This roasted vegetable salad with a tahini dressing is hearty, delicious and nutritionally balanced. With perfectly seasoned and roasted vegetables, fresh and crisp lettuce, salty olives, protein packed lentils and the most delicious garlic lemon tahini dressing, this salad is not to be missed!
There is something about creating a delicious salad that fills me with so much joy. Salads are definitely one of my favourite things to create in the kitchen. They are a way to celebrate the seasons by using the produce that is available.
This roasted vegetable salad recipe hero’s vegetables like pumpkin, squash and beetroot alongside seasonal leafy greens. In the cooler months, our digestion often needs a little extra help and nourishment. Eating vegetables that have been slow cooked or roasted provides our bodies with spleen nourishing and easy to digest nutrients.
If you’re like me and love salads with roasted veggies, then you’ll also love my Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad, Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad or my Roasted Pumpkin and Beetroot Salad. I also have a roasted Brussels Sprouts salad with pomegranate seeds, which is seriously delicious!
What’s To Love About My Roasted Vegetable Salad
- tender roasted vegetables – the pumpkin, squash and beets are seasoned and roasted to perfection, making this veggie salad so filling and flavoursome.
- allergy friendly – this salad is made nut free, dairy free and gluten free, as well as being plant-based.
- high protein – the lentils give this salad a protein boost, which means that not only is this roast vegetable salad a great side dish, but you can even eat this salad as a main dish!
- great for meal prep – make this healthy salad ahead of time for healthy lunches throughout the week.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
This great recipe is filled with fresh ingredients that are easy to find at your local grocery store. Below are a list of the ingredients that you will need to make this nutritious salad, as well as any possible substitutions or notes. The full list of ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- pumpkin – you can swap the pumpkin for butternut squash or root vegetables like sweet potatoes or carrots. I’ve used kent pumpkin for this recipe.
- yellow squash – yellow squash can be swapped for zucchini.
- beetroot – in Australia we call beets beetroot. I’ve used purple beets, however you can also use yellow beetroot.
- mixed lettuce leaves – feel free to swap for other leafy greens like curly lettuce. I prefer not to use Romaine lettuce in this recipe, however if that’s what you have accessible to you then it’s all good!
- canned brown lentils – I love lentils in this recipe as a protein boost. You can swap the lentils for chickpeas, as they are also high in protein.
- green olives – I have used pitted green olives, you can also use Sicilian green olives.
- pepitas – also known as pumpkin seeds. Pepitas can be swapped for flaked or slivered almonds.
- sunflower seeds
- dill – you could also use other fresh herbs in this salad like fresh parsley. Dill works so well in this recipe though so if you can get dill then I would recommend it!
For the Tahini Dressing
For the dressing you will need:
- hulled tahini
- lemon juice
- extra virgin olive oil
- garlic
- honey
- sea salt
How to Make Roast Vegetable Salad
Read on to see how easy it is to make this great salad, including step-by-step photos.
Prepare Roast Vegetables & Toasted Seeds
First, preheat the oven and then prepare the roast vegetables. Carefully slice the skin away from the pumpkin and remove the pumpkin seeds. Cut into cubes and transfer to a large baking dish or large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat the pumpkin evenly.
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Cut the ends off the beets and peel off the skin. Cut in half and then cut into wedges. Transfer to a medium sized baking dish, drizzle with oil, season and toss to combine.
Slice the ends off the yellow squash and then slice into half centimetre pieces. Place in a large baking dish or large sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Spread the squash out over the base of the baking dish in a single layer. Place vegetables into the oven to bake for 55 minutes.
Next, add the sunflower seeds and pepitas to a smaller baking tray. Spread out evenly and then bake for 15 minutes or until just turning golden brown. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn! Once the seeds are finished roasting, remove from the oven and straight away transfer to a small bowl to prevent them from cooking further in the pan.
Make Tahini Dressing
While the vegetables and seeds are roasting, make the tahini dressing. Add the olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, honey and salt to a bowl and whisk until the ingredients are all well combined and the dressing starts to thicken slightly.
Cool Vegetables to Room Temperature
After 55 minutes of baking, remove the beetroot and squash from the oven. Let the pumpkin roast for a further 10 minutes. Once all of the vegetables are roasted, let them all cool to room temperature before assembling the salad.
Assemble the Salad
To assemble the salad, spread the fresh greens out over the base of a large serving platter. Top with some of the toasted seeds, then the roasted pumpkin, roasted beetroot and roasted squash. Then top with lentils, olives and fresh dill. Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving.
Storage
Store the leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If the salad has been tossed in dressing, the leaves will start to get a bit wilt-y. If meal prepping, divide the greens, roast vegetables, lentils, olives and dill between 4 dishes. Divide the dressing between four seperate smaller containers. Place the lids on each container and into the fridge for up to 4 days. Drizzle dressing over the salad just before eating.
Autumn Roasted Vegetable Salad
Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Sharp knife
- Jar
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Baking trays
- peeler
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin
- 800 grams Kent pumpkin
- 500 grams beetroot, or 3 medium sized
- 300 grams yellow squash, approximately 3 medium sized
- 1/4 cup pepitas
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
Tahini Dressing
- 1 tablespoon tahini, hulled
- 2 teaspoons honey
- pinch sea salt
- 80 millilitres extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small garlic clove, minced, optional
- 60 millilitres lemon juice, fresh
Assembly
- 150 grams mixed lettuce leaves
- 1/2 cup green olives
- 400 gram tinned lentils, strained and rinsed
- dill, fresh
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
- Prepare pumpkin by removing skin and seeds and then dicing. Transfer to a baking dish, drizzle in olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Spread out evenly across the base of the baking dish.800 grams Kent pumpkin, 3 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- Remove tops and bottoms from beetroot, then peel and cut into wedges. Transfer to a seperate baking dish, drizzle in olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Spread out evenly across the base of the baking dish.500 grams beetroot or 3 medium sized, 3 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- Remove tops and bottoms from squash and slice into .5cm thick pieces. Transfer to a seperate baking dish, drizzle in olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Spread out evenly across the base of the baking dish.300 grams yellow squash approximately 3 medium sized, 3 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- Add squash, beetroot and pumpkin trays to oven and bake for 55 minutes.
- Meanwhile add pepitas and sunflower seeds to a baking tray and place in oven for 15 minutes.1/4 cup pepitas, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- Once the vegetables have roasted for 55 minutes, remove the squash and beetroot trays from the oven and leave the pumpkin in for a further 10 minutes.
- While the vegetables and seeds are roasting, prepare the dressing. Add tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, pinch of salt and garlic to a small bowl. Whisk until the ingredients are well combined and the dressing is smooth and creamy-like.1 tablespoon tahini hulled, 2 teaspoons honey, pinch sea salt, 80 millilitres extra virgin olive oil, 1 small garlic clove minced, optional, 60 millilitres lemon juice fresh
- Once the vegetables have all cooled to room temperature, assemble the salad. To assemble, spread lettuce leaves across the base of a large serving platter. Top with seeds, roasted vegetables, lentils, olives and then more seeds. Top with fresh dill and drizzle in the tahini dressing.150 grams mixed lettuce leaves, 400 gram tinned lentils strained and rinsed, 1/2 cup green olives
Notes
Nutrition
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