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.
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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!
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!