Marinated Vegetable Salad – let’s talk about it! How I’m loving the lettuce-less-ness of it. How it’s not only bright, beautiful, and colorful, but crazy-healthy too. How it’s make-ahead! Yep, chop all your favorite vegetables before going to bed then toss with a simple homemade vinaigrette, refrigerate, and serve the next day.
How it’s sugar free. You know I love me a good sweet and savory combo but when it comes to fresh vegetables? I gotta go savory. Many marinated vegetable salad recipes call for tossing the vegetables in a dressing that includes equal parts sugar and vinegar, but I just can’t get down with sweet cauliflower when I know how delicious it can be tossed in a tart and snappy dressing instead.
Now, I’ve chosen to highlight my favorite summer vegetables in this Marinated Vegetable Salad including cherry tomatoes, cucumber, cauliflower, carrots, and bell pepper, but you could swap in any vegetables you happen to love and/or have growing in your garden. Raw zucchini, summer squash, broccoli, sweet onion, celery, and/or corn would all make excellent additions to this easy dish.
I know a lot of you guys have fun 4th of July plans (we’ve got a concert/fireworks show, parade, and friend’s BBQ on the calendar!) so I’ll let you get to it. Wherever you are and whatever you do have a wonderful, safe and happy holiday – but first, zee recipe!
Start by chopping up a big bowl o’ summer vegetables. Like I said, the variety is totally up to you as long as it adds up to roughly 10 cups (it’s a big salad!)
I used 2 cups each cauliflower florets (about 1/2 medium-sized head,) carrots (roughly 4 medium carrots,) and cherry tomatoes (a 10oz package.)
Plus 1 cucumber that I seeded before chopping so the dressing wouldn’t get watery (use an English cucumber if you don’t want to scrape out the seeds,) plus 1 chopped bell pepper. I chose yellow for the beautiful color, but it’s totally up to you!
Last step is to drizzle on the vinaigrette, which is 1/2 cup each extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, 2 Tablespoons minced shallots, 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 2 pressed or minced garlic cloves, salt, and pepper shaken in a jar or whisked in a bowl. Pour 3/4 of the vinaigrette over the vegetables then toss and stash in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight (it just gets better as it sits.)
FYI this vinaigrette is very tart (I love the bold, savory flavor against the mild vegetables.) That said, if it’s a little too tart for you, add more oil and/or honey to taste.
Toss with the remaining vinaigrette then season with salt and pepper just before serving, and you’ve got yourself an easy, healthy, fresh side dish that’s perfect for the 4th of July or really ANY summer day or occasion! Enjoy, enjoy, everyone – catch you on the flip side!
free email bonus!
5 Day Clean Eating Guide
Fresh and craveable recipes + healthy eating tips!
Marinated Vegetable Salad
Description
Marinated Vegetable Salad is a healthy, make-ahead salad recipe highlighting crunchy summer vegetables. Quick, easy, and fresh!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (~10oz)
- 2 cups chopped carrots (~4 medium carrots)
- 1 cucumber, seeded then chopped
- 1 bell pepper (any color,) seeded then chopped
- For the Vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons minced shallots
- 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- salt and pepper
Directions
- For the Vinaigrette: add ingredients to a jar with a tight-fitting lid or bowl then shake or whisk to combine. Taste then add more salt, pepper, and/or oil if necessary (this dressing is very tart so add more oil if it's too tart for your tastes.)
- Add vegetables to a very large bowl then dress with 3/4 of the vinaigrette. Toss then refrigerate for 4 hours or up to overnight. Toss with remaining vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper to taste just before serving.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Yes! The older I get the more I hate the sugar/vinegar salad dressings. Can’t wait to try this one!
This looks great, nice and light! And Happy Birthday!! :)
Thank you so much, Stephanie! So sweet! :)
Okay. So this is totally what I’m making as a side-dish tonight. Thanks Kristen MMM!!!!!!!
I hope you love it, Nancy!
This looks great! We have two potlucks this weekend, so this might work for one of them. By the way, it’s supposed to be very mild this weekend. Yippee!
Yum! & What a great recipe idea!
This looks amazing! I’m such a veggie lover!
Jabeen x
http://www.spilling-the-beans.co.uk/
LOVED loved loved this salad!! I made it last night and just at a HUGE bowl of it for dinner. It’s a new fave. It’s like pasta salad but better because there is no pasta in it! I loved it so much I had to share it on my blog! Thanks for another great recipe!!
Ahhh, so glad to hear, Jamie!! Thanks so much for the feedback! :)
This is *so* good! I used some pickled red onions instead of shallots in the vinaigrette and used some of the pickling liquid in place of about half the vinegar. Amazing! We just used a bunch of veggies from the fridge and they all taste great in the dressing so I think this will be on the menu weekly to use up odds & ends before they go bad. Any idea how long it’s good for in the fridge? I’m guessing at least 2-3 days?
Oooo – LOVE that swap, pickled onions are so yummy! And yep, the salad should still be good 3-4 days after making!
Hi Kristin, this looks so good, but I kind of give the side-eye to uncooked cauliflower, and I feel like raw carrots can be aggressively crunchy for me. Do you think it would work to lightly roast those two veggies then let cool before tossing with the rest? Or do you think that would be an odd combo?
I might blanch then chill the vegetables if you want to take out some of the crunch factor. Roasted cauliflower is so, so delicious – I just don’t know if it’d pair very well with the acidic dressing.
[…] The Recipe can be found HERE […]
[…] The Recipe can be found HERE […]
[…] Marinated Vegetable Salad via Iowa Girl Eats […]
[…] The Recipe can be found HERE […]
I’m going to a party and have been asked to bring some veggies so this is what I will bring! Way better then a boring veggie tray! I will make sure to also bring long toothpicks and cocktail napkins. Thanks for this!
Trying to lose weight could this salad also have sliced squash? If I add the vinaigrette like the is in the instructions states would it last several days just for me to eat not a party
[…] Marinated Veggie Salad […]
[…] Marinated Vegetable Salad from Iowa Girl […]
[…] Recipe inspired by IowaGirlEats […]
[…] Salad Fresh Green Bean Salad with Asian Dressing Cucumber Tomato Salad from Barefeet in the Kitchen Marinated Vegetable Salad from Iowa Gil Eats Roasted Garlic-Parmesan Zucchini, Squash and Tomatoes from Cooking […]
[…] The Recipe can be found HERE […]
Awesome! Thank you!
[…] Herb Orzo Pasta Salad with Feta from Sweet Peas & Saffron // 12. Marinated Vegetable Salad from Iowa Girl […]
How long would this delicious looking salad last?
Usually 3-4 days for me!
Loved this salad! So perfect during the summer months when vegetables are plentiful and it’s hot outside. My mother used to make this with Kraft Italian Dressing.
Ok…WOW! I just made this and I am over the moon excited about how delicious it is! Who knew something so seemingly simple would be this good?! Your recipes literally never fail me. Thanks!
You are too kind, Kim! Thanks for your great feedback – I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad!
This vinaigrette is the absolute best I have ever tasted, much less made! It will be my go to for all things veggie, and also as ‘hoagie oil.’ Thanks for sharing. I only recently discovered your site and I love it!
Oh I’m so glad to hear it, Patricia!! Yes, great call on using it for subs – yum!!
Yum. Made thos colorful salad for a world cup party. Absolutely divine. This will be in my frequent rotation
Thank you for this absolutely scrummy recipe! Made it to bring to our family Christmas dinner and it was completely gobbled up. Especially made the family vegan happy. I did add more cauliflower (doubled it) because that’s everyone’s favorite, and there was more than enough dressing to handle it. Yum!
[…] Marinated vegetable salad is healthy, fresh, glutenfree and tempting. It is highlighting crunchy summer vegetables quick to make and easy recipe that will really fresh. Here is complete instruction about this recipe iowagirleats.com […]
I would have loved to have the nutritional information for this recipe. Like you, so many people out there suffer from various problems and have to watch their salt content, weight, etc. I loved your recipe!!!
[…] Marinated Vegetable Salad from Iowa Girl Eats […]
This was so delicious and flavorful and perfect when you dont want to heat up your kitchen in the summer!
I just made this and it is in the fridge. Do you have the nutritional info?
Excellent summer salad. This will get compliments at your next BBQ. Seriously.
This is a great entertaining recipe to make as you can make the day before. Nice and refreshing on a hot day! Yummy!
How would this work for a kabob, if the vegetables were left in little bigger chunks? Marinate overnight, then string on a kabob stick to serve at a picnic….no forks needed?
So good! I did add a touch of honey (not really for sweetness but more to balance out the vinegar) and a can of cannelloni beans and it was delicious!!