Roast Vegetable and Mozzarella Salad with a Creamy Pesto Salad

Roast vegetables are just so tasty. 

They really perk up a dish. Add them to wraps, pasta, risotto, as a topping for burgers in a bun or between the layers of a veggie lasagne.

This time I've used them to make an Autumnal salad. Lots of beautiful colours and textures tossed through salad leaves and topped with mozzarella pearls and a good drizzling of creamy pesto dressing.

Of course I didn't add mozzarella to Graham's salad as he is vegan, but I personally love it in salads. I like adding fresh mozzarella to pasta too, just before serving. 

Cooper? Well no. He just doesn't want to try mozzarella. He's happy to add it when he's making a pizza, but will he taste it? NO! I don't know why, but he won't budge on it. The only acceptable cheese to him are smoked applewood or cheddar to eat on it's own, veggie style parmesan on pasta and mozzarella cooked on a pizza. Full stop! I couldn't even persuade him how wonderful a delight roasted cheese (cheese on toast) is. Children, sigh!

For the dressing I combined pesto, yoghurt, a squeeze of lemon juice and olive oil. Just the right flavour to compliment this salad.

Oh now, you may be admiring my salad bowl. I got it some time ago and mentioned it in one of my New in my Kitchen posts. Just in case you are wondering (I know I would be asking), it's a Spode salad bowl. I think it is a thing of beauty, but then I am sad that way. The small Turkish glass I picked up in a cheap shop for pennies years ago, but I think they are quite easy to pick up.

I hope you enjoy the salad.

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Roast Vegetable and Mozzarella Salad with Pesto Dressing

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum

September 10, 2014

A colourful and statisfying salad of roast vegetables on a bed of salad leaves, topped with little mozzarella pearls and a drizzle of creamy pesto dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 aubergine, sliced
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges
• 2-3 bell peppers, sliced
• ½ butternut squash, cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• a large bag of salad leaves
• 125g mozzarella pearls
• 2 tsp pesto
• 1 tsp Greek Yoghurt
• a good squeeze of lemon juice
• 4-5 tbsp olive oil
• a good grinding of black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 220 °C /200°C fan/ gas mark 7.2. Toss all the cut veg in a bowl with the oil.3. Spread the veg out in a roasting pan and cook for 25-30 minutes until the vegetables are soft and charring at the edges.4. Whisk together the pesto, yoghurt, lemon juice and olive oil and season with black pepper.5. In a large salad bowl, start with a layer of salad leaves, top with the roast veg and then the mozzarella and finish with a drizzle of the dressing. Leave the rest on the table so your guests can add more if they like.6. Enjoy!

Details

Total time: 40 mins
Yield: Serves 4

Here are a few more ideas of what to do with roast veg:

• Rapid Roasted Vegetable Pasta Sauce  - Feeding Boys and a Firefighter
• Roasted Summer Vegetables - Franglais Kitchen
• Roasted Vegetable Bake - Utterly Scrummy Food for Families
• Roast Vegetable Sauce for Pasta - Tinned Tomatoes
• Roasted Root Vegetable and Pesto Salad - Fuss Free Flavours
• Ajvar: Serbia’s Red Pepper Salsa - Maison Cupcake