks, and a scant sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese... something one might refer to as "rabbit food." Unless you are an actual rabbit, there is no reason you should sacrifice flavor when making a healthy salad.
Healthy food does not have to taste like cardboard. The trick to making a salad that tastes good is to add fresh ingredients that will keep your taste buds excited! So, if you are looking for lunch ideas or healthy dinner ideas, my Roasted Vegetable Salad With Balsamic Reduction makes healthy food taste awesome.
How Do You Make A Good Salad?
Obviously, the word "salad" can refer to just about any smattering of ingredients served together with some type of dressing. I mean, some people call ambrosia (a fruit and nut salad with whipped cream and marshmallows) a salad. Although ambrosia is a delicious dessert, it hardly satisfies my requirements for making a good salad!
To me, a good salad must be:
- Healthy
- Of course, it needs to be worth my while from a nutrition standpoint. Otherwise, I would be tempted to eat a burger and fries instead!
- Easy
- There's a reason we "toss" a salad together. I want a recipe that is easy to assemble.
- Interesting
- I like a lot of different flavors and textures in my salad.
- Surprising
- I enjoy an element of surprise - like adding fresh herbs!
- Colorful
- Eat the rainbow!
- Inviting
- We eat with our eyes first, so it is important that I want to dive into the salad when it is placed in front of me!
- Filling
- Perhaps the most important thing to me is that my salad leaves me feeling satisfied. That way, I won't be tempted to grab an unhealthy snack afterward.
What Are The Best Things To Put In A Salad?
When I am making a salad, I want my health to benefit from every ingredient I use. Healthy food does not have to be boring! Here are some ideas for assembling the perfect, healthy salad.
Delicious Greens
Some may disagree, but in my opinion, iceberg lettuce is basically crunchy water. Kick your salad up a notch by using greens that add texture and flavor, along with nutrients!
Examples: This recipe contains arugula and spinach. However, you could use any interesting greens you have on hand. Other options include kale, radicchio, watercress, romaine, mesclun, or frisée. All of these choices are rich in vitamins and minerals.
An additional note: Most people think salads have to be a heap of greens with a few extra ingredients on top. This is simply not the case. This recipe only calls for 2 cups of greens. The rest of the salad is comprised of other deliciously satisfying ingredients.
Roasted Vegetables
Another way to add flavor, nutrients, and interest in a salad is by adding roasted vegetables. Roasted vegetables are also a great ingredient to satisfy your hunger.
This recipe includes roasted carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes.
I love throwing leftover roasted vegetables into my salads, but you can also roast them fresh specifically for this recipe.
Other delicious roasted vegetables you can add are asparagus, green beans, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, okra, red potatoes, zucchini, squash, butternut squash, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, eggplant, the list goes on and on. Basically, you can use any roasted vegetable in this salad!
If you do choose to use other roasted vegetables in this recipe, be sure you roast vegetables that are of the same size so they cook in tandem. Otherwise, you will likely end up burning something!
Fresh Herbs
This unexpected ingredient will make your dinner guests scratch their heads thinking, "What deliciousness am I tasting?" There is so much that can be done with fresh herbs and so many people don't think to use them! They are amazing in gravies, sauces, on meats and vegetables... and they are also amazing in salads!!!
This salad recipe contains both mint and flat leaf parsley. Fresh herbs are rich in nutrients and often boost your immune system and improve digestive health.
Other fresh herbs that can be added to salads for an extra layer of interesting flavor are basil, cilantro, chives, dill, tarragon, and thyme.
Salty Cheese
A salty cheese is such a fun ingredient to add to salad. My favorite salad cheese is crumbled goat cheese. However, you could use parmesan, mozzarella, bleu cheese, feta cheese, or salty queso fresco. It is up to you!
Although cheese in large quantities is not hugely nutritious, there are some health benefits. Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and protein. So, if you are looking to spruce up your salad with cheese, just make sure you use it in moderation.
Goat cheese is one of my favorite cheeses (another great recipe that uses goat cheese is my Stone Fruit Salad with Mint and Goat Cheese). I love the combination of tangy and salty found in goat cheese. When paired with something sweet (like balsamic reduction or fresh fruit), goat cheese really shines.
Crunchy Seeds, Nuts, And Berries
I love an element of crunch in my salads. The texture is both surprising and I think it improves the overall mouthfeel of a salad.
One of my favorite textural ingredients (which is included in this salad) is pomegranate seeds. Pomegranate seeds are a superfood that pack a tiny, tangy punch.
Although I do love the satisfying crunch of a crouton, they aren't exactly nutritious. They are often crisped in butter and contain a lot of salt. Instead of adding croutons to your salad for crunch, try sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, pecans, pistachios, or even chia seeds! Be sure the nuts and seeds you buy for your salad are unsalted, though, if you want to stay on the right side of your health!
I also love adding berries to my salads. A sweet burst of blueberry, strawberry, or raspberry make a salad fun and exciting to eat.
Homemade Dressing
If possible, try to make your dressing from scratch. Store-bought salad dressings are packed with sugar and preservatives.
If you want the easiest homemade dressing, follow the recipe below to make a delicious balsamic reduction. This balsamic reduction can also be used to glaze vegetables, meats, or you can drizzle it on a homemade caprese pasta salad!
Other great homemade dressing recipes I love to use are:
Homemade Ranch Dressing - The Pioneer Woman (this is a more decadent recipe, so moderation is the key here)
Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing - Food Network
Simple Lemon Vinaigrette - Epicurious
A Salad To Remember
If you are looking for healthy dinner ideas, don't find yourself choking down another sad salad. There are so many things you can do to make a delicious and nutritious salad!
If you are feeling creative, toss together a salad of your own invention using the helpful hints above.
Or, if you are more of a "follow-the-recipe" person, follow the recipe below to create a delightful roasted vegetable salad to remember. Happy eating!
Essential Tools
Please note, this post contains affiliate links which means I will receive a small commission on the sale of these items at no cost to you.
All of my posts contain my recommendations for essential tools. I have researched these tools. Many of them are already in my kitchen. The ones that are not come highly rated. I do the research so you don’t have to and I only recommend high-quality tools.
If you are just starting to furnish your kitchen with tools or if you are looking to expand your kitchen toolkit, be sure to reference Expert Guide: Equip Your Kitchen for Less Than $200. This guide contains links to all of the equipment items I recommend for a basic kitchen set up.
My essential tools when making this recipe include the following:
Oven Roasted Vegetable Salad with Balsamic Reduction
Ingredients
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 lb. carrots peeled and chopped into 1" chunks
- 1 lb. parsnips peeled and chopped into 1" chunks
- 1 lb. Brussels sprouts halved
- 1.5 lb. sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into 1" chunks
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
- ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1 cup arugula
- 1 cup spinach
- ½ cup fresh flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp. fresh mint chopped
- 3-4 stalks green onion chopped
- 5 oz. goat cheese crumbled
- 1 large pomegranate seeds removed (we are only using the whole seeds)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
For the Balsamic Glaze
- Pour 1 cup of balsamic vinegar into a saucepan and place on stovetop. Set burner to high.
- Bring balsamic vinegar to a boil.
- Once the vinegar is boiling, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 10 minutes. The mixture should reduce by ⅓ or ½ and it should also thicken into a glaze. It is done when it can coat the back of your spoon.
- Set aside to cool.
For the Roasted Vegetables
- While the balsamic vinegar is reducing, start the roasted vegetables.
- Combine prepared carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes on the vegetables. Mix thoroughly.
- On 1 or 2 sheet pans fitted with a silicone mat (for easier clean-up!), spread the vegetables in an even layer.
- Roast the vegetables in the oven for 25 minutes, or until they reach your desired doneness. Set aside to cook slightly.
Assemble the Salad
- Add arugula and spinach to a large serving bowl.
- Toss in roasted vegetables.
- Add parsley, mint, green onion, goat cheese, and pomegranate seeds. Toss the salad together.
- Drizzle cooled balsamic reduction on top of the salad and serve.
Nutrition
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