Vegan Roasted Autumn Panzanella Salad

Sometimes you just need a hearty fall salad in your life. Now that it’s pretty chilly in Michigan and I saw snow floating in the air on Saturday (!!!) it’s ok to turn on the oven and roast things again. I roasted up some of my favorite fall veggies and combined them with kale, red onion and a punchy lemon vinaigrette. The roasted brussels sprouts and delicata squash get crisp and caramelized while the onion and the vinaigrette add a touch of acid to heighten and balance those flavors. The bread cubes act like delicious sponges, crispy on the outside, but coated in vinaigrette. Eat if for a meal itself or pair it with a cozy soup for a fall dream meal.

Ingredients

Panzanella

4 cups of brussels sprouts, washed
1 medium delicata squash, washed
1 small round loaf of bread, cut into ¾ inch cubes
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
1 bunch lacinato or dinosaur kale, stripped from tough stems
½ of a red onion, thinly sliced into half moons

Vinaigrette

1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
6 T. red wine vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed large baking sheet with foil.
Trim the tough ends of the brussels sprouts and remove any discolored outer leaves. Small brussels sprouts are the most tender, look for those. If brussels sprouts are larger, cut in half. Add to half of the rimmed baking sheet.
Trim ends of the delicata. Cut in half widthwise and cut those halves in half lengthwise. The skin is edible, so no need to peel it. Scoop out the insides and cut into ¼ inch slices. Put on the other half of the baking sheet. Drizzle each vegetable with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle everything with 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt. Mix with your hands or a spatula and put in the oven for 13 minutes. After that time, flip the delicata squash over and rotate the pan. Put back in the oven for another 13-15 minutes.
While the vegetables roast, chop the kale and add to a very large bowl. Add the red onion, too. When the vegetables are done roasting add the roasted vegetables to the bowl.
Put bread cubes on the same rimmed baking sheet the vegetables were on, making sure you removed all remaining veggies first. Drizzle bread cubes with 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt. Mix with your hands or a spatula and bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
While bread bakes, add vinaigrette ingredients to a clean jam jar or mason jar and shake until well mixed. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well.
When bread cubes are done, let them cool. If serving right away, add all of the bread cubes, mix well and taste to see if you need more salt or pepper. If serving later, add half of the cubes and refrigerate for an hour or so, bring up to room temp and then add the remaining bread cubes right before serving so you have some soft and some crispy pieces.

Dula Notes

Seasonal recipes and adventures from Michigan with love

Vegan Roasted Autumn Panzanella Salad

Leave a Note Cancel reply

But wait, there’s more…

Leave a Note Cancel reply