Carla Hall's Warm Carrot Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing

Layers of warm, spiced carrots, along with lightly caramelized pineapple chunks and tart, crunchy apples come together with a creamy and bright lemon dressing to make carrots the star of the show.

Carla Hall Carrot Salad
Photo: McCormick
Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
45 mins
Servings:
4

Celebrity chef Carla Hall teamed up with McCormick to dish out a delicious culinary tribute to the Easter bunny's all-time favorite food: the humble carrot.

"I love carrots," the Nashville-native said in an IGTV demonstration. "I think they are the 'and' vegetable—they're good raw and cooked. They can be sweet and savory."

In Hall's spruced-up, super-colorful carrot salad, your tastebuds will experience carrots in both their sweet and savory glory. Rainbow carrots—a fancier version of the beloved veggie—in hues of purple, red, orange, and yellows give the dish a fun pop of color. No offense to the traditional orange, of course!

Golden raisins, pineapple, and chunks of Granny Smith apple add sweetness and tang to the roasted carrots, while a generous splash of creamy lemon dressing tie all the elements together. The finished result is a festive, Easter-inspired dish that will bring guests hopping back for more.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 1 pound medium rainbow carrots, trimmed and peeled

  • 1 small Granny Smith apple, cored

  • 1/4 cup golden raisins

  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

  • 1/2 cup canned pineapple in juice, drained (with juice reserved), cut into 1/2-inch chunks

Creamy Lemon Dressing

  • 1/4 cup cup mayonnaise

  • 2 tablespoons pineapple juice (reserved from can)

  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard

  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk olive oil, sesame seed, salt, black pepper and cayenne in small bowl. Arrange carrots in single layer on parchment-lined sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil mixture, rolling carrots to coat well.

  2. Roast 30 minutes, turning carrots halfway through cooking. Meanwhile, cut apple into 1/2-inch chunks; toss with raisins and lemon juice in medium bowl; set aside.

  3. Remove pan from oven and push carrots to one side of pan. Arrange pineapple chunks on other side of pan. Roast 10 to 15 minutes longer, until carrots are fork tender and pineapple is lightly browned.

  4. Remove pan from the oven. Keeping separate from the carrots, add apple mixture to pineapple on sheet pan, tossing gently to allow mixture to pick up any pan juices and seasonings. Allow carrots and pineapple mixture to cool slightly.

  5. For the Creamy Lemon Dressing, whisk all ingredients in small bowl. To assemble salad, arrange carrots on rectangular serving platter. Sprinkle pineapple mixture across center of carrots. Drizzle with Creamy Lemon Dressing to serve.

Tips

Produce sizes vary across different regions and seasons. To prepare with larger carrots, cut in half lengthwise before roasting. The cooking time may vary slightly depending on the size of your carrots, so check for tenderness starting at 20 minutes.

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