Creamy Balsamic Dressing over a Roasted Vegetable Salad
A fabulous solution for a quick meal, making meals ahead for the week, or using last night’s leftovers! This creamy sauce is destined to become a household staple on just about everything!
Uncovering the sweet side. We all have a little sweetness in us, despite whatever hard exterior we put up! 🙂 Vegetables are no different. While they are savory in nature, I find that roasting brings out a different flavor profile, almost like a reduced vinegar would start to become sweetened. On many garden vegetable salads, one may opt for a sweeter dressing to balance out the raw taste. Completely the opposite here-the creamy balsamic dances really well with the sweet veggies, eliminating the need for more sugar in the dressing!
The new Little Black Dress! There are times to be humble, and times to SCREAM OVER THE MOUNTAINTOP! This salad dressing might be one of those moments. My go-to dressing for the majority of salads is a fairly basic oil and vinegar combo, so this wasn’t a huge stretch…or so I thought. Having an abundance of vegetables in my fridge, this salad was tossed together without a lot of pre-thought, and without protein. As the veggies were cooking, I pulled open my fridge drawers and started grabbing ideas. Adding a creamy element seemed fitting with warm garden produce. I’ve made many mustard and mayo type dressings, and recently discovered a favorite in soy and cream (yum, try this!), so my brain went to vinegar and mayo. Yes. Just yes! This dressing against warmed vegetables has been my favorite so far, but I used the remainders of this batch over fresh tomatoes, with a seared chicken breast, and as a dip, all fantastic (a little watery on the dip, but flavor was great)!
This blog is all about sauces! Whether warm or cold, a good meal becomes a great meal with the right topping! Here are some of my favorites:
Eggs under Aged Cheddar and Garlic Cream Sauce
Charred Brussel Sprout Salad with a Tahini Beet Dressing
Slivered Sugar Snap Peas with a Honey Goat Cheese Vinaigrette
Walnut Crusted Goat Cheese with a Sweet Apple Cider Mustard Vinaigrette
Roasted Winter Vegetables with a Spicy Soy Balsamic Glaze (I’ve made this by request for dinner guests 3 times in a row!)
Smothered Pork Chops with a Creamy Soy and Mushroom Sauce
Salmon Meatballs with an Avocado Cream Sauce (you will recognize variations of this in many dishes-add feta, blue cheese, half cream cheese, cilantro/lime…so many possibilities-easily one of my favorites!)
Summer is in full swing and our kitchen is going nuts with experiments! Don’t miss out on any new recipes! Head over and Like and Follow Goddess of Garlic on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest to receive notifications as they are published!
Creamy Balsamic Dressing over a Roasted Vegetable Salad
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Immersion blender
- Air Fryer/Oven
- Kitchen knife
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Sweetener (sugar or maple syrup) I used a monk fruit sweetener
- 3 tbsp Mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- Water as needed (1-2 tbsp)
- Salt and Coarse Pepper
- 1/2 large Zucchini
- 1/2 large Yellow Summer Squash
- 1 1/2 cup Cauliflower Florets
- 1 cup Cubed Peppers I used min sweet peppers
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes
- 4 handfuls Mixed Greens
- 1/2 cup Hazelnuts
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Cube zucchini, summer squash and peppers and place in mixing bowl. Add cherry tomatoes and cauliflower florets. Pour olive oil over and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat.
- If using an air fryer, add to tray and cook for about 20 minutes, shaking several times throughout. With a conventional oven, simply lay out on a baking sheet and cook at 350 for about 25 minutes, removing to stir halfway through. Cooking times will vary based on ovens used, but cook until veggies are tender and start to have a little char color.
- As veggies are roasting, in mixing bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic, garlic clove, mayo, sweetener, and mustard. Use immersion blend to blend until smooth. As desired, add a bit of water a little at a time to make a thinner consistency. Season with salt and coarse black pepper.
- Take hazelnuts and slice in half. Option to toast these if you'd like an additional flavor.
- Remove the veggies from the oven and allow a few minutes to cool. Option to serve warm or chilled. *I had this originally with warmed veggies and the rest the next day for lunch with them chilled-both were fabulous!
- Plate the greens and top with roasted vegetables. Drizzle dressing liberally over the top and sprinkle with hazelnuts. Enjoy! *By substituting vegan mayonnaise, this could easily become an animal free dish!
