Oven Roasted Vegetables Burghul Salad

Burghul salad is one of those salads that can easily be a full meal. It's healthy, packed with nutritional value, and... it will not leave you hungry for carbs. Burghul (the Arabic version), called Bulgur in Turkey, is a kind of pre-boiled cracked wheat — usually durum wheat — that is one of the Mediterranean's basic staples and can be found in many dishes and variations.

How to prepare a basic burghul salad?

Well, the good news is that making the basic salad is very easy — easier than making a rice bowl. In some recipes, I've noticed that the burghul is actually boiled like rice, but that's really not needed. Like I said, the burghul is pre-boiled and then dried out, so a simple 20–30 minutes of soaking the burghul grains will make them nice and tender. For the basic burghul salad, just season with salt and pepper, drizzle some olive oil, and mix — that's about it. That's the basic salad, though additional flavors are welcome. I like the grilled vegetables, just as you'll see in this recipe.

Grilling Vegetables for the salad

The amount of work needed for the vegetables is minimal. Just throw them into a preheated oven at 225°C/450°F for about 40 minutes until a bit burnt. You can use whichever vegetables come to mind. I used a mix of grilled butternut squash, grilled cauliflower, and grilled onion for that smoky feeling in the salad. I also added fresh vegetables — tomato, sweet corn (uncooked, so it has to be a quality one), and avocado — to bring some freshness to the dish, making it lighter and adding crunchiness.

Keeping it simple

The idea is not to tamper too much with the basic flavors, so the salad dressing consists of lemon and olive oil only — no need for anything extra. This approach is similar to another Mediterranean dish, the Yogurt Tahini zucchini puree — minimum tampering with the original flavors. Getting this salad into your dinner routine is a great idea. It's both filling and healthy, it'll make your dinners colorful and tasty, and it takes minimum kitchen time.