Chopped red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots are mixed in a delicious sweet and tangy dressing to make a Marinated Vegetable Salad! This delicious vegetarian recipe is the perfect way to get in fresh raw vegetables when you aren't in the mood for a traditional salad.
This fresh and crunchy marinated vegetable salad recipe is the perfect side dish for your next backyard BBQ with friends. This fresh vegetable salad can be made up to a couple of days in advance, is packed with fresh ingredients, and can be served at room temperature.
You won't have to worry about having a soggy salad with this salad recipe! As an added bonus, it's an incredibly healthy salad that is packed with hearty vegetables and healthy fats.
The heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil is paired with tarte vinegar and sweet honey in the marinade. I absolutely love this flavor combination!
This is a BIG SALAD! It's filled with 10 whole cups of fresh raw vegetables! It will definitely feed a crowd. You've got to bring this to your next Memorial Day weekend party, 4th of July party, picnic, camping adventure, or labor day weekend party!
Serve this healthy vegetable salad with my BBQ Grilled Chicken Drumstick Recipe, Sauerkraut and Hot Dogs Recipe, and Healthy Turkey Burger Recipe!
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Chopped fresh vegetables - You'll need fresh cherry tomatoes, cauliflower florets, broccoli florets, zucchini, carrots, and red bell peppers chopped into bite-size pieces.
- Marinade ingredients - You'll be combining extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, fresh parsley, fresh basil, minced garlic clove, salt, and pepper to make a delicious salad dressing to pour over the chopped fresh vegetables.
*See the recipe card for quantities.
Equipment needed
This is a quick and easy no-cook recipe, so not much kitchen equipment is needed! All you will need is:
- Chopping board and chopping knife
- Measuring spoons and measuring cups
- 2 mixing bowls - 1 large mixing bowl and 1 small mixing bowl... plus a large serving bowl!
How to make a Marinated Vegetable Salad
Step 1 - Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk the marinade together until it is thoroughly combined.
Step 2 - Transfer all of the chopped raw veggies to a large bowl. Pour the marinade over the vegetables and mix together until the marinade is coating every vegetable.
Step 3: Cover the mixing bowl and let the raw vegetables and dressing ingredients chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. After 1 hour, transfer the salad to a serving bowl using a slotted spoon. This will allow excess marinade to drain out.
Throw away any leftover marinade in the bottom of the mixing bowl. Serve your salad and enjoy!
Substitutions
The vegetables I listed in this recipe are all of my favorite choices, but there are so many other fresh summer vegetables that could also be added! You could try this recipe with yellow squash, cucumbers, fresh sweet corn, red onion, celery, or mushrooms.
Variations
- Add nuts & seeds - I think this recipe would be delicious topped with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, or slivered almonds.
- Add creamy crumbled cheese - Try this salad recipe out with crumbled blue cheese, goat cheese, or feta cheese on top.
- Over salad greens - Serve this salad over some fresh leafy greens!
Storage
Store the veggie salad in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The vegetables on the bottom may get too soaked in marinade after a couple of days and no longer taste good. The vegetables on the top layers should still be delicious though!
I love these Pyrex glass storage containers.
Top tips
- After the marinated vegetable salad has soaked in the dressing for a little while, I strongly recommend draining some of the marinade out.
- If you don't want to spend the time chopping all of the veggies, then you could use a food processor. Just make sure you aren't dicing the vegetables. They need to be bite-size.
- Another time-saving hack would be to purchase some pre-chopped veggies!
Salad recipes you'll also like
Here are some other summer salad recipes that you will also love!
Marinated Vegetable Salad Recipe
Chopped red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots are mixed in a delicious sweet and tangy dressing to make a Marinated Vegetable Salad! This delicious vegetarian recipe is the perfect way to get in fresh raw vegetables when you aren't in the mood for a traditional salad.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: side dish
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 cup carrots - chopped
- 1 cup red bell pepper - chopped
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes - halved
- 2 cups zucchini - chopped
- 2 cups broccoli - chopped
- 2 cups cauliflower - chopped
For the marinade
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley - diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil - diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Make sure all of your vegetables are chopped into bite size pieces. Add all of the chopped vegetables to a large mixing bowl.
- Add all of the marinade ingredients to a small mixing bowl. Use a whisk to mix the marinade ingredients together.
- Pour the marinade over the raw chopped vegetables. Mix the marinade and vegetables together so that all of the vegetables are thoroughly coated in the marinade.
- Cover and refrigerate the marinated vegetable salad for 1 hour to let the flavors combine. After 1 hour, remove the salad from the fridge, transfer the salad to a serving bowl using a slotted spoon so that excess marinade drains out. Discard leftover marinade. Serve the salad and enjoy!
Follow me
Follow me on Facebook, on Instagram and on Pinterest!
Check out my highlights on Instagram for weekly family dinner ideas!
Did you make this recipe? Tell me all about it in the comments below! I love hearing from my followers and answering any of your questions!
Jane says
Can cucumbers be substituted for zucchini’s?
Katie Youngs says
Yes, you can use cucumbers instead. They might not hold up as well over time, but you could give it a try!
Katie says
I love all of the fresh flavors in this salad!