I always hear people talk about how expensive vegetables are, and that’s why it’s impossible to eat healthy on a budget. Au contraire, mon frere! Sure, some vegetables are expensive, but there are so many “basic” vegetables that are still very budget friendly and great for bulking up your meal without spending a million bucks (carrots, cabbage, potatoes, onions, celery, zucchini, etc.). This Roasted Carrot and Feta Salad is a great example of how you can dress up these “basic” vegetables to make them super tasty, or drool-worthy even.
I love the flavor combo of roasted carrots and Feta Salad: sweet carrots, salty feta and parsley for a burst of green freshness. It’s like the vegetable version of one of my other favorite salads, Melon, Mint & Feta Salad. …I’m starting to think that feta makes everything better. Am I right?
Oh, and the other reason to love this salad? It’s SO EASY. Get it going before you start the rest of your dinner and then the oven does all of the work.
Do You Serve This Salad Hot or Cold?
I find this salad is best served warm, or not totally hot. When you first prepare the salad, you want the roasted carrots to be warm, but not piping hot because they will melt the feta and wilt the parsley. If you’re eating leftovers of this salad, you can eat it either cold, or slightly warmed (I use the microwave).
What to Serve with Roasted Carrot and Feta Salad
I love this salad with roasted meat, like Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin, a quick pan cooked meat like Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms, or a sandwich, like Greek Turkey Burgers. But it could also make a great side to a vegetarian dish, like Portobello Mushroom Burgers, or Spanish Chickpeas and Rice.
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Roasted Carrot and Feta Salad
Servings 4 3/4 cup eachIngredients
- 2 lbs. carrots ($1.19)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- Salt and Pepper to taste ($0.05)
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley ($0.45)
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese ($1.10)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Peel and slice the carrots into one-inch pieces. For the thicker ends of the carrots, also cut them lengthwise to reduce their thickness. Attempt to make the carrot pieces similar in length and thickness so they will roast at the same rate.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment for easy cleanup. Place the carrots on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and then toss to coat. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and roast for 40 minutes, stirring once half-way through.
- After 40 minutes, the carrots should be tender, the surface will be slightly blistered, and the bottoms browned. Let the carrots cool just slightly, so they’re no longer steaming. While the carrots are cooling, roughly chop the parsley and crumble the feta.
- Add the carrots, parsley, and crumbled feta to a bowl. Add another pinch of salt and pepper, then toss to combine. Serve warm.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Splatterware Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Chef’s Knife
- White Cutting Boards
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Roasted Carrots with Feta – Step By Step Photos
Begin preheating the oven to 400ºF. Peel 2 lbs. of carrots and then cut them into 1-inch pieces. If the carrots are particularly wide, also cut the wider portions into two, lengthwise, so the pieces will roast evenly.
Line a baking sheet with parchment for easy cleanup, then spread the carrots out over your baking sheet in an even layer. Drizzle 2 Tbsp olive oil over the carrots, then add a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the carrots until they’re completely coated in oil. Roast the carrots in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, stirring once half way through.
After roasting for 40 minutes the carrots should be tender, a little blistered, and browned on the bottom. Let the carrots cool slightly, while you prepare the parsley and feta.
Roughly chop about a half bunch of parsley, or about 1 cup once chopped. Crumble 1/4 cup feta.
Add the warm carrots, parsley, and feta to a bowl, season with another pinch of salt and pepper, then toss to combine.
Serve the salad warm, or refrigerate for later!
This carrot and feta salad holds up very well in the fridge, and can be served either cold or slightly reheated!
Made this tonight, and I ate waaay too much! Delicious! I tossed the carrots with some garam masala before roasting, and added some honey & toasted walnuts to finish. Divine!
If using this for meal prep, would you recommend keeping the feta and parsley separate from the carrots until heating up to eat?
I usually just heat it all up together, but I’m not very picky about those sorts of things. 😜 The feta doesn’t really melt and since the parsley is chopped so fine you don’t really get much texture change if it wilts when reheated.
Sehr lecker gute rezept 👍👍👍
I love this recipe using a little cumin ( either seeds or ground),a pinch of cinnamon and cilantro instead of parsley . Also, roasting some onion alongside the carrots is yummy.
I will definitely make this recipe.
It’s amazing how delicious and inexpensive roasted vegetables are! We tend to eat a lot of them during the winter when other vegetables are unavailable or just lackluster. Cabbage, potatoes, celery, carrots, all delicious! Plus they keep well, so you end up using the produce vs throwing it away.
Would dried parsley work instead? If so, How much would you suggest in replacement?
Unfortunately, I don’t suggest dried parsley for this recipe.
My mom was looking for a simple side dish for Easter so I suggested this because it looked so good. Boy was it a hit! Even with my husband who could take or leave most veggies. Delicious!! Love your site so much! (The cumin lime coleslaw is my go to!!)
Jesus Almighty! This dish was so simple, fresh, and delicious! I used organic carrots and it was worth it. All the flavors blend perfectly. I’ll be making this dish again and again.
just tried it, very interesting and easy dish. did not use parsley, instead just used rocket salad leaves and added some crushed walnuts. adding honey also does some wonders! thanks
I made this as a side for Thanksgiving! I added toasted chopped walnuts as well as a drizzle of honey after mixing everything together. It. Was. Amazing.
This is AMAZING, and I usually hate any kind of cooked carrots! I add a clove of minced garlic to the bowl with the feta to give the carrots a good garlicky punch.
My husband and I made this last night in the air-fryer (20 minutes at 375 with a shake after ten) – so good! Thanks for the recipe, this will be a regular!
Delicious!
Finally got my fiance to consume veggies – simple to make and absolutely yummi!
This is SO delicious and so simple!
I added a little ground coriander and garlic powder to the carrots before roasting and decided to squeeze about a half a lemon on at the end, and it was fantastic.
Wish there had been more! 2lbs of carrots went fast.
Delicious – I tossed on about a 1/4 cup of toasted pepita seeds for crunch & because I had them.
I chucked some cumin seeds on the carrots before roasting… fantastic!
Any suggestions for cheese other then feta cheese?
Goat cheese might be pretty good.
Amazing flavor combination that really plays up what I previously thought to be a pretty lackluster vegetable. 10/10!
Loved it!
What type of parsley is this using? Curly/flat leaf? I never know if there’s a real difference haha.
Flat leaf Italian parsley :)
Awesome, good to know, thanks Kelly!
This was really good! It was just enough food for my husband and I, so if you’re cooking for more people, double the recipe. But it was really easy to make.
I just made this salad last night and I couldn’t finish in one sitting. I decided to put it in a container and leave it in the fridge. Do you recommend I heat it up with the feta in or eat it cold? I don’t want to throw it out, since it would such a waste :'(
Yes should be just fine!
This sounds gorgeous.I’m actually considering making this.Thank you for sharing.
This is the first recipe of your’s I ever made– back in 2011! We still make it regularly as a side dish!
Lots of fresh veggies are inexpensive, although few can give carrots a run for the money. I regularly pick up 5-8 lb bags of potatoes for under $3, and 3 lb bags of onions under $2.50. Frozen veggies are a good deal, as long as you avoid brand name specialty types and blends, and most can equal fresh for nutrition and taste. Fresh peas are usually dreadful and starchy because there is no way for them to get to a supermarket in time to prevent sugars from turning to starch. They must be cooked within hours from picking for best quality–the reason frozen peas are usually better. Tiny amounts of higher priced items can enhance the flavors and appearance of mundane items. 8 oz carrots boiled lightly then tossed in the saucepan with a tsp or so of butter and a small handful of snowpeas–about $.25 worth–looks and tastes luxurious. White mushrooms are usually available in bulk for $2.49 a lb–buy just a couple, slice and saute to add to frozen green beans or peas.
How do you think goat cheese would taste as a substitute for the feta? I don’t have feta cheese, but I do have goat cheese and the rest of the ingredients.
You could certainly give it a try! I love goat cheese as a swap.
I wanted to love this dish so much because I am trying to cut meat out of my diet but I couldn’t tell if it was the texture of the corn or if I suddenly grew an aversion to feta. This recipe was not for me but I’m not giving up yet! Maybe I’ll replace the corn or something.
…but there’s no corn in this recipe?
What would you recommend as a main dish to go with the carrot & feta salad. I have leftover carrots and feta from some other dishes – and lots of parsley growing in my garden so I want to make this – but am unsure what to pair it with.
I enjoyed it with my Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs. :)
This would be awesome with Beth’s Greek Marinated Chicken and a Greek salad.
My expectations were low since I’m new to cooking and I don’t particularly like any of the three main ingredients, but this salad is amazing! Grilled vegetables are so much better than cooked. Thank you so much, I’m saving this one. Your website is the best.
Sooo yummy and simple
Made this to go with dinner tonight. I have a TON of parsley to use up and happened to have the rest of the ingredients on hand. Next time I’m cutting the pieces smaller though – just to make it cook quicker. It was a super easy, yet elegant, side dish. A touch of flair to the standard steamed or pan-cooked carrots. And healthier too – since it wasn’t drenched in sugar and butter. Thanks!
thank you so much for this delicous recipe, beth!
i just tried it today and it was so yummy that i blogged about it adding a translation into german language for my german readers (of course i enclosed a backlink to your site)
http://luziapimpinella.blogspot.com/2011/10/der-warmste-erste-oktober.html
nic
p.s. i added some organic lemon zest, a little lemon juice and a pinch of sugar by the way. worth trying! ;)
I made this today for lunch, it was tasty.
I made this last week – delicious! Thanks for the recipe!!
I am trying to eat more leafy greens so I made this with about two cups of spinach, cut in ribbons. It got al wilty and delicious when I mixed it with the carrots right out of the oven. Next time I am going to add chickpeas and make a meal out of it! Thanks!
I love carrots. I think I have to try
Yeah, my bf doesn’t like cooked carrots. Whatever — I’m totally adding this to my Easter Brunch menu! Huzzah! Thanks!
This makes me wish my husband liked carrots. Sigh… I guess I’ll just have to eat all of it myself!