Homemade salads always taste better. They're more budget-friendly too!
This marinated vegetable salad lets vegetables soak in a homemade dressing to create extra flavor. The salad is simple enough to pair with almost any meal. It's great for lunches, as a side dish for roasted chicken or barbecued burgers.
It's an uncomplicated, healthy salad to add to your weekly rotation no matter what you're making. This marinated salad is one of the most effortless recipes to make on my blog!
What Is Marinated Salad?
There are different types of marinated salads, including our marinated mushrooms recipe. This one uses an easy marinade that vegetables soak in for a long period of time to add flavor. This is different than traditional salads where the dressing is drizzled over top of vegetables and eaten right away.
- This quick and easy salad will have you feeling like a professional chef. It's a beautiful recipe to serve to guests!
- The ingredients are so simple and substitutions are welcome.
- This salad will store in the fridge all week, making it a great recipe for meal prep lunches!
- You can chop veggies and marinate the night before to free up busy time during the day.
Recipe Ingredients
RAW VEGGIES: Broccoli florets, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini and celery are all chopped into bite-sized pieces for this recipe. The zucchini and broccoli will absorb more marinade than the others which happens to be my favorite part!
MARINADE: You might already have most of these ingredients in your pantry. Food-grade vinegar and olive oil are the base of the marinade. Fresh parsley and fresh dill will infuse their flavor into the veggies. If you can't find either, you can substitute for the dried versions. Maple syrup is used for a hint of sweetness but can be replaced with honey or monk fruit sweetener (it's sugar-free).
How To Make Marinated Vegetable Salad
Put a new twist on your dinner salads with this straightforward idea.
- Wash and chop all veggies.
- Mix together marinade ingredients according to the recipe below.
- Add veggies to a large bag or container. Pour the marinade on top.
- Seal tightly and give it a big shake. Let chill for 8 hours minumum.
- Serve.
What To Serve Salad With
This is the type of salad that will taste delicious with almost any meal. Serve with oven baked chicken legs and rice for an easy dinner. Or serve it on a barbecue night with a recipe like my mushroom beef burgers. Or serve as an appetizer along with our spinach feta pie.
I also like to eat this salad for lunch with canned tuna or hard-boiled eggs for added protein.
Recipe Tips
- Chop all vegetables into small bite-size pieces. Break the broccoli and cauliflower into small florets. This will make everything easier to chew!
- Lay the bag flat in the fridge so that all vegetables can soak up marinade. Just make sure the bag is sealed tightly to prevent leaking.
- Don't skip mixing and shaking the bag throughout the marinating process. This will help all vegetables to be evenly coated with flavor. You only need to do it 2-3 times.
- I recommend marinating for the full 8 hours to get maximum flavor. I like to make this recipe the night before I plan to serve.
- Use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove veggies and add to serving bowl.
- Leftover marinade can be used for another batch - feel free to add more raw veggies to the bag and repeat the process.
- I like to reuse my plastic bags if they haven't had any raw meat in them. Just turn the bag inside out and wash with soapy warm water. Let air dry then place back in the drawer until ready to use again.
More Healthy Salads
- Grab these six healthy Mason Jar Salad ideas for easy meal prep lunches.
- Quick and Easy Greek Salad tastes great with almost anything.
- Chickpea Lemon Tuna Salad is a high-protein side dish idea.
- Honey Dijon Quinoa Salad is very versatile and made with simple nutrition ingredients.
- Garden Salad with Herb Dressing tastes like it's fresh from the garden.
Did you love this marinated salad recipe? Be sure to leave a rating below!
Marinated Vegetable Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 2 cups chopped cauliflower florets
- 2 carrots - peeled and chopped
- 1 small zucchini - chopped
- 2 celery stalks - chopped
Marinade:
- ⅔ cup vinegar - or apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped parsley - or 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill - or 2 tsp dried dill
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup - or honey
- salt and pepper - to your taste
Instructions
- Wash and chop all the veggies: chop broccoli, cauliflower, peel and chop carrots, zucchini and celery.In a small bowl mix together the marinade: add vinegar, olive oil, parsley, dill, maple syrup (or honey), salt and pepper.
- Add the vegetables to a large bag (or bowl). Drizzle the marinade overtop. Seal the bag tightly and shake around to evenly coat the vegetables. Place in fridge for 8 hours, mixing and shaking occassionally.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer vegetables to a serving bowl.
- Serve and enjoy! This salad tastes best when served chilled straight from the fridge.
Recipe Notes:
- Chop all vegetables into small bite-size pieces. Break the broccoli and cauliflower into small florets. This will make everything easier to chew!
- Lay the bag flat in the fridge so that all vegetables can soak up marinade. Just make sure the bag is sealed tightly to prevent leaking.
- Don’t skip mixing and shaking the bag throughout the marinating process. This will help all vegetables to be evenly coated with flavor. You only need to do it 2-3 times.
- I recommend marinating for the full 8 hours to get maximum flavor. I like to make this recipe the night before I plan to serve.
- Use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove veggies and add to serving bowl.
- Leftover marinade can be used for another batch – feel free to add more raw veggies to the bag and repeat the process.
- I like to reuse my plastic bags if they haven’t had any raw meat in them. Just turn the bag inside out and wash with soapy warm water. Let air dry then place back in drawer until ready to use again.
Nutrition Info
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.
