When you think of a salad, you probably think of a light, airy bowl filled with greens freshly plucked from the garden. You might also think that when the weather cools and the ground starts to freeze, salad season is over, but that doesn’t have to be the case, thanks to a genius concept known as baked salad.
Baked salad is the brainchild of Justine Doiron, social media star, cookbook author and founder of Justine Snacks. Doiron tells Parade that she originally came up with the idea of baked salad while checking out a different dish. “I’m a visually-inspired cook, and this recipe was inspired by a crab tostada of all things,” she says. “I was at a restaurant and loved how the tostada was piled up high, almost in a cone.” That towering pile of crab eventually translated into a mound of crispy quinoa topping for her roasted kale salad—giving it both crunch and a dramatic look.
For Doiron, baked salad is also a cozy way to enjoy vegetables that might not be as appealing raw in colder months. “Roasting tempers any bitterness and makes a dinner feel more cozy, delicious and easier to chew,” she explains.
As someone who loves experimenting with salads but struggles to find seasonal produce that feels satisfying in fall, I was intrigued by Doiron’s viral recipe and had to try it myself. Honestly? It was one of the tastiest dishes I’ve made in a while—and surprisingly simple. Here’s what I discovered when I made baked salad, and what you need to know to make it at home.
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What Is Baked Salad?
At baseline, a baked salad is a salad where the majority (if not all) of the ingredients are cooked in the oven. The spirit and intention of baked salad is for it to look and feel like a fresh salad rather than a mix of roasted vegetables, which is what we’re all used to eating in the fall.
Doiron has shared several versions of baked salad on TikTok, where her original recipe has racked up about 500,000 likes on TikTok and sparked thousands of recreations. Fans say it’s the perfect cold-weather salad because it’s hearty and cozy but still feels vibrant.
According to Doiron, all great baked salads require a leafy green base, like kale, mustard greens, cabbage or Brussels sprouts. The dressing should be tangy and sweet or creamy to counteract the bitter greens, she adds.
Finally, Doiron says that baked salads need hearty mix-ins to help fill you up. There are a range of things that can work here, including farro, quinoa, cheese or beans (or a combination of several of those things). What you’re looking for are ingredients that will help make this salad more of a meal and less of a side.
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Ingredients You Need to Make Justine Snacks’Baked Salad
Doiron has published multiple baked salad variations on her site—like her Salsa Macha Baked Salad; Baked Kale Salad with Brussels Sprouts, Honey Mustard & Green Apple; and Baked Kale Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette & Griddled Goat Cheese—but the Baked Kale Salad with Crispy Quinoa is the iconic recipe, so that’s where I decided to start my baked salad journey.
To make it, you need lacinato kale, green cabbage, uncooked quinoa, a red onion, sage sprigs, a rosemary sprig, honey, red wine vinegar, chili oil, olive oil, salt and pepper.
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How to Make Justine Snacks’ Baked Salad
Doiron’s recipe is on her website, so you can refer to it and pull it all together at home, but I’ll share the general process here. To make the dish, start by preheating your oven to 450°. While it heats up, cook your quinoa according to the package directions.
While the quinoa cooks and the oven preheats, core and thinly slice the cabbage and kale. Spread them on separate baking sheets, drizzle with avocado oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the cabbage until golden and crisp, which should take about 20 minutes, adding the kale during the last 5 minutes or so. Remove both from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375°.
Spread the cooked quinoa on a baking sheet, drizzle with chili oil, season with salt and roast.
Next comes the agrodolce, an Italian-style sweet-and-sour condiment that doubles as the salad’s dressing. To make it, thinly slice a red onion into a bowl. Whisk honey and water together, then warm a little oil in a pan with a sprig of sage and rosemary. Add the honey mixture, let it thicken, then season with salt and red wine vinegar. Simmer briefly, remove the herbs and pour the mixture over the onions.
Toss the cabbage, kale and agrodolce together, pile into a bowl and top with the roasted quinoa. Serve warm.
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What I Thought of Justine Snacks’ Baked Salad
Courtesy Korin Miller
As a veggie lover, I’ve made a lot of salads in my lifetime, and this is my new fall favorite. I made a huge amount of baked salad for my family, and it was gone within 24 hours. That’s high praise because half of my family isn’t a big fan of vegetables.
Justine’s baked kale salad recipe is fairly simple in terms of components and assembly, but the agrodolce dressing is what really helps to bring everything together and makes the flavors pop. I was surprised by how much sage and rosemary flavor got infused into the dressing in a few short minutes. Those herbal fall flavors really help make every bite of baked salad taste warm and cozy.
I made a few tweaks to the recipe that I think helped. I coated my greens in oil, salt and pepper before putting them on the baking sheet (vs doing it once the greens were on the pan) to make sure that there was an even distribution. I also carefully coated the quinoa with chili oil before putting it on the pan to make sure every bit was covered.
The final result was a dinner salad that was surprisingly filling. While I served the salad topped with grilled chicken, you can still leave the table feeling full if you just eat this salad without added protein.
But there’s more to love! Unlike raw salads, baked salads keep really well overnight and taste even more flavorful the next day. So, if you’re big on prepping food ahead, this is a great option. (Just consider storing your quinoa separately so it stays crunchy.)
This is a delicious, savory and filling way to get in your veggies throughout the cooler months. I have big plans to make it a staple in my household.
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Tips for Making Crispy Quinoa for Baked Salad
This baked salad is topped with crispy quinoa, which helps to tie the whole thing together and fill you up. But crispy quinoa can be hard to pull off if you don’t do it correctly. “It’s really about giving the quinoa space and making sure to use enough oil,” Doiron explains.
And she was right. When I made the crispy quinoa, I found I got the best results when I really spread the grain out on the sheet pan. When they’re lumped together, the quinoa is more likely to steam, which means you won’t get the crispy crunch you’re after.
The crispy quinoa takes some practice and a little more thought to make sure it’s truly crunchy, but it is a must-not-miss part of this recipe.
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Source:
Justine Doiron, cookbook author and content creator
