You know I don't get too excited about eating salads... and you would think that would be doubly true with a salad full of leftovers. BUT... when the salad has this much variety of flavour, texture, and colour... I will gladly dig in! Customize this leftover roasted vegetable salad to suit the ingredients you have on hand and try out these ideas for jazzing it up:
- Your Roasted Veggie Leftovers Plus...
- Leafy Greens (raw, steamed, or sauteed)
- A Bean, Grain, Or Pulse (roasted chickpeas, boiled beans, leftover grain, lentils)
- Some Crunch (nuts, seeds)
- A Bit Of Sweetness & Chewy Texture (dried fruit)
- And Of Course... An Easy And Flavourful Dressing
What Leftover Roasted Veggies Are Great To Use
You can really use whatever you have in your fridge!
- If you have more Asian vegetables try adding toasted sesame seeds, a grain if you have some, avocado, and even dried seaweed.
- Stirring up a miso based dressing like our Miso Maple Tahini would work well!
- Have asparagus? Try a lemony flavour, maybe sunflower seeds and white beans if you have them!
- Our lemon tahini dressing would work well or something like our Zingy Caesar Dressing OR No Blender Quick Caesar Dressing made creamy with hummus!
- And for any of these beautiful fall vegetables... try out this combo!
Other great ingredient ideas:
- Great Leafy Greens: Use your typical kale, spinach, and lettuce varieties, BUT also use up any beet greens, turnip leaves, swiss chard, dandelion greens etc.
- Grains, Beans, or Pulses: these add a different texture and will make the salad more filling. Beans and pulses, like lentils, will also be a great protein source!
- Nuts and Seeds: Some crunch really helps me to feel like I'm eating a salad that's worth it. Sounds funny I know! But for me, having something I really have to chew and has a great texture makes me feel like I'm eating something more substantial than what a salad is in my head! Nuts and seeds are also a way to pack in lots of protein and healthy fats to keep you feeling nice and satisfied.
- Dried Fruit: I love adding in dried prunes, figs, cranberries, even raisins for a bit of sweetness and a chewy texture. I always loved salads with dried cranberries when I was little. It just seemed like it made the salad more fun!
- The Dressing: See below!
The Dressing
I always use to rely on store-bought dressings and would have a collection of 2 or 3 in my fridge at all times. But since Bryan and I have become use to stocking our pantry and fridge with only a few really versatile ingredients, we can always stir up a really flavourful dressing in minutes!
What to keep in your fridge:
- Tahini: A seed butter made from toasted sesame seeds. It's ultra creamy and packed with protein from the sesame seeds!
- Lemon Juice and/or Lime Juice: We don't always have fresh lemons or limes, so having lemon and lime juice from concentrate makes stirring up flavourful dressings an anytime possibility.
- Maple Syrup or other Liquid Sweetener: A liquid sweetener is great to have on hand when you don't want to blend a dressing to break down dates for the sweetness or use a more refined sugar.
- Miso Paste: a savoury, salty paste made from fermented soybeans. A little goes a long way and will add a ton of flavour to your dressings and sauces.
- Nut Butters: what can I say... creamy, full of flavour, full of protein and healthy fats... way too tempting to eat straight from the jar.
- Oils & Vinegars: I often make dressings without any oil so they certainly aren't necessary but do help your dressing spread and stick to all your ingredients. Vinegars are a fantastic way to add lots of flavour and tang. I love having apple cider vinegar, balsamic, and red and white wine vinegars on hand.
Recipe Cost For Leftover Roasted Vegetable Salad
The cost for this recipe will certainly vary depending on which ingredients you choose but...
Our Simple Lemon Tahini Dressing costs us approximately: CAD $0.83
A full batch of our Cranberry Sauce costs us: CAD $1.39
And the remaining ingredients (excluding the leftover roasted veg) cost us approximately: $3.85
So having these pantry friendly ingredients always on hand plus having our fridge and freezer stocked with helpful and versatile ingredients means we can always jazz up leftovers and make salads that taste great and are fun to eat!
Check out our Pantry Tips Page for a full list of what pantry staples we keep on hand and what helpful ingredients we always have in our freezer! Subscribe to our newsletter in the side bar for a free pantry e-book and bonus recipes!
Print
Ultimate Holiday Leftover Roasted Veg Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Renew your leftovers with a festive leftover roasted vegetable salad! Add in roasted chickpeas, seeds, nuts, dried fruit & tasty dressings!
Ingredients
- ½ bunch kale, stems removed if desired and massaged (or leafy green of choice)
- 2 cups chickpeas, roasted for extra crunch (or sub a leftover grain, bean, or lentils)
- 4-5 cups roasted vegetables
- ½ cup walnuts (or nut of choice)
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (or seed of choice)
- ⅓ cup prunes, sliced (or dried fruit of choice)
- ⅓ cup lemon tahini dressing
- ¼ cup cranberry sauce, optional (dollop on top or blend to thin)
*Some great roasted vegetables to use are: squash, sweet potatoes, beets, brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans… anything you have really!
*Check out our pantry and freezer tips to see how we keep versatile ingredients on hand!
Instructions
- Prepare your chosen leafy green. If using kale you can slice or pull the leaves away from the stem and reserve the stem for another recipe (I like to cook them into a stir-fry, a curry.... something a little heartier). Either quickly saute your greens until wilted or keep them raw.
- Add boiled/canned chickpeas OR quickly boost their flavour and texture by roasting them. Toss them in oil, salt, and any other seasonings you desire. Roast in the oven at 425 degrees F for 20-30 minutes or toast them in a skillet for 5-10 minutes.
- I love toasting the nuts as well to boost their flavour. You can toss them in the oven with the chickpeas and watch them closely, toast them on a skillet, or toast at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes until fragrant.
- When ready, toss your leftover roasted vegetables with your leafy green. Add the chickpeas, nuts, seeds, and sliced dried fruit. Drizzle with leftover cranberry sauce and the quick lemon tahini dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
The cost for this recipe will vary depending on the ingredients you choose but: Our Simple Lemon Tahini Dressing costs us CAD $0.83, a full batch of our 15 Minute Cranberry Sauce costs us $1.39, and the remaining ingredients (other than the roasted vegetables) cost us roughly $3.85.
A salad like this is our go-to for using up extra grains, beans, and leftover vegetables. Experiment with flavours and think about adding texture and colour. Nuts and seeds are great for added crunch and protein. Dried or fresh fruit adds sweetness and colour. Beans and grains add heft and can keep you feeling fuller longer!
If you have more leftover Asian vegetables try our Miso Maple Tahini Dressing! Our No Blender Caesar Dressing is made creamy with hummus and our Zingy Caesar Dressing has some kick from wasabi!
- Category: Salad
- Method: Various
- Cuisine: American
Maria
I have a new favourite salad! What an ingenious way to use up leftover veggies.
During the holidays, I suggest making both the lemon tahini dressing and the cranberry sauce. It’s so festive, beautiful and flavourful.
Kathryn Alexandre
I'm so glad you loved this option for using up your leftovers. Thank you so much for letting me know it's your new favourite and for leaving a lovely star rating!