Spice up your Meatless Monday routine with my colorful Roasted Moroccan Carrot Salad recipe! Spicy-sweet harissa carrots, peppery arugula, salty-tangy preserved lemons, creamy-cool tzatziki, squeaky feta, pickled red onions, and crunchy cornbread crumbles combine forces for a gee-dang flavor explosion.
So, there was this night during lockdown that I made the most impressive dish that has ever come straight from my brain and onto a dish. If you know me, you know I am not a person who is quick to sing my own praises. But y’all. This was SO GOOD. Like, I-would-pay-top-dollar-in-better-economic-times-to-eat-that-at-a-fancy-restaurant good.
I had a 2-pound bag of baby carrots that needed eating and a jar of harissa floating around in the fridge. From there, it was a snowball of racing thoughts—add something cool. I don’t have yogurt… dang. Wait, I’ve got tzatziki and feta—that’s gonna be even better! And that arugula I needed to thin out for my garden? That’s gonna be my green!!
Wait… I forgot I have preserved lemons that I made at the beginning of the lockdown that I haven’t used yet… those would be PERFECT! And pickled red onions?? YES! Wait! I have these two pieces of uneaten jalapeño cheddar cornbread that would be PERFECT LITTLE BREADCRUMBS!!! I felt like I was channeling Remy’s ratatouille scene.
In just about 20 minutes of active cooking, I had made a white girl's version of a Moroccan roasted carrot salad that hit every note—there were warm elements next to cool ones, soft bits and crunchy ones, and it was spicy and sweet and sour and umami… It. Was. Everything. Joe exclaimed that he would happily eat it every day for the rest of his life, and I honestly agree.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Roasted Carrot Salad
- Bright & Flavorful - If you’re a fan of the bold flavors of Moroccan cuisine, this colorful salad with harissa roasted carrots and preserved lemon is right up your alley.
- Entrée Sized - My Moroccan-inspired carrot salad is built to satisfy your hunger—it counts as a full meal. That said, it does pair nicely with others, so feel free to add the protein of your choice or serve it on the side of your favorite meal.
- Quick & Easy - You’ll need to be patient in order to achieve the perfect caramelization on your veggies, but your actual active kitchen time shouldn’t exceed 20 minutes. It’s easy enough for even a busy weeknight!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This may be a bit longer of an ingredient list than you might be used to, but the rich flavor of this roasted carrot salad is well worth it. Here’s what to grab:
- Carrots - Baby carrots are already cut to size, but feel free to use whole carrots cut to size. This would also be a great spot for those multi-colored beauties you snagged at the farmer's market.
- Fresh Garlic & Red Onion - I love the extra sweetness and depth this roasted allium duo brings to the table. Also, I live in a world where there’s never too much roasted garlic or onion, so use your best judgment regarding how much you add.
- Harissa & Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Harissa is a spice and chile paste that hails from North Africa and is used across the Middle East. It’s a classic ingredient in Moroccan cooking, adding richly flavored heat to anything it touches. Here we thin it out with a touch of oil to promote the caramelization of the veggies. Note that different brands can vary widely in terms of spiciness, so adjust how much you use based on your heat preferences.
- Ground Cumin & Granulated Sugar - Cumin adds extra warmth, while a touch of sugar helps caramelize the carrots and onions. Feel free to use a less-refined sugar (e.g. maple syrup) if you prefer.
- Feta Cheese - A bit of squeaky, salty, creamy feta is all you need to boost the flavor quotient of this fantastic vegetable salad. Goat cheese or some fried halloumi would both be excellent substitutes.
- Preserved Lemon - Feel free to use store-bought, but they’re easy to make with just salt, lemons, and resting time. Preserved lemons are so very flavorful—think slightly less sour than regular lemons, but with a bit of fermented umami funk. These will forever be a staple in my fridge. They’re not strictly necessary, but are definitely an upgrade. If you don't have any, swap in a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
- Arugula - I like to grow it from seed—it’s SO EASY AND CHEAP to do. Grocery budget tip: check your local library to see if they have free seeds. Feel free to swap in another green like peppery watercress or tender baby spinach.
- Pickled Red Onions - These always live in my fridge—they add a vinegar-y punch with a mild onion “bite.”
- Tzatziki - The creamy cool of this cucumber yogurt sauce provides a lovely contrast for the spicy harissa and warm veggies. Feel free to swap in plain yogurt (regular, Greek, skyr, or labneh) if needed.
- Dukkah - This is a lovely mix of seeds, nuts and warm spices that adds crunch and depth. Don’t fret if you don’t have it! You can always sub in some chopped or sliced nuts for texture—almonds, pistachios and cashews would all be awesome.
- Cornbread Bread Crumbs - Totally optional! I had some leftover pieces of cornbread from steak chili night a few nights ago, and didn’t have any other use for them. I crumbled them up while the veggies were cooking and sauteed them in a pan with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and red chili flakes.
How to Make Moroccan Carrot Salad
As promised, this roasted carrot salad is a snap to make. Here’s how:
Step 1: Prep. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. In a large bowl, toss carrots, red onions, garlic cloves, olive oil-thinned harissa, cumin, sugar, about a teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste.
Step 2: Roast. Spread the harissa-coated veggies on a non-stick rimmed baking sheet in a single layer, giving as much space between the veggies as possible so they can roast instead of steam. Roast for approximately 40 minutes, or until vegetables are fork tender.
Step 3 (Optional): Broil. Hubby likes things on the burnier end of the spectrum, so I added an extra 4 mins at the end of baking time under the broiler to get that nice char flavor on some of the wayward pieces of onion and the exposed parts of the carrots. If this is not in your flavor wheelhouse, stop when the veggies are the color and texture YOU like them!
Step 4: Assemble. To plate this spicy roasted vegetable salad, spread dollop of tzatziki on bottom of plate. Pile high with cooked carrots, onions and garlic. Top with cheese, a handful of arugula, chopped preserved lemons, pickled red onions, a couple of hefty pinches of dukkah, and a final flourish of cornbread bread crumbs.
Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations
- Dairy-Free - You can use vegan tzatziki/yogurt and tofu “feta” to make this a dairy-free and vegan-friendly dinner.
- Nut-Free - Can’t do nuts? Swap out the dukkah for sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, and/or sesame seeds.
- Gluten-Free - Feel free to omit the cornbread crumbs, or use your favorite gluten-free cornbread to make them. You can also use regular gluten-free breadcrumbs if you prefer.
- Add Fresh Herbs - Fresh mint and fresh cilantro are both welcome.
- Adjust the Heat - Spending on how you feel about spicy foods, you may want to dial the heat up or down. You can use more or less harissa than what is called for—this will also be dependent on how spicy your particular brand of harissa is.
Expert Tips
- Leave plenty of room between the veggies—you may want to use a second sheet pan if the veggies look too crowded. When there is ample airflow around the veggies, they can caramelize and brown. When they’re crowded, they end up steaming instead.
- Line the sheet pan with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.
- Reduce food waste.
- If you ever have stale bread that needs using, I always recommend making breadcrumbs! They’re awesome on salads like this, on pasta for some extra crunch, or even just to keep on hand for a week or so to make salmon sweet potato cakes or meatloaf. Flavor them how you wish—garlic, paprika, oregano, chili flakes, etc. The spice cabinet is your playground!
- If your carrots come with greens attached, use them to make pesto.
- Save carrot, onion, and garlic scraps for making no-waste veggie or bone broth.
- Y’all are saving your bacon fat, right?!? Because start if you’re not. It’s a flavor powerhouse, it keeps at room temp for up to 6 months in a mason jar, and it uses up something that would otherwise go to waste. If you’ve got some on hand, use it to fry up your cornbread crumbles. 😋
A Note on Kitchen Experimentation
While I’m all for following recipes, sometimes the best meals are happy accidents. Do I recommend you go out and buy everything to create this crazy concoction? If you have the means and it’s time for your weekly grocery run, sure! It’s a damn fine salad. If not, the bigger point I want to make is the importance of listening to your kitchen instincts.
I tend to read a few recipes that have the ingredients I want to use and mash them up into a hybrid so I can be more in the moment, less on my phone. Sometimes it’s awesome! Sometimes it’s mediocre. Other times it’s merely edible. And, once or twice in the two decades I’ve been cooking for myself, it’s turned into frozen pizza night—you can’t win ‘em all. 🤷🏼♀️
But you know what? You learn from all the things you make, and sometimes the whimsy of throwing a bunch of $#*+ together that sounds good to you will end up being your go-to recipe for the summer, like this Moroccan carrot salad has become for me. In short, enjoy the process as much as the final plate. That’s what cooking should be about!
Storage Instructions
- Once assembled, the Moroccan salad should be eaten fresh for the best results. Otherwise, the greens will wilt and the crunchy toppings will get less crunchy. That said, leftovers will keep well enough in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. (I’d recommend diving in the next day so the toppings don’t get too stale.)
- If you’d like to meal prep, the Moroccan carrots, onions and garlic can be roasted ahead of time. Once roasted, allow them to cool to room temperature before transferring to your preferred storage container. They’ll keep well in the fridge for up to a week, or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- If needed, allow to defrost for a few hours at room temp, or overnight in the fridge. You can reheat the harissa carrots in an oven at 350ºF for about 10 minutes, or microwave until warmed through. They’re also tasty cold!
Serving Suggestions
This Moroccan carrot salad is great on its own as a light lunch or dinner. If you’d like to bulk it up with some extra protein, consider adding crispy chickpeas, sliced harissa steak, or spicy zhoug chicken. It’s also a great side dish at BBQs and cookouts—it’s the perfect partner for grilled meats of all sorts. Unsurprisingly, this roasted carrot salad is also the perfect partner for any Moroccan food like tagine or kefta.
FAQs
Traditional Moroccan carrot salad, known as Salatat Al Jazar, is made from tender cooked carrots and a lemony dressing seasoned with warming spices. This Moroccan inspired salad takes some cues from the original, but adds a few extras like feta, tzatziki, and cornbread bread crumbs to make it more of a fusion dish. That said, I used ingredients that are well within the Moroccan cooking lexicon—like preserved lemons, harissa paste, and cumin.
Yes! Feel free to use any variety of harissa you like.
Yes! Spicy harissa is a great pair for the sweetness of carrots. I personally love harissa roasted veggies of all sorts, especially carrots, cauliflower, parsnips, and potatoes. It’s also great with meats like steak or chicken, as well as with fish!
I recommend tossing the carrots with oil and a bit of sugar (or another sweetener) to help promote better browning, then adding whatever spices you like. The important thing to remember is to give them plenty of room on the baking sheet so they roast rather than steam, preheat the oven and use a high temperature, and don’t open the oven except to toss them halfway through cooking.
More Meatless Monday Recipes
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Moroccan Carrot Salad with Harissa & Preserved Lemon
Ingredients
- 2 lb Carrots baby, or cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 large Red Onion sliced
- 10 whole Peeled Garlic Cloves I live in a world where there’s never too much garlic. Use your best judgement here
- ½-2/3 jar TJ's Harissa thinned with about ¼ C Olive Oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar optional, helps with caramelizing process
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 4 oz Crumbled Feta
- 1 tablespoon Preserved Lemon finely chopped
- 1 handful Arugula
- ¼ C Pickled Red Onions
- 1 dollop Tzatziki for each plate
- 4 pinches TJ's Dukkah
- 3 tablespoon Cornbread Bread Crumbs (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. In a large bowl, toss carrots, red onions, garlic cloves, olive oil-thinned harissa, cumin, sugar, salt and pepper.Spread on a non-stick rimmed baking sheet in a single layer, giving as much space between the veggies as possible so they can roast instead of steam.2 lb Carrots, 1 large Red Onion, 10 whole Peeled Garlic Cloves, ½-2/3 jar TJ's Harissa, 1 ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin, 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar, Salt and Pepper
- Roast for approximately 40 minutes, or until vegetables are fork tender.Optional: Hubby likes things on the burnier end of the spectrum, so I added an extra 4 mins at the end of baking time under the broiler to get that nice char flavor on some of the wayward pieces of onion and the exposed parts of the carrots. If this is not in your flavor wheelhouse, stop when the veggies are the color and texture YOU like them!
- To plate, spread dollop of tzatziki on bottom of plate. Pile high with roasted carrots, onions and garlic. Top with:Crumbled Feta (Goat would also be nice here, or even some fried up halloumi)A handful of Arugula (I’m growing it from seed, and it’s SO EASY AND CHEAP)Chopped Preserved Lemons (easy to make, and so very flavorful. These will forever be another staple in my fridge. Not necessary, but definitely an upgrade)Pickled Red Onions (I make these all the time and they always live in my fridge. I recommend you do the same. They’re SO EASY and add so much flavor to tacos, salads, chili, sandwiches, and basically anything else you want a vinegar-y punch on. Seriously. Make pickled red onions as soon as you’re done reading this.)Hefty two pinches TJ’s Dukkah Mix (a lovely mix of seeds, nuts and coriander… don’t fret if you don’t have it! Sub in some chopped or sliced nuts - almonds, pistachios and cashews would all be awesome, I do believe)Cornbread Bread Crumbs ( Totally optional! I had some leftover pieces of cornbread from chili night a few nights ago, and hadn’t determined any use for them. I crumbled them up while the veggies were cooking and sauteed them in a pan with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and our personal favorite, TJ’s Ghost Pepper to make some spicy breadcrumbs. If you have some bread that’s going stale and needs using, I always recommend making breadcrumbs! They’re awesome on salads like this, on pasta for some extra crunch, or even just to keep on hand for a week or so to make fish cakes or meatloaf. Flavor them how you wish - garlic, paprika, oregano, chili flakes, anything - the spice cabinet is your playground! The cornbread was an especially fun, smoky addition to the plate though, because I made it with bacon fat. That extra layer of flavor was so dang YUM. Y’all are saving your bacon fat, right?!? Because start if you’re not. It’s a flavor powerhouse, it keeps at room temp for up to 6 months in a mason jar, and it uses up something that would otherwise go to waste. Excuse my rambling. I just get so dang excited.)4 oz Crumbled Feta, 1 tablespoon Preserved Lemon, 1 handful Arugula, ¼ C Pickled Red Onions, 1 dollop Tzatziki, 4 pinches TJ's Dukkah, 3 tablespoon Cornbread Bread Crumbs
Notes
- Dairy-Free - You can use vegan tzatziki/yogurt and tofu “feta” to make this a dairy-free and vegan-friendly dinner.
- Nut-Free - Can’t do nuts? Swap out the dukkah for sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, and/or sesame seeds.
- Gluten-Free - Feel free to omit the cornbread crumbs, or use your favorite gluten-free cornbread to make them. You can also use regular gluten-free breadcrumbs if you prefer.
- Add Fresh Herbs - Fresh mint and fresh cilantro are both welcome.
- Adjust the Heat - Spending on how you feel about spicy foods, you may want to dial the heat up or down. You can use more or less harissa than what is called for—this will also be dependent on how spicy your particular brand of harissa is.
- Leave plenty of room between the veggies—you may want to use a second sheet pan if the veggies look too crowded. When there is ample airflow around the veggies, they can caramelize and brown. When they’re crowded, they end up steaming instead.
- Line the sheet pan with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.
- Reduce food waste.
- If you ever have stale bread that needs using, I always recommend making breadcrumbs! They’re awesome on salads like this, on pasta for some extra crunch, or even just to keep on hand for a week or so to make salmon sweet potato cakes or meatloaf. Flavor them how you wish—garlic, paprika, oregano, chili flakes, etc. The spice cabinet is your playground!
- If your carrots come with greens attached, use them to make pesto.
- Save carrot, onion, and garlic scraps for making no-waste veggie or bone broth.
- Y’all are saving your bacon fat, right?!? Because start if you’re not. It’s a flavor powerhouse, it keeps at room temp for up to 6 months in a mason jar, and it uses up something that would otherwise go to waste. If you’ve got some on hand, use it to fry up your cornbread crumbles. 😋
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