Roasted Parsnip Salad
This parsnip salad is loaded with color, texture, and flavor. It combines roasted parsnips with pancetta, green apple, and arugula with a simple lemony dressing. It’s hearty without being heavy and great as a main dish or on the side.
If we’re going to make a salad, let’s make it a hearty one. You know, the kind that fills you up and doesn’t leave you hungry an hour later. And that’s just what today’s salad recipe is: a hearty mix of roasted parsnips, fresh arugula, and bites of green apple. It’s all held together with a light lemon dressing.
Parsnips, a beige-colored root vegetable that looks like a carrot’s long-lost cousin, love a hot oven. Roasting brings out their natural sweetness, and they can stand alone as a great side dish, but today, we’re using them to make a delicious salad.
How to Make It
This recipe is enough for two veggie-craving people to share for dinner or it’s a great side dish for four. Starting the parsnips on the stove helps develop a nice caramelization before they roast and soften in the oven. By the time they’re done, you can have the rest of the salad ready to go.
More Hearty Salads
Chicken Cobb Salad | Steak Mushroom Salad | Chicken BLT Salad | Steak Taco Salad
Roasted Parsnip Salad
This parsnip salad is loaded with color, texture, and flavor. It combines roasted parsnips with pancetta, green apple, and arugula with a simple lemony dressing. It’s hearty without being heavy and great as a main dish or on the side.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 large servings
- Category: Salads
- Method: Roast
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 4 ounces diced pancetta (see note)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 large parsnips, peeled and cut into sticks
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4-5 handfuls of arugula
- 1 green apple, cut into matchsticks
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
For the Dressing
- Juice from ¼ lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Couple pinches of kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- In a large oven-safe pan cook the pancetta over medium heat until it’s rendered its fat. Remove the pancetta, leaving the fat in the pan.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and add the parsnips. Spread them in an even layer, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook them for a minute or two before giving them a stir. Once they’ve started to turn golden transfer the pan to the oven and roast them for 15-20 minutes, or until fork tender.
- While the parsnips are roasting, make the salad. In a large bowl, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, and a couple pinches of salt until combined. Add the arugula and gently toss until it’s coated with the dressing. Add the apple and toss again.
- When the parsnips are roasted, cool them for a few minutes before adding them to the salad. Add the grated Parmesan and crispy pancetta, toss, and serve.
Notes
You can use the same amount of bacon in place of the pancetta. If you do, drain off some of the excess fat from the pan before you cook the parsnips.
Nutrition
- Calories: 427
- Sugar: 21.2g
- Sodium: 1418.7mg
- Fat: 36g
- Saturated Fat: 12.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 60.5g
- Fiber: 15.3g
- Protein: 16.4g
- Cholesterol: 47.2mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
I hope you give this salad a try soon!
Happy cooking,
