Grilled Corn & Tomato Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
For me, the definition of summer is sweet corn and ripe, juicy tomatoes picked fresh off the vine. This Grilled Corn & Tomato Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette is a great way to highlight summer produce.
I make it my job during the summer to create as many new salad recipes as I possibly can. I crave fresh, vibrant meals as soon as the farmers’ markets set up shop and I can get my hands on locally grown produce. I toss the heavy recipes aside temporarily and introduce light, refreshing meals to the weekly rotation.
I’m not sure if you know this about me, but I’m a pizza addict. A few months back, I made enough homemade pizza dough for the week and ate pizza every. single. day. It was the best food week of my life. Okay, so that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it was definitely one delicious week.
When I don’t have time to make homemade pizza dough, which, I hate to admit, is quite often, I reach for DiGiorno. Their Pizzeria! Thin Margherita Pizza has become a staple in my freezer. I’m obsessed with the thin, crispy crust and the vine-ripened tomato sauce that’s nestled under a thick layer of 100% real cheese that bakes up all melty and gooey.
I like to make sure I balance my plate, so I usually serve a fresh salad alongside my slice of pizza. This Grilled Corn & Tomato Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette is the perfect addition to any summer meal. A bed of fresh mesclun greens get topped with sweet grilled corn, ripe grape tomatoes and chunks of fresh blue cheese.
The element that takes this salad from good to amazing, is the homemade roasted red pepper vinaigrette that gets drizzled over the salad. The base of the dressing is made with an entire 12-ounce jar of fire-roasted red peppers–yum! All of the ingredients get added to the bowl of a food processor and pulsed until smooth. Since it’s summer, I used fresh parsley and basil to boost the flavor profile.
Pizza and salad, together on one plate. It doesn’t get any easier.
Grilled Corn & Tomato Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
- 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 small shallot, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
- 3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch pepper
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad
- 4 ears corn
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 2 large romaine hearts, cut in half
- 8 ounces grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 4 ounces blue cheese
Directions:
- To make the vinaigrette, add all of the first 11 ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth. With the processor on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Preheat gas, charcoal, or indoor grill pan. Drizzle the corn with canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning every 1-2 minutes, until all sides are lightly charred. Cool slightly before removing the kernels from the cob.
- In a large bowl, combine spring mix, corn, tomatoes, cucumber, and blue cheese. Toss to combine. Serve with the roasted red pepper vinaigrette.
Disclosure: This recipe is in collaboration with Balance Your Plate. Thank you for supporting the products I love and use in my kitchen.