Over the past 6 months or so, I’ve had a rather strong obsession with roasted vegetables. I just can’t seem to get enough of them and I’ve yet to find a veggie that I don’t enjoy in its roasted state. They are most definitely my favorite side dish of late; sometimes even filling in as a main course. The rest of my family is on board with enjoying them frequently in addition to our dinners, but I’ve had a more difficult time convincing them of the benefits of roasted veggies as a complete meal. Oh well…
The heat of the summer kept us from enjoying steamy plates of these beloved veggies on a regular basis. But that all changed a few weeks ago when I was introduced to a new method for serving my favorite side dish at a family party. As I watched the caterer uncover a tray filled with a heaping portion of chilled roasted vegetables, I was instantly smitten. And after that first bite, I was a goner. I couldn’t wait to get home and play around with this new method so that we could enjoy it on a regular basis.
So far I’ve been thrilled with every combination I’ve thrown together, but this one is by far my favorite. The tanginess of the dressing is a perfect complement for the crisp, freshly roasted veggies and the flavor is just as great in leftover form.
Chilled Roasted Vegetable Salad with Horseradish-Dijon Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb broccolini, trimmed
- 1/2 lb baby Portabello mushrooms, quartered
- 1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed
- 1/2 lb green beans, trimmed
- 2 medium-sized yellow squash, halved lengthwise and thickly sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard (use your favorite; I like stone-ground)
- 1 tbsp horseradish
- 1/3 cup water
Instructions
- Combine vegetables in a large bowl. Add olive oil, salt, garlic powder and pepper; toss to combine. Spread vegetables onto foil-lined baking sheets. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, or until veggies are crisp-tender and lightly roasted.
- Let vegetables come to room temperature and then transfer to the refrigerator. While the vegetables chill, whisk together the mustard, horseradish and water. Pour the dressing over the veggies and toss until combined.
- Chill dressed veggies until serving.
Notes
One word of warning – you may want to let people know ahead of time that these are chilled veggies so that they don’t get a shock when they take their first bite. The first time I served this, my husband was expecting to bite into hot vegetables and was a little thrown. But trust me, as long as you don’t shock your family and/or guests, they’ll absolutely love enjoying this dish!