Southwestern Roasted Vegetable Salad is full of roasted sweet potato, bell pepper, zucchini, and red onion tossed in a Chipotle-Balsamic Dressing with diced avocado, feta cheese, and pepitas. Makes a wonderful fall salad.
A combination of baby spinach and arugula gives this salad tons of good nutrition. The roasted vegetables are seasoned with a little chili powder and roasting them adds a wonderful sweetness to the salad which pairs well with the saltiness of the feta cheese. The Chipotle-Balsamic Dressing is both sweet and smokey with a little heat. For best flavor, make the dressing a day or two ahead of time. It will keep for 7 to 10 days refrigerated.
Tips for Making Southwestern Roasted Vegetable Salad:
You can double the roasted vegetables and have them ready to go for salads all week long. They will keep in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
Butternut Squash can be substituted for the sweet potato.
Black beans would be another great addition to this salad.
Add some roasted chicken for extra protein.
If you can find some, Cotija cheese is great in this salad as a substitution for feta cheese.
More Salad Recipes:
Southwestern Roasted Vegetable Salad
Southwestern Roasted Vegetable Salad is full of roasted sweet potato, bell pepper, zucchini, and red onion tossed in a Chipotle-Balsamic Dressing with diced avocado, feta cheese, and pepitas. Makes a wonderful fall salad.
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Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, divided
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- salt and pepper
Chipotle-Balsamic Dressing
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo
- 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- pinch of salt
Salad
- 1/3 cup raw pepitas
- 3 cups packed baby spinach
- 3 cups packed baby arugula
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange sweet potato and red bell pepper on a baking sheet.
Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder. Stir them to get them coated evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
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Arrange the zucchini and red onion on a second baking sheet, drizzle with remaining oil, sprinkle with chili powder and stir to mix. Season with salt and pepper
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Place both baking sheets in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the zucchini and red onion from the oven. Stir the sweet potato and red bell pepper and leave in the oven for 15 more minutes.
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To make the dressing, whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl.
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Toast the pepitas over medium heat in a nonstick skillet until golden.
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In a large bowl, combine baby spinach, arugula, the roasted veggies, feta cheese, avocado, and pepitas. Drizzle with dressing and serve.
Recipe Notes
Chiptole chili powder can be used in the dressing instead of the adobo sauce. Start with 1/4 teaspoon and add a little more if it needs it.
Recipe adapted from Love REAL Food
Disclosure: Nutritional info is provided as a guide only and can vary based on brands of products used, measuring methods, and cooking techniques.
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And BONUS, this bean salad is low in saturated fat and loaded with antioxidants. A fa perfect summer side dish for grilled meat, fish or chicken. It s best when you use sweet fresh roasted corn, but if corn is not in season, frozen, thawed corn will work just fine in it s place. I love this Southwestern black bean salad when the weather warms, it makes enough to feed a crowd. Also makes a great side dish or appetizer if served with chips or as a topping for taco salads. You can even serve with grilled meat and fresh tortillas.