Sheet-Pan Salad
Salads aren't just for summer! When cooler weather comes your way, it's time to make a sheet-pan salad. Your cooking technique and choice of ingredients can make all the difference in bridging the gap between seasons and providing optimal taste and nutrition for a fuss-free main course salad.
When choosing meals, ensuring you've got lots of plants on your plate means your body is getting the nourishment AND protection it needs to perform essential functions, maintain health, and prevent disease. A sheet-pan salad is something everyone can enjoy!
Components of a Harvest Sheet-Pan Salad
Hearty Vegetables
Choose seasonal vegetables that stand up to roasting and whose flavors deepen and sweeten with this cool-weather cooking technique:
Winter squash like butternut or delicata are sweet and satisfying
Root vegetables like carrots, potatoes (white or sweet), celeriac, parsnips, turnips, and beets are natural choices
Broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts from the cruciferous family were made for the deep, dry heat of roasting–crisping up their edges and lending a smoky, fall flavor
Green beans and mushrooms are fabulous when roasted and added to salads
Zucchini and yellow squash, preparing for their late summer finale, are tender additions
Aromatics like onions (red or white), shallots, garlic, celery, and leeks impart essential flavor
Spices
Spice blends turn a ho-hum salad into something special. Mix your own blends using warming spices like cumin, coriander, onion and garlic powders, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and chili powder or use your favorite store-bought blend and sprinkle on your veggies before roasting.
Whole Grains
Cooked grains bring satisfying taste, texture, and important vitamins and fiber to the party in your mouth! Quick-cooking grains like quinoa or bulgur work beautifully as do others like barley, farro, freekah, and rice (wild or brown). Serving them warm is ideal.
Beans
A can of beans can add a potent source of plant-based protein and fiber to your meal. Welcome to your salad beans and legumes like chickpeas, kidney, pinto, cannellini, or black beans. Lentils are lovely, too! What about the falafel in the freezer?
Leafy Greens
Tossing the roasted veggies and grains with leafy greens adds volume, important nutrients, and makes a salad a salad! Consider curly kale, arugula, and baby spinach.
Fruit
Include a fresh, sweet, seasonal crunch by chopping up pears or apples or add citrus segments for a burst of brightness.
Embellishments
Pantry ingredients like olives, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits like apricots, cranberries, or dates can add a pop of saltiness, crunch, or chewy sweetness when used in moderation.
Dressing: It's easy to make simple, flavorful dressings without oil. Just mix together an acids like lemon juice or vinegar with a dash of mayple syrup, a teaspoon of mustard, herbs and spices, soy sauce or salt. Try adding few tablespoons of orange juice! Nutritional yeast adds a nice, cheesy flavor. Also consider a tablespoon of miso or tahini if you have them! Here's a dressing recipe to try:
Blend the following ingredients until smooth:
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1 cup water, plus more to thin
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon miso
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon coconut aminos or soy sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Bringing it All Together
You can have a sheet-pan salad on the table for dinner in s snap if you follow these steps:
Prep: Prepare veggies by chopping them into similarly sized pieces so they roast at the same rate. Small pieces ensure you can get a mouthful of flavor into one bite and keeps cooking time shorter than larger pieces. Consider buying pre-chopped veggies if that helps.
Roast: Line a large sheet tray with parchment. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Arrange your veggies by type (so you can easily remove any that are done before others if necessary) and use a spritz of cooking oil, liquid from the beans, or lemon juice to moisten which helps spices adhere. Include drained beans along with your veggies or use a separate tray if you need more room. Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of your spice blend. Add salt and pepper. Roast for up to 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork-tender.
Cook Grains: Follow package instructions to cook your favorite grains then keep warm while veggies are roasting.
Make the Dressing or use lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder for something super-quick.
Assemble: In a large bowl, toss together leafy greens, roasted veggies and beans, and grains. Top with embellishments and drizzle with dressing. Serve and enjoy!
Change It Up
Mixing and matching your veggies, grains, beans, spices, and dressings provides an endless variety for your sheet-pan salads. A southwestern vibe might include sweet potatoes, black beans, frozen corn, bell peppers, and jalapeño served with corn chips on the side. An Italian-style salad could include roasted tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, and oil-free red wine vinaigrette. You get the idea!
Store extra salad without dressing in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
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