Over the last year, I have really gotten into using sauteed or baked vegetables in my salads. They instantly make the salad feel more substantial, more like a meal, and less like a wimpy side dish. This sweet potato and kale salad is so filling! The sweet potato provides the obvious bit of sweetness but also brings a healthy carb to the dish. Drizzle a little homemade lemon mustard vinaigrette dressing on top, toss in some roasted pine nuts, and you have the perfect salad!
Commonly asked questions:
Are you sure it’s ok to put hot potatoes and vegetables in a salad?
I know it may seem weird at first but yes, roasted potatoes and vegetables are FANTASTIC in a salad. There is something unique about the mix of hot and cold ingredients that, once you try, you will love! Also, roasted ingredients bring a smokiness to this salad that is uncommon but very tasty.
Are there any other vegetables or potatoes that would go well in this salad?
Pretty much every ingredient in this salad is substitute-able. I chose a kale base because kale is incredibly healthy and I like how hearty it tastes. You could swap out for romaine, too. Whenever roasted vegetables in a salad you need to select a lettuce that is strong so that it won’t wilt from the heat of the cooked ingredients. If sweet potatoes aren’t your thing, you can swap with russet or Yukon gold potatoes. In terms of vegetable selection, you could also add vegetables that roast really nicely like asparagus or broccoli.
How long will this sweet potato and kale salad last in my refrigerator?
You can keep this salad in your refrigerator for up to 3 days. I HIGHLY recommend only putting the salad dressing on the portion you plan on eating, and not on the portion you plan on saving. Even better, separate the hot ingredients from the cold and reassemble the salad each time you eat it. This will allow you to re-heat the hot ingredients separately!
If you like this recipe check out these other great recipes on my blog:
Sweet Potato Kale Salad
Ingredients
For Salad/Bowl:
- 1 lb sweet potatoes peeled and diced into bite size pieces
- 1 red bell pepper diced and separated in 2 parts
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- salt & pepper to taste
- 4 cups kale de-stemmed and chopped
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/2 cup pine nuts toasted
For Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing:
- 1 shallot chopped
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
For Salad/Bowl:
- Preheat oven to 425° F and prepare a baking pan (lining with parchment paper or greasing with oil).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sweet potatoes, half of the red onion, bell pepper, olive oil, paprika and chili powder and mix well. Place onto baking pan and bake in oven for 10-20 minutes on each side until veggies are soft and potatoes are crispy. Salt & pepper to taste.
- While sweet potatoes are cooking, combine all dressing ingredients in a medium mixing bowl or mason jar and wisk or shake to mix everything together. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked sweet potatoes and veggies, kale, remaining raw red onion and dressing and toss until everything is evenly coated. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.