~ Roasted Provençal Vegetable Salad with Couscous ~
Consider this as a deconstructed ratatouille – which happens to be oven roasted. The same cast of characters applies, only the method differs. An end of summer symphony of squash, eggplant, peppers and tomatoes are tossed together with olive oil and roasted in the oven until softened and gently charred, instead of simmered and thickened in a pot. The traditional ratatouille stew morphs into a roasted vegetable salad, freshened with a shower of fresh herbs and served over a bed of couscous for a light and healthy meal.
Roasted Provencal Vegetables Salad with Couscous
You may either roast the tomatoes with the vegetables or toss them in at the end for extra freshness. The salad is delicious as is or served over couscous, pasta, or quinoa. Serves 4 -6.
1 medium eggplant, cut in 1/2 inch slices, each slice quartered
2 small zucchini, cut in 1/2 inch slices
2 small yellow squash, cut in 1/2 inch slices
1 large red onion, halved horizontally, each half cut lengthwise in 4 thick chunks
6 baby sweet peppers, stemmed, seeded halved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup Italian parsley sprigs, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded
Optional: Crumbled goat or feta cheese as garnish
Heat oven to 375 F. (190 C.) Place all of the eggplant, zucchini, squash and onion in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat. Arrange on 2 rimmed baking sheets in one layer. Place in oven. Bake until vegetables are tender and turning golden brown, rotating baking pans, to ensure even roasting. Remove from oven and cool. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl. Add tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs. Toss. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serve over couscous. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese if using.
Thank you. I was in the middle of menu planning for the week. I now have our Thursday night salad recipe. 🙂
I ended up making this tonight. It was delicious! We served it with some hummus and whole wheat pitas. Being as how the entire family enjoyed this, I think it will likely go in the regular rotation. 🙂
What a healthy meal – this will be supper after yoga one evening soon…
Lovely and tasty. I love the touch of crumble of salty cheese on top of the earthy roasted veggies. It is one of my favorite flavor profiles.
A very healthy and delicious meal! Love the click 😉
Thanks for another great idea, this will be one of my favorites:)
Looks lovely, and i also love the bowl it is served in, we still have enough in the garden to make this! c
This looks great. Such a wonderful combination!
This is my kind of food! And it uses all the best produce from the market right now. You seem to have a knack of writing about just what I want to eat at the moment. Thanks!
A brilliant twist that makes a classic seem like a brand new idea!
Gorgeous photo, can’t wait to try it
I absolutely love roasted vegetables. I could eat this every night of the week
So colorful and appetizing! This salad must have a wonderful flavor.
Cheers,
Rosa
What a fresh looking salad. I love eggplant — it seems to be making the rounds in recipe blogs.
Such a lovely recipe! I love roasted vegetables and this looks delightful, especially over couscous.
What a lovely salad! I thought the bowl was a round bread loaf, hollowed out! Haha optical illusion, but it might work. Love the flavours in the dish.