Sweet and savory late summer veggies marinated in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, fresh thyme and roasted or grilled until tender crisp. Easy, healthy and absolutely delicious!
This post is brought to you in partnership with my friends at Naturally McHenry County. This recipe was inspired by a trip to the Woodstock Farmer's Market, which has been named the best producers market in the state of Illinois!
Visiting local farmer's markets is my absolute favorite activity during the season. I love to peruse the colorful stands and get inspired by the vibrant produce. This roasted vegetable salad is a delicious mix of the best of the season's produce from the Woodstock Farmer's Market in McHenry County, Illinois.
About 50 miles outside of Chicago, located in the historic town square, the Woodstock Farmer's Market is named #1 farmer's market in Illinois by the American Farmland Trust. It's truly an exceptional market with everything from fresh fruit and veggies, to cheeses, meats and handcrafted goods.
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Why you will love this recipe
- It's super flexible and you can use a combination of whatever farmer's market fresh veggies you like. It's a no-recipe recipe!
- It's super easy to make, healthy, colorful and delicious.
- You can roast the veggies in the oven or toss them in a basket on the grill for that delicious char flavor.
- It can be made ahead of time and served at room temperature, making it perfect for entertaining or meal prep.
Ingredients
You can use a mix of whatever veggies you like. This is my favorite combination of ingredients.
- Mushrooms - Portobello mushrooms, baby bella or white mushrooms work beautifully in this recipe. Use a meatier type of mushroom.
- Zucchini and Yellow Squash
- Eggplant - the long, skinny Chinese or Japanese eggplants are perfect for this recipe. They have thin skins, less seeds and cook relatively quickly making them perfect for combining with the other veggies.
- Bell Pepper - any color that you want.
- Red Onion
- Fresh Garlic
- Fresh Thyme - if you don't have fresh herbs, you can substitute with dried thyme.
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Salt and pepper
- Arugula - I like to serve this on a bed of arugula. You can also use spring mix, mesclun mix, mizuna or just enjoy the veggies on their own.
Method
Wash and chop the veggies into ½-1 inch chunks. Try to make them all about the same size.
Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with minced garlic, salt, pepper and fresh thyme leaves.
Toss, cover and marinate vegetables in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the veggies out on a large sheet pan and roast for 20-30 minutes, tossing halfway through until desired doneness. When they come out of the oven, drizzle with remaining marinade.
Serve warm or a room temperature over a bed of arugula or your favorite greens.
Recipe Tips
- Cut all of the veggies about the same size so that they cook evenly.
- This can also be done on the grill. Slice the veggies into thick slices, grill until desired doneness over medium heat and chop them into chunks after cooking.
- Roasted or grilled veggies keep well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Leftovers can be enjoyed as is or used in sandwiches or as a pizza topping.
What to serve with balsamic marinated vegetable salad
- Grilled chicken, steak, fish or shrimp. Try it with this Mediterranean Grilled Chicken, Brown Sugar Marinated Pork Chops, Oven-Baked White Fish or this Spatchcock Roast Chicken with Baby Potatoes.
- This salad pairs perfectly with this Arugula Pesto Pasta.
- Add some cheese! Shaved parmesan, crumbled feta, goat cheese, fresh mozzarella or burrata or grilled or pan fried halloumi work beautifully.
More farmer's market inspired recipes to try
Balsamic Marinated Roasted Vegetable Salad
Ingredients
- 2 large Portobello mushrooms
- 1 Small zucchini
- 1 Small yellow squash
- 1 Chinese or Japanese Eggplant
- 1 Bell Pepper
- 1 Red Onion
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Fresh thyme leaves
- 3 tablespoons Olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bunch Arugula optional
Instructions
- Chop vegetables one inch chunks.
- Toss with minced garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread marinated veggies out on a large sheet pan. Roast for 20-30 minutes until tender crisp.
- Serve warm or room temperature over a bed of arugula.
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