
Roasted Veg Vinaigrette
Vinaigrettes are equally as important to me as their salad counterparts. With a proper choice of ingredients, one can really make a salad burst with flavor with a perfectly paired vinaigrette.
I’ve posted before on vinaigrettes made with reduced beet juice ( think salad of crunchy vegetables, lentils and goat cheese) and a vinaigrette made with a fresh pear (think baby greens with apples, bacon, and blue cheese).
I’ve posted on a vinaigrette made with strawberry vinegar, one made with pineapple juice, vinaigrettes with parsley or curry powder… the list is really endless because the possibilities are endless.
Recently I was inspired by a vinaigrette recipe made with roasted onion and shallot. And I got to thinking what I could add to that… because I can’t leave a recipe alone. This is one I created.
Beyond roasting the vegetables, which is left to your oven, the rest is easy!
Make a triple batch! You’ll love how versatile this is not only as a vinaigrette but as a marinade, or served with grilled leeks or asparagus.
Roasted Vegetable Vinaigrette
1 purple onion, peeled, quartered
1 red bell pepper, trimmed, de-seeded, cut into 8ths
6 shallots, peeled, halved
6 cloves garlic, peeled
Olive oil, divided
Salt
Pepper
Red wine vinegar
Tabasco sauce (optional)
Preheat the oven to a roast setting, or 400 degrees F.
Place the onion, red bell pepper, shallots and garlic cloves on a jelly roll pan or rimmed roasting sheet. Generously drizzle olive oil over the vegetables, about 1/4 cup. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast until vegetables show some caramelization and are tender. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool.
Place all of the vegetables and olive oil into a blender jar.
Blend until smooth, adding another 1/4 cup or so of olive oil.
Then add the red wine vinegar. I’m not offering amounts in this recipe, only because I like my vinaigrettes strongly vinegar-flavored. Most people I’ve cooked for do not.
If you want some zing, add some Tabasco sauce, taste away, and season more if necessary. I added more salt.
Make sure the vinaigrette is smooth. If you use cruets for your vinaigrettes, you are familiar with the problem with one little piece of garlic clogging the spout!
The salad I created to showcase this vinaigrette was simple. Butter lettuce, crab, avocado, green onions, and black sesame seeds.
It was a perfect pairing of tastes and textures.
I was lucky enough to have frozen crab legs left over from the holidays, so I used that crab. But grilled shrimp or scallops would also be divine.
Note: This recipe actually makes a fabulous dipping sauce if you omit the vinegar.
OMG! So absolutely amazing! beautiful!!
Thanks! It was very very good!
That dressing sounds delicious!
Thank you so much!
Great and versatile dressing. Yummy! :)
Thank you! It is versatile.
Love it!
Thank you!
Thanks!
I have never used roasted veggies in a vinaigrette before. I so need to try your recipe!
I hope you like it! It truly was good without the vinegar as well. I played a little!
The dressing sounds amazing! I love to try new ideas for salads!
Thank you! Nothing much better than roasted vegetable flavors.
This is brilliant! Never thought about roasting veggies and turning them into a vinaigrette! Bet it’s so flavorful and I’m going to try it over roasted salmon. YUM!
You’ll love it! Or just let them become a sauce and forget the vinegar. Really yummy!
That looks divine. I’m a sucker for a gorgeous protein salad. And that dressing was produce-filled, too. I’ve got to go and find your reduced beet dressing. I’ve been in a beet mood lately.
I’ll just buy canned beets, and save the juice. The reduction can have so many uses!
What a great idea! I can see lots of uses for this, even as a sauce for fish or chicken. I have a similar problem with vinegar, I like my dressings quite tart and it isn’t always to everyones liking.
When I catered and cooked for a family, I was barely allowed to use vinegar!
What a lovely dressing, Mimi! I personally love vinaigrettes and often use a 1:1 ratio rather than the 1:3 (vinegar:oil) a lot of folks like. But I think the Roasted veggies as a dressing is awesome, and I’ve never even considered it! Thanks so much for this recipe, Mimi!
That’s the ratio I use as well. Sometimes even more vinegar… I hope you get to try this!
That’s what I’m talking about! Well done, as always!
Thank you Miss Kelly!
What an interesting method. I shall have to try this for sure.
Thanks, Tandy.
Good Lord, what a gorgeous salad! I am so inspired by all you vinaigrette ideas!
Thanks so much Jeff! I kinda like them.
That is one delicious looking salad. I don’t think I’ve ever had a vinaigrette quite like this. I’m already thinking of what I want to put it on beyond salad. I think it could also be a dip, a sauce, spread into a sandwich. Love!
Exactly! Before I turned it into a vinaigrette I was dipping all kinds of things in it! It would be great with fried Haloumi!
Mimi, your crab salad looks amazing and yummy. I love vinaigrettes, but I’ve not made a roasted onion one. It sounds wonderful and I’m with you the more vinegar the better (to a point). I believe your vinaigrette will play well on a salmon sashimi salad we like.
Oooh, that does sound good! You’re so lucky to get good fish where you live.
I can never leave a recipe alone, either. Fun to play in the kitchen, isn’t it? And gosh, looking what you’ve come up with — this is genius! Really excellent — thanks.
I can’t even follow my own recipes when I need to! But, that is the fun of playing in the kitchen. Thank you.
i love the idea of blending veggies into vinaigrette! the roastedness would add such a nice sweetness, and it looks like the vinaigrette has such a great body because of all the veg.
It definitely has a lot of body to it; it’s not runny. And the flavor is wonderful!
I really like the sound of your roasted vegetable vinaigrette and looking forward to trying it for myself!
Thanks! It’s very tasty and quite versatile. I’m already excited to make it again.
Thank you Susan! It was a fun thing to try. Alternately I could have just roasted vegetables and onions and put them on the salad!!!
LOVE this! And we like our vinaigrettes vinegary, too. Will be making this soon.
Thanks! Try it without the vinegar first. I really also like it as a sauce/dip!
When I make salads for lunch, I will just pour on the vinegar(s). No real need for oil when I’m not actually preparing a vinaigrette!
Hello Mimi! all recipes are just perfect and sound so Yummy! ‘tablescapes’ are pretty designed too. have you ever posted any Chocolate Brownie Cake recipe(s)? I would be interested in trying a ‘new’ recipe. Hope you are doing well!:)
Thank you so much. Yes, I’m doing well. I don’t bake much so I know there’s no chocolate brownie cake recipe on my blog! Hope you’re doing well!
Firstly I know this recipe is about your roasted veg vinaigrette Mimi, but that salad looks amazing! I can imagine the flavours of the vinaigrette complimenting it perfectly. Nice. Very nice!
Thanks so much Neil! The crab turned out pretty good considering I can only get real crab frozen. It was still a treat for me!
I would never think of doing something like this – what a great idea!! I’ve been eating a lot of salad lately so this will make things a little more interesting :)
I even eat salads during winter months, which some people find strange. Occasionally if I’m chilled I do have a hot meal.
This looks and sounds absolutely marvelous! Any way to add a few extra veggies to my plate – I’m IN!!
Exactly! And it they’re not on the salad, they might as well be in the vinaigrette!
A very unusual (and fantastic!) vinaigrette recipe! Nowadays I’m crazy for Ceasar sauce and have almost forgotten the old good vinaigrette and its variations… but it’ll come back with spring, I’m sure because the sunnier the days, the more vinaigrette I make! Thank you for bringing some sunshine with this wonderful idea!
I understand that. It really makes sense. Me, I have salads year round. Unless I’m chilled and really need something warming!
Oh, my gosh, all your salads and vinaigrettes sound amazing!! But this salad with the crab and avocados is especially enticing—plus the vinaigrette is lovely!!
Thank you! That crab was really good for frozen, which is all I can get if I want real crab!
Amazing office lunch ! Amazing !
Thank you!
Absolutely in love with the vinaigrette! The marriage of all those flavors sounds beautiful. I am definitely going to try this. thanks for sharing :)
You are so welcome! It was fun making it and sampling it!
Brava! I make a roasted shallot dressing but I love all the veggies you added!
Well, that sounds good, too! You could probably roast shoe soles and they would be good!
Beautiful (and delicious)…all those vibrant colours and gorgeous photos. I feel healthier just looking at this Mimi 😊
Hahahahaha! Glad I could help with that! Thank you.
Simply luscious. I make a similar vinaigrette with shallots only. The addition of more veg makes this appropriate to more than just salads. Asparagus as you say sounds good, but I bet fish would love to swim in this vinaigrette as well. GREG
Oh, that does sound good. Thanks for the idea!
Those roasted vegetables look wonderful. And I really love the beautiful grey plate. I love vinaigrettes too xx
I totally agree that the vinaigrette makes a salad. What a beautiful idea of roasting veggies to make the dressing. Brilliant. It must be loaded with flavor. Thanks for posting.
It was definitely flavorful, in a lovely roasted veg way!!
I love a good vinaigrette, and I would never have had the creativity with the ingredients to come up with this recipe! Incredible! And i can’t wait to give it a try. :-)
You’re too kind! I just love playing in the kitchen. I think we had so many lean year when I had to be creative with my cooking so as to not waste one carrot, that it turned me into what I do today in the kitchen. I still don’t like to waste food, but it also promotes creativity to “use what you already have.”
A good vinaigrette makes the salad. In some ways, I think, it’s more important than what is in the salad. See you!
Neil Scheinin
Could be! Especially for a simpler salad of just greens. Thanks.
I love them . I am happy always to look at your recipe.thank you
Yum!
Thanks!