Escalivada, also known as “asado de verduras” is a delicious way to eat roasted vegetables.
This Spanish dish is originally from the regions of Catalonia and Comunidad Valenciana. It is made with peppers, eggplant, onions, and tomatoes that are roasted in the oven, and then dressed with olive oil and salt.
Escalivada is served cold and is usually eaten as a side dish or as a filling for your tostada (Spanish breakfast or snack). You can also add it to salads, use it as a topping for hummus or sandwiches, and more.
In Spain, you can find it ready-made in stores like supermarkets, greengrocers, or even bakeries. But it’s so easy, quick, and cheap to make that it is almost mandatory to try it at home.
And since the roasted veggies will keep in the fridge for a few days, it’s also great for meal prep!
Ingredients
To make escalivada, you’ll need these ingredients:
- Red bell peppers – Large red bell peppers without soft spots.
- Italian green peppers – I recommend using Italian green peppers if you can find them. Otherwise, green bell peppers also work.
- White onions – If you can’t find white onions, you can use yellow onions.
- Tomatoes – Preferably ripe, firm tomatoes. Don’t use grape or cherry tomatoes for this recipe.
- Eggplants – Medium to large eggplants without soft spots.
- Extra virgin olive oil – Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil since its flavor will impact the final dish. Regular or refined olive oil will do if you can’t find extra virgin olive oil. Avoid using any other oil.
- Salt – Enhances the overall flavor of the vegetables. Adjust to taste.
- Garlic cloves – Optional; add or skip depending on your preference.
Recipe Tips
- Typically, escalivada is only made with the vegetables mentioned above (red and green peppers, eggplant, onions and tomatoes). They are quite juicy, so when roasted, you end up with a delicious result. Other veggies may end up dry.
- The roasted vegetables are eaten cold and no other dressings are usually added, but you can add a bit of black pepper if you like.
- If you want to use garlic, you can remove the central stem to make it a bit less potent and easier to digest.
- Roasting the veggies at a lower temperature helps their sugars caramelize and become delicious without burning. “Stabbing” the eggplant and the onions prevents them from exploding – the tiny holes help steam escape.
- Covering the vegetables with foil while hot will help them sweat and make peeling super easy.
- Wait until the vegetables are cold before peeling. You can discard the juice they’ve released during cooling. When you place the peeled veggies on the serving plate, they will release some more.
- If some of the pepper seeds are not removed, that’s fine, but try to remove most of them.
How to Make Escalivada – Step by Step Instructions
First, preheat the oven to 395 degrees Fahrenheit.
Meanwhile, rinse and dry the peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants and also line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Then arrange the vegetables in a single layer on the baking sheet. Make a few cuts in the onions and the eggplants to prevent them from exploding.
Lower the heat to 355 degrees Fahrenheit and place the baking sheet with the vegetables in the oven.
Roast the vegetables at 355 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes, until they are soft and slightly charred.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cover with foil to allow the vegetables to sweat while they cool.
About 2 hours later, once the vegetables have cooled completely, peel the veggies and remove the peppers seeds.
Then place the peeled vegetables on a plate and slice them into thin strips. Traditionally, each vegetable is presented separately.
Optionally, peel a couple of garlic cloves and mince them. Then dress the roasted vegetables with garlic, olive oil, and salt.
You can serve the roasted vegetables as a side dish to almost anything, including meat, fish, or pasta. You could also add them to salads or use them as a hummus topping or for sandwiches.
They can also be served with some crackers and other little things in a “tapas” setting. In the photos, I serve it over olive oil crackers or tortas, which are delicious crunchy crackers, but any cracker or toasted bread would work. Enjoy!
Storage Tips
Store leftover roasted vegetables with some olive oil (but without any garlic, since there is a risk of botulism) in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Related Recipes
Here are some other vegetable-based Spanish recipes you may want to try next:
- Pisto (Spanish Vegetable Stew)
- Spanish Sofrito
- Ensalada Murciana (Murcia-Style Salad)
- Pipirrana (Juicy Spanish Salad)
Escalivada (Cold Spanish Roasted Vegetables)
Ingredients
- 2 large red bell peppers
- 2-3 Italian green peppers , or 2 green bell peppers
- 2 large white onions
- 3 to 4 tomatoes
- 2 medium eggplants
- 2 garlic cloves, optional
- 2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 395 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rinse and dry the peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants.2 large red bell peppers, 2-3 Italian green peppers , 3 to 4 tomatoes, 2 medium eggplants
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then arrange the vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet. Make a few cuts in the onions and the eggplants to prevent them from exploding.2 large white onions
- Lower the heat to 355 degrees Fahrenheit and place the baking sheet with the vegetables in the oven. Roast the vegetables at 355 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes, until soft and slightly charred.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cover with foil to allow the vegetables to sweat while they cool.
- About 2 hours later (once cooled completely), peel the veggies and remove the pepper seeds.
- Place the peeled vegetables on a plate and slice them into thin strips. Traditionally, each vegetable is presented separately.
- Optional: Peel a couple of garlic cloves and mince them.2 garlic cloves
- Dress the roasted vegetables with garlic, olive oil, and salt. Then serve and enjoy.2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
Notes
- The roasted vegetables are eaten cold.
- Typically, escalivada is only made with the vegetables mentioned above.
- If you want to use garlic, you can remove the central stem to make it a bit less potent and easier to digest.
- “Stabbing” the eggplant and the onions prevents them from exploding.
- Covering the vegetables with foil while they are hot will help them sweat and make peeling super easy. Wait until the vegetables are cold before peeling. You can discard the juice they’ve released during cooling.
- You can serve escalivada as a side dish to almost anything, including meat, fish, or pasta, add them to salads, or use them as a hummus topping or for sandwiches. They can also be served with crackers in a “tapas” setting.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
