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This stunning winter salad turns inexpensive root vegetables into a side dish or main meal that’s hearty, seasonal, and totally delicious. A filling, veggie-packed dish perfect for the holidays or weeknights!
Published Jan 2019/updated Nov 20, 2023
The colourful root veggies are cheap, full of nutrients, versatile and keep well for so many days. They’re often overlooked, but they deserve love, seriously. They should be a must haves in every grocery list.
Today’s winter salad recipe is just perfect to make the humble veggies shine.
And you’ll love it because it’s full of flavor and texture, economical, and healthy.
Carrots, red onions, beetroots, parsnips, sweet potatoes are roasted to bring out their essential sweetness and to create a soft, wonderful texture.
There’s a fair amount of veggie peeling and chopping involved, but the good news is that the cooking part all happens in oven!
The tender sweet root veggies are then served with fresh arugula, roasted chickpeas and tossed with a tangy vinaigrette. Roasted chickpeas are optional, but if you haven’t tried them yet, I’m telling you, it’s time.
This recipe for winter salad is totally flexible and also easy to customize with add-ins of your choice, and you’re welcome to swap in your favorite root vegetables if you wish.
This gorgeous salad is winter comfort in a bowl, it’s so worthy of impressing dinner guests or serving at the holiday table. Let’s see how to make it!
List of the ingredients
- Root vegetables
- Chickpeas (optional)
- Arugula
- Garlic
- Dijon mustard
- Herbs (optional)
- Honey (or maple syrup as a vegan option)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Salt & pepper
How to make winter salad
(Note: this is a quick description, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Peel and cut the root veggies into equal-sized chunks.
- Spread veggies and chickpeas on two separate roasting pans.
- Season both with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake for about 25 minutes.
Recipe notes & tips
Winter salad ingredients
Vegetables: want to switch it up a bit? This recipe can work with any root vegetables you have: carrots, parsnips, potatoes, beets, butternut squash, celeriac, turnips, swede or red onions.
Chickpeas: roasting a can of chickpeas along with the veggies is a good idea to add plant-based protein and more texture to the salad. However, roasting the chickpeas in the lower shelf make them not perfectly crispy as when you roast them separately.
Arugula: it adds extra nutrients and its fresh peppery notes balance the sweetness that come from the roasted vegetables. Baby spinach or baby kale work too.
Dressing: the hints of sweetness from the honey and the sharp heat of the mustard complement the roast vegetables without being overpowering or too sweet. For a citrus tang, you can use fresh lemon juice instead of vinegar.
Herbs: there was no fresh parsley at my usual grocery store, so I left it out of this recipe when I made it and took these photos, and I used some dried oregano instead. They both work in this adaptable recipe: the parsley is great if you want a pop of freshness, and the oregano is fine if you prefer more aromatic, hearty notes.
Variations & add-ins
I LOVE how this winter salad idea can be customised, essentially it looks and tastes awesome with many different add-ins, feel free to try!
Add whole grains – You can toss the vegetable with 2 or 3 cups of cooked quinoa, spelt, barley, couscous, brown rice, or you can sprinkle it with Get creative and jazz it up with whatever grain you happen to have on hand.
Nuts & seeds – Toasted pecans, walnuts, pine nuts or toasted pumpkin seeds are perfect for a satisfying crunch factor.
Cheese – Crumbled feta cheese, goat cheese or blue cheese scattered on top taste and look awesome, you’ll love that tangy flavor!
Herbs & veggies: You can swap arugula for romaine lettuce or baby kale, you can add roasted cauliflower or brussels sprouts, diced creamy avocado, and fresh herbs.
Christmas touch: if you make this winter salad for the holidays, garnished with pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries, they look so festive and taste delicious along with feta or goat cheese.
More salad recipes?
if you look for salads easy to make and full of flavor, here are some of our family’s favorites:
If you make this delicious winter salad, or you have a question, let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you! x
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Winter Salad with Root Vegetables.
Impress for less with this stunning winter salad! It turns inexpensive root vegetables into a flavorful side dish or main salad that's hearty, seasonal, and delicious. The recipe yields 4 side servings/2 large servings. Recipe updated: originally posted in January 2019, I’ve tweaked the post adding more notes and new pictures.
- 1 large beetroot, peeled
- 1 or 2 sweet potatoes, peeled
- 3 carrots, peeled
- 3 large parsnip, peeled
- 2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
- 1 can (14oz-400 grams) chickpeas, drained
- 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil, divided
- salt and pepper, to sprinkle
- 3 cups (60 grams) baby arugula, washed (to add at the end)
Honey mustard dressing
- 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tsp honey or maple syrup
- ¼ tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
- ⅛ tsp pepper, plus more to taste
- ½ garlic clove, grated (use more if you wish)
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano or 2 Tbsp fresh parsley
- Arrange two racks on the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Preheat to 425°F/220°C.
- Peel, wash and cut the root vegetables into equal size-chunks (between 1-2 inches).
- Line two baking pans with parchment paper and place the vegetables chunks on one of them, drizzle with half of the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, toss gently with your hands and spread them evenly without overlapping.
- Place the drained chickpeas in the second baking pan, season with salt, pepper add the rest of the olive oil. Toss well to coat and spread them evenly.
- Place both pans in the preheated oven (the chickpeas on the lowest rack) and bake for about 25 minutes or until the veggies are soft and slightly golden.
- Meanwhile, place the dressing ingredients in a jam jar, close the lid, and shake until well combined and emulsified. Set aside.
- When the roasted vegetable and the chickpeas cool off a little bit, place the arugula on a large serving tray or in a large bowl, and arrange the vegetables and the chickpeas on top.
- When it's time to serve the salad, shake the dressing again, then drizzle with the honey mustard dressing and serve!
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