Our “Summer of Salads” continues with today’s Rainbow Roasted Vegetable Salad. It’s bright and beautiful, with an array of flavors and textures.

Easy RAINBOW Roasted Vegetable Salad with Fresh and Sweet Roasted Veggies topped with Pesto Vinaigrette!

Why We Love Roasted Vegetable Salad

This week’s summer salad is truly a favorite. Lines of boldly colored raw vegetables and roasted vegetables topped with a quick, and zesty, pesto vinaigrette. Imagine taking this to your next neighborhood potluck. You might actually have a salad on the table that will disappear as fast as the baked beans and potato casserole.

I love the combination of cool, crispy raw veggies mixed with soft, sweet, roasted vegetables. This blend of roasted red and golden beets, roasted tomato slices, crunchy red cabbage, carrot ribbons, and cool, silky avocado slices provided the perfect balance of sweet, tangy flavors and crunch.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes for Roasted Vegetable Salad on baking sheet.

A Make Ahead Salad

Although admittedly, the roasted vegetables need a bit of time in the oven, you can roast them several days in advance if desired to make the salad prep quick and easy when it’s time to serve the Rainbow Roasted Vegetable Salad.

Beets can be roasted on high heat. However, I find roasted tomatoes taste best when roasted for a longer amount of time at a lower temperature. Simply slice small tomatoes in round and lay out on baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then set the oven timer and go on your merry way.

After roasting the beets and tomatoes until soft and sweet, you can assemble the salad right away, or refrigerate until ready to use.

Roasted Vegetable Salad lined uup on platter.

Ingredients You Need

  • Roma tomatoes – or plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes
  • Olive oil
  • Red and gold beets
  • Carrots
  • Red cabbage
  • Avocados

For the Pesto Vinaigrette:

  • Basil pesto
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Golden balsamic vinegar – or regular (dark) balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and black pepper

Roasted Vegetable Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette

You can serve this Rainbow Roasted Vegetable Salad with any sort of salad dressing you like. However, a zippy pesto vinaigrette brings out the fresh garden appeal of the salad.

To make the Pesto Vinaigrette, simply whisk basil pesto, golden (or white) balsamic vinegar, and olive oil together, then season to taste.

It’s a fabulous go-to dressing that makes any salad shine!

Gorgeous RAINBOW Roasted Vegetable Salad - half roasted vegetables and half fresh veggies.

Serving Suggestions

Our Rainbow Roasted Vegetable Salad is a wonderful way to celebrate the season’s bounty. Serve it with Grilled Blackened Chicken, Bavette Steak (Flap Meat Steak), Oven Baked Pork Chops, The Best Deviled Eggs Recipe (Angel Eggs), Crispy Roasted Potatoes, Italian Pasta Salad, and/or Orzo Pasta Salad.

FAQ

What other vegetables can I add?

Want to include more roasted veggies? You can roast and add sweet potato, butternut squash, red onion, red bell peppers, kale, broccoli, or cauliflower.

Can I include extra toppings?

Of course you can! Consider sprinkling feta cheese, pumpkin seeds, fresh parsley, or other fresh herbs on your roasted veggie salad.

What about a carby base?

Serve this salad over couscous, cooked whole grains like rice, barley, or quinoa.

Amazing RAINBOW Roasted Vegetable Salad with Fresh and Sweet Roasted Veggies topped with Pesto Vinaigrette!
Print Recipe
5 stars (2 reviews)
Leave a Review »

Rainbow Roasted Vegetable Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Roasted Vegetable Salad Recipe – A colorful blend of roasted beets and tomatoes, with fresh crisp carrots, red cabbage and avocado, with Pesto Vinaigrette.
Servings: 8

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

For the Roasted Vegetable Salad:

  • 2 pounds roma tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 beets 3 red and 3 gold
  • 3 large carrots
  • 1/4 whole red cabbage
  • 2 avocados

For the Pesto Vinaigrette:

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place the whole beets in a baking dish. Roast for 1 hour, until soft. Cool completely, then peel and slice into 1/8-inch rounds.
  • Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Slice the tomatoes into 1/3-inch rounds and lay out on foil-lined rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper liberally. Place in the oven and roast for 75-90 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and wrinkled. (If you have 2 ovens, roast both the beets and the tomatoes at the same time.)
  • Shave the carrots into thin ribbons with a veggie peeler and shave the red cabbage into a thin slaw. Peel and slice the avocados into thin pieces.
  • Arrange all the vegetables into rows on a large platter. Then pour all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl and whisk. Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Drizzle the pesto vinaigrette over the roasted rainbow salad and serve immediately.

Notes

Make-Ahead Tips: You can prepare the roasted vegetables a few days in advance. You can also chop the raw vegetables and make the dressing in advance. Store all components in an airtight container in the fridge. The avocado is the only ingredient that needs to be cut right before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 302kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 179mg, Potassium: 858mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 5360IU, Vitamin C: 39.8mg, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 1.5mg
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Author: Sommer Collier
Making this recipe?Follow us on Instagram and tag @ASpicyPerspective so we can share what you’re cooking!

Share This Recipe With Friends!