We’ve just passed the summer solstice, which means that zucchini is in full swing! Better yet, it’s time for roasted zucchini salad. As I discovered, zucchini is a perfect pair for arugula. The resultant salad is a trifecta: peppery arugula, earthy zucchini, and a zippy vinaigrette. Besides, this roasted zucchini salad is hearty enough to eat on its own.
Roasting vegetables
Roasting is the lazy cook’s path toward vegetable greatness. It brings out incredible flavor, and unlike panfried veggies, requires next to no monitoring. Eat them as-is, add them to a bowl, or enjoy them like I did in a salad.
Plus, check out this resource on roasting pretty much any veggie.
Roasted zucchini
Zucchini is pretty foolproof–it’s good any way it’s cooked. But for zucchini that cooks all the way through and caramelizes a little to boot, I used this recipe for oven roasted zucchini.
The alternative is to fire up the grill, but there’s NO WAY I’m getting out our big clunker grill today. I’d use the saying “it’s on its last legs,” but its legs have partially broken off, and now the whole thing is balanced on stacks of plywood. Womp.
Making the vinaigrette
Any olive oil-based dressing will do, but I especially love this one–just olive oil, white wine vinegar, and a whopping two teaspoons mustard. While I often add sweetener to salad dressings, I found that this salad worked much better without anything to dampen its brightness.
Speaking of brightness…
This time of year, the Crepe Myrtles are in full bloom. Their fireworks of flowers make summer picnics feel dreamy. That is, until the thunderstorms roll in.
Inspirations
I adapted my salad from this salad recipe by Diane Kochilas, creator of My Greek Table, a TV show on public television. If you haven’t checked out her blog, you should. It’s filled with healthy, Greek meals.
Caramelized Zucchini, Arugula, Chickpea Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: salads, summer, healthy
- Method: roasted
- Cuisine: Greek, American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Oven-roasted zucchini join chickpeas and arugula, all topped with a tangy vinaigrette.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 2 medium zucchini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, for drizzling
- 2 big handfuls arugula (about 2 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1/4 onion, sliced
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegarette
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 Fahrenheit.
- Slice zucchini in half, lengthwise, then slice into 1/4 inch half-moons.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place zucchini on top. Toss zucchini with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
- Place in the oven on your hottest rack. Bake 25-30 minutes, or when the bottom side of the zucchini is caramelized but not singed. Occasionally, shake the pan to make sure the zucchini are evenly cooked and are not sticking.
- Cool thoroughly in the fridge.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I added a pinch of each).
- To a large salad bowl, add the chickpeas, arugula, and cooled zucchini. Toss with the vinaigrette, to taste. Finally, top with sliced onions.
Keywords: salad, zucchini, roasted, vinaigrette, light, healthy, vegan, vegetarian, chickpeas, Greek, summer