This Root Vegetable Salad with Easy Lemon Dressing was born out of my absolute obsession with root vegetables in the wintertime. On a cold day I want to eat food that was built for that type of weather. It turns out that root vegetables are full of the things our bodies need more in the wintertime: minerals. These help our bodies stay strong and fight off the cold and germs and all the environmental stress we encounter.
And I chose lemon juice because citrus is actually in season during the wintertime, and it’s full of vitamin C (that other nutrient we need a ton of in the cold season.) Mother Nature sure does know what she’s doing.
My favorite way to make this salad really work for you: meal prep your root veggies earlier in the week. With the roasting out of the way, you can throw this salad together in less than 5 minutes on a busy weeknight.
So enjoy this super tasty, low fuss salad. It’s bound to make you feel good.
Feel Good Vibes
- Root vegetables are full of potassium, magnesium, and complex carbs that support energy and electrolyte balance in colder months.
- Citrus and fennel give us vitamin C and antioxidants that support immune function.
- Walnuts and olive oil spread the love with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids that help reduce inflammation.
Ingredient Substitutions
- No red onion? Shallots or yellow onion.
- No sherry vinegar? Lemon juice, white wine or red wine vinegar.
- Any of the root vegetables can be substituted with hakurai turnips, kohlrabi, radishes, daikon, celery root or rutabaga.
- No fresh thyme? Sub with fresh rosemary or marjoram.
- No spinach or kale? Arugula, mizuna or watercress.
- No fennel? Omit.
- No currants? Chopped Medjool dates.
- No walnuts? Pecans or pistachios.
- No Greek yogurt? Chevré or ricotta.
Recipe Tips & FAQs
- Pickled onions require just a few things: salt, acid and time. If your onions aren’t pickling after 20 minutes, check to see if there’s any liquid in the bottom of the bowl. If there is, that means you need more salt. If there isn’t, you probably need to add more vinegar. 9 times out of 10, I find people haven’t added enough salt when they have a problem making pickled onions.
- When roasting more than one type of root vegetable, it’s important to cook them separately. That way if one gets done before the others, you can remove it from the oven and let the others finish cooking.
- Another trick is to try to cut your root vegetables all the same size to ensure even cooking.
- If you’ve never worked with fennel before, it has a small core at the bottom. It’s easiest to use if you cut the stalks off the top, quarter the white bulb, and slice out the core by cutting diagonally down at the root end. You can save the fennel fronds (green fluffy plushes at the top) for a garnish.
Serving Suggestions
- Pair it with a bowl of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup.
- Serve it with this Asparagus Mushroom Frittata for lunch or dinner.
- Serve with this Roasted Pork Tenderloin.
Storage and Shelf Life
Make Ahead: The veggies can be pre-roasted up to 3 days ahead of time.
Refrigerate: Holds well in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Freezer: No.
Final Thoughts
The first time I made this Root Vegetable Salad with Easy Lemon Dressing, it was honestly a fridge cleanout type of sitch.
One of my favorite go-to dinners is a stupid easy salad, and that day I had some tasty roasted root veggies, super fresh lettuce, a lemon and a little bit of Greek yogurt.
I popped into my pantry and pulled out some currants and toasted walnuts, and there you go, a really satisfying dinner on the table in under 5 minutes.
Then it was time for the alchemy. I shmeared some Greek yogurt on the plate, placed the salad on top, and dug in. Dragging it through that yogurt transformed the flavor and texture into something worthy of a 5 star restaurant.
Next thing you know I’m recreating this salad for catering events and dinner parties because it deserved to be repeated. And now I get to share it with all of you!
Have you tried this recipe yet? If so, please share your experience in the comments below. I honestly cannot wait to hear from you about this one! And don’t forget to sign up for the Everyday Alchemy newsletter here.
Roasted Root Vegetable Salad with Easy Lemon Dressing
Ingredients
- For the Pickled Red Onion:
- ½ cup red onion sliced very thinly
- ¼ cup sherry vinegar red wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- For the Salad:
- ½ cup sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- ½ cup carrots peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
- ½ cup parsnip peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
- ½ cup beets peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for roasting
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil for dressing
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 3 ounces baby spinach or other hearty green such as curly kale
- ½ cup fennel shaved thinly
- 2 tablespoons shallot minced
- ½ cup currants
- 1 cup toasted walnuts
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice about 1 lemon
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt
- Sea salt to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the Pickled Onions: Mix the ½ cup sliced red onions, ¼ cup sherry vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt together in a bowl. Onions are pickled once they wilt and turn pink. This will take about 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Separately toss the ½ cup sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips and beets each with 1 clove of crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place each vegetable on its own quarter of a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Spread the 4 thyme sprigs over the top.
- Roast in the oven until tender, about 30 minutes. If one vegetable gets done before the others, remove it from the tray. Once the veggies are tender, remove from the oven and discard the thyme stems. Let them cool to room temperature.
- Toss together the roasted root veggies, 3 ounces spinach, 2 tablespoons minced shallot, ½ cup shaved fennel, ½ cup currants and 1 cup toasted walnuts. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and ¼ cup olive oil, mix to combine, and check the seasoning. Divide the ¾ cup of Greek yogurt by putting a dollop on each plate, top with the salad and serve.
Hi, I’m Julia.
I’m a chef and wellness advocate passionate about helping others live well through nourishing food. I trained at the Culinary Institute of America and now work as a personal chef and community food advocate in Atlanta.
Want to know what inspired me to start Everyday Alchemy? Click the link icon below to read more.