Roasted red onion salad with feta and walnuts

This dish is just the most delicious combination of onions, feta, walnuts, lemon and parsley in my opinion. Fresh-tasting and vibrant, it is perfect for a lunchtime salad or as a starter in the evening.

The tangy onion pairs beautifully with the creamy feta, brining and wholesome and filling salad. Credit: Jacqui Small / Lisa Linder

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

I always have the ingredients for this salad - ristede rødløgssalat med feta og calnødder - in my kitchen. In fact, I often have fresh walnuts (my favourite ones are from Turkey or Afghanistan), soaked in water overnight to make the skin come off, then dipped in celery salt for breakfast; and I also love grilled feta with red onion and capsicum (bell peppers) for lunch. 

Ingredients

For the salad

• 6 red onions, cut into quarters
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 200 g (7 oz) Danish (or Greek) feta, cut into chunks
• 4 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt or sea salt
• 200 g (7 oz/2 cups) walnuts

To serve

• 6 slices of rye bread
• butter, to spread

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Place the red onions on a baking tray (sheet) and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.  

In a bowl, mix the baked red onions with the olive oil, lemon juice, feta, parsley and salt. Put on a baking tray (sheet) and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Remove the onion mixture from the oven, shake gently and add the walnuts. Cook for a further 10 minutes.

Divide the salad between 6 plates. Toast and butter the rye bread and serve straight away with the salad.

Recipe and image from Cook Yourself Happy by Caroline Fleming (Jacqui Small, hb, $49.99). Read more from Caroline on the joys of cooking here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

I always have the ingredients for this salad - ristede rødløgssalat med feta og calnødder - in my kitchen. In fact, I often have fresh walnuts (my favourite ones are from Turkey or Afghanistan), soaked in water overnight to make the skin come off, then dipped in celery salt for breakfast; and I also love grilled feta with red onion and capsicum (bell peppers) for lunch.