Roasted Sweet Potato Kale Salad (2024)

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This crunchy roasted sweet potato kale salad is drizzled with a wonderfully fresh and light vinaigrette and topped with nutty pecans and creamy goat cheese. It makes a great quick and easy meal or light lunch and it is so healthy and flavorful!

Currently, this is my favorite salad for fall! Of course, I LOVE any kale salad but a kale salad with roasted sweet potatoes is just the best, simple combination that TOTALLY WORKS and is so FLAVORFUL!

My mom actually said it was one of her favorites and she is not the biggest fan of KALE! It is just so easy to make and it has the perfect balance of crunchy, creamy elements that give it great texture and flavor. Plus the crispy, roasted sweet potatoes make this salad even more DELICIOUS!

Why you’ll love this incredible kale salad with roasted sweet potatoes

• It is loaded with flavor and nutrition!
• You can easily top it with grilled chicken or salmon for a simple and easy weeknight meal.
• It is colorful, fresh, and packed with plant-based protein and fiber! – like this Virla Jen Aniston Salad.
• The perfect balance of texture and flavor!
• It stores great, which makes it ideal for meal prepping.

Ingredients you will need

• Kale – I used curly kale but Tuscan kale (aka Lacinato or Dinosaur kale) will also work.
• Sweet potatoes – about 2 medium sweet potatoes. You can buy store-bought, pre-cut as a shortcut.
• Quinoa – cooked, cooled quinoa adds a nice nutty flavor as well as some plant-based protein.
• Red onion – shallots will also work.
• Pecans – for a nice nutty flavor and texture.
• Goat cheese – crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese. You can also leave it out to make this recipe dairy-free.
• Dried cranberries – raisins or pomegranate seeds will work as well.
• Dressing ingredients – Olive oil, maple syrup, dijon mustard, lemon, salt, and pepper.
• Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & pepper – to season the potatoes and the dressing.

How to make a roasted sweet potato kale salad

Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the complete list of recipe ingredients, instructions, and nutrition.

1. Roast the sweet potatoes – Season and roast the sweet potatoes at 425 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Per the recipe card below.
2. Prepare the kale – Place the kale into a large bowl, drizzle it with a little bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and massage it for 1-2 minutes with your fingers to break it down a little.
3. Assemble the salad – Add the roasted sweet potatoes along with the rest of the salad ingredients to the bowl with the kale and toss.
4. Mix the Vinaigrette – Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl or mason jar, and mix well to emulsify.
5. Dress, toss, and serve – Pour the dressing onto the salad and toss. It’s crazy good!

The lemon dijon dressing makes this kale sweet potato salad so irresistable and it will be the one you will want to make over and over again!

Recipe Tips

• For the best flavor, use whole sweet potatoes and clean and chop them yourself, then season and roast them. Precut, store-bought sweet potatoes work fine but are not always as flavorful.
• Roast the sweet potatoes until they are golden around the edges. They are so good.
• Make sure you rinse the kale well, then massage it for 1-2 minutes to get it nice and tender, and soft before you combine it with the rest of the ingredients.
• You can make the quinoa 1-2 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Delicious add-in’s

• Chicken: Leftover diced or shredded chicken breast would be a great addition to this salad.
• Bacon: Some cooked, chopped bacon would add a nice salty, crunchy flavor that would go great with the rest of the salad ingredients.
• Avocado: Diced avocado would add a nice creaminess, plus even more nutrition.
• Fruit: Chopped apples or pears would also be great!

Ways to serve Sweet Potato Kale Salad

This kale salad is so good all on its own but it also makes a great healthy side dish with other main dishes. Here are a few mains that we like to pair this salad with.

• Chicken Parmesan
• Whole Roasted Chicken
• Turkey Meatloaf
• Chicken Burger
• Pork Loin

FAQs

Make ahead tips

• You can prepare the kale in advance by washing it, drying it, removing the stems, and chopping the leaves. Then store it wrapped in some dry paper towels in a ziplock bag for up to 2-3 days before you make this salad.
• The quinoa can also be made in advance since you want to use cooked, cooled quinoa in this salad.
• You can also mix up the dressing and store it in a mason jar fitted tightly with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in advance.

More Kale Salad Recipes

• Kale Quinoa Salad
• Easy Kale Salad With Lemon
• Kale Caesar Salad
• Shaved Brussel Sprout Kale Salad
• Kale and Strawberry Salad

Did you try this kale sweet potato salad? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below. I would love to hear how it turned out!

Print

Roasted Sweet Potato Kale Salad

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Amy Estes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 people 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

This Kale Roasted Sweet Potato Salad is packed full of crunchy veggies like kale, and red onion mixed with perfectly roasted sweet potatoes, nutty pecans, creamy goat cheese, and dried cranberries. Drizzled with a tangy, sweet dijon dressing that makes it wonderfully tasty and packed with flavor.

Ingredients

Scale

For the sweet potato kale salad

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes)
• 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 bunches of curly kale (washed and massaged)
• 1 cup cooked quinoa – cooled
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ¼ cup diced red onion
• ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese

For the dijon dressing

• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

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Instructions

Roast the sweet potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 425F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the diced sweet potatoes to a medium-sized mixing bowl.Drizzle theolive oil onto the potatoes, sprinkle salt and pepper, and toss to coat.Pour the sweet potatoes onto thebaking sheet in a single layer and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove and let cool for a few minutes.

Make the dressing

1. Add all of the dressing ingredients to asmall bowl or mason jar and mix well to emulsify.

Assemble and dress the salad

1. Add the massaged kale to a salad bowl or platter, and top with the cooked quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, red onion, pecans, cranberries, and goat cheese.
2. Pour on the dressing, toss lightly, and serve.

Equipment

baking sheet

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salad bowl

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Notes

Masage the kale before buidling the salad for better results. This helps break down the kale and make it softer and more delicious.

See Also

How to Cook Quinoa (a step-by-step guide + recipes!)

To store this salad: Place ingredients into seperate containters and build the salad when ready to eat.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Healthy Salads
• Method: Tossed
• Cuisine: American

See Also

Crunchy Thai Peanut & Quinoa SaladSweet Potato and Black Bean Quinoa BowlsEdamame Crunch Salad with Sesame Cashew Lime DressingThai Quinoa Salad Recipe (Healthy & So Easy!) | foodiecrush.com