Warm Roasted Salad with a Walnut & Red Wine Vinegar Dressing

A recipe by Amelia Freer
Serves 4 ● Prep time: 20 minutes ● Cooking time: 45 minutes
Warm roasted salads like this one are an absolute staple in my autumn and winter kitchen. They are easy to make and dressing the vegetables with a flavour-packed and fragrant vinaigrette definitely elevates this dish.

I’m not such a huge fan of eating lots of raw foods in the winter months, so I find this sort of meal is a great way to pack in the veggies, while still enjoying a hearty, warming meal. It’s worth making a double portion of the dressing, as it will keep in the fridge for a couple of days in a jam jar and can be used to drizzle over steamed vegetables, tossed through new potatoes or over quick lunchtime salads.

TIP: If you’d like to make this a vegan meal, substitute the goat’s cheese or feta for a tin of rinsed and drained chickpeas, for a source of plant-based protein and use agave rather than honey for the dressing.
method

For the dressing:

  • 5 tbsp walnut oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 25g walnuts, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp honey/agave
  • 3 tbsp Aspall red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

For the roasted salad:

  • 1 small red cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
  • 1 orange, thickly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed in their skins
  • 2 large handfuls spinach, tough stalks removed
  • 100g goat’s cheese (or feta)


For the dressing:

  1. Add the walnut oil, crushed garlic and walnuts to a small pan and place over a low heat for a few minutes, until the oil is warm and fragrant. Remove from the heat. 
  2. Stir in the honey, red wine vinegar and parsley and pour over the roasted salad to serve.

For the roasted salad:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC
  2. Lay the red cabbage wedges into a la20rge, deep baking tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, season well with salt and pepper then toss to coat the cabbage. Transfer to the oven on the top shelf and cook for 10 mins.
  3. Meanwhile, spread the cauliflower and butternut squash out onto another baking tray and drizzle with the remaining olive oil, season and toss to coat all the vegetables in oil.
  4. Move the cabbage to the bottom shelf in the oven, put the cauliflower and squash on the top shelf and roast for 20 minutes. After this time, add the orange slices and garlic and give everything a stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the pan. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and turning golden. 
  5. Remove both trays from the oven and tip the cauliflower and squash into the cabbage tray. 
  6. Add the spinach and dressing and toss everything together.  The heat from the vegetables will wilt the spinach.
  7. Tear the goat’s cheese (or crumble the feta) into rough chunks and toss through the vegetables and serve.
ingredients

For the dressing:

  • 5 tbsp walnut oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 25g walnuts, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp honey/agave
  • 3 tbsp Aspall red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

For the roasted salad:

  • 1 small red cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
  • 1 orange, thickly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed in their skins
  • 2 large handfuls spinach, tough stalks removed
  • 100g goat’s cheese (or feta)


method

For the dressing:

  1. Add the walnut oil, crushed garlic and walnuts to a small pan and place over a low heat for a few minutes, until the oil is warm and fragrant. Remove from the heat. 
  2. Stir in the honey, red wine vinegar and parsley and pour over the roasted salad to serve.

For the roasted salad:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC
  2. Lay the red cabbage wedges into a la20rge, deep baking tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, season well with salt and pepper then toss to coat the cabbage. Transfer to the oven on the top shelf and cook for 10 mins.
  3. Meanwhile, spread the cauliflower and butternut squash out onto another baking tray and drizzle with the remaining olive oil, season and toss to coat all the vegetables in oil.
  4. Move the cabbage to the bottom shelf in the oven, put the cauliflower and squash on the top shelf and roast for 20 minutes. After this time, add the orange slices and garlic and give everything a stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the pan. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and turning golden. 
  5. Remove both trays from the oven and tip the cauliflower and squash into the cabbage tray. 
  6. Add the spinach and dressing and toss everything together.  The heat from the vegetables will wilt the spinach.
  7. Tear the goat’s cheese (or crumble the feta) into rough chunks and toss through the vegetables and serve.