Marinated Vegetable Salad
This vibrant Marinated Vegetable Salad is a great way to add a burst of color and fresh, healthy vegetables to your table. Cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, and more soak up the deliciously tangy, slightly sweet vinegar marinade.
Servings: 8
Calories: 48kcal
Ingredients
- 3 cups cauliflower florets chopped small
- 1½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes assorted colors, halved
- 1 cup broccoli florets chopped small
- 1 cup sweet yellow onion thinly sliced
- ¾ cup cucumber unpeeled and chopped
- 2 medium carrots peeled and sliced into ¼ -inch rounds (about 1 cup sliced)
- 2 ribs celery halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper chopped
Dressing
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 clove garlic minced or pressed
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all the vegetables in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the dressing ingredients to a mason jar or small bowl and either shake or whisk well to combine. Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat the vegetables with the dressing. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- After 4 hours, the vegetables will still be quite crunchy. After 24 hours, they will have softened, just slightly and will continue to soften more with time.
- Stir well before serving to redistribute the marinade/dressing.
Notes
Blanching the Harder Vegetables (Optional)
After marinating for 4 hours, the vegetables will still be quite crunchy. After 24 hours, they will have softened, just slightly and will continue to soften more with time. If you prefer veggies with a softer bite, the harder vegetables can be quickly blanched before they're marinated.
Briefly boil: Place the broccoli and cauliflower florets into a pot of boiling water and allow them to boil for a maxiumum of 2 to 3 minutes to soften them just slightly. They'll soften a bit more as they marinate.
Shock: Pull the veggies out of the boiling water, drain quickly, and then immediately transfer them to a large bowl filled with ice water.
Drain: Once they are totally chilled, transfer to a colander and drain them well.
Repeat: Use this same process to blanch the carrots, cooking them just until "crisp-barely-tender". After shocking them in the ice water bath, add them to the colander to drain with the broccoli and cauliflower.
Nutrition
Calories: 48kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 199mg | Potassium: 368mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3.28IU | Vitamin C: 56mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg