Sweet Potato Kale Salad
This simple roasted sweet potato kale salad will make kale lovers out of haters (it did for me!). Shredded kale, perfectly seasoned sweet potatoes, crunchy and crumbly cornbread croutons, toasted pepitas and pecans, balsamic dressing--I could go on. This salad is one you will dream about! Serve it as part of your holiday spread or for a simple dinner at home!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 2 medium/large sweet potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- pinch of nutmeg
- sea salt and pepper as desired
Cornbread Croutons
- 1½ cups cornbread cubes
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Toasted Pepitas and Pecans
- ½ c pepitas
- ½ c chopped pecans
- optional small drizzle of maple and sprinkle of sea salt
Balsamic Dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp honey or maple syrup
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ tsp cracked pepper
- ¼ - ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Prep the Sweet Potatoes and Cornbread Croutons: Line a baking sheet with parchment. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the seasonings over the sweet potatoes and toss to combine (you can do this right on the pan or in a bowl.) Arrange evenly on about 2/3 of the pan and bake for about 10 minutes.
- While the sweet potatoes begin to roast, toss the cornbread cubes with the olive oil. After sweet potatoes have baked for 10 minutes, spread the cornbread cubes evenly on the remaining third of the pan. Bake for another 15 minutes, or until the cornbread is golden brown and sweet potatoes are tender but not overly soft or mushy. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Optional Toasted Pecans and Pepitas: this is not a necessary step, but is amazing! Add the raw pepitas and pecans to skillet and heat over medium low for about 4-6 minutes, stirring frequently. Once lightly toasted and fragrant, remove from the heat and drizzle about a teaspoon of maple and crank or two of sea salt. Allow to cool until ready to add to salad.
- Prep the Balsamic Dressing: Whisk together dressing ingredients until combined. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Prepare the Salad*(see notes for prepping in advance): Add the chopped kale to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and seal salt and gently massage into the kale leaves. Add the onion, feta cranberries, and the remaining ingredients. Toss to combine. Drizzle about 2/3 of the dressing over top and toss to evenly dress the salad. Add more dressing as desired. Chill for about 15-30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Notes
Storage: This salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about 3-4 days. The ingredients will soften so peak texture is in the first two days, but you can certainly eat it for a couple days beyond that.
*To make this salad ahead of time, prep ingredients separately and then toss together before serving. For the best texture, if you want to prep this salad, make the sweet potatoes, cornbread croutons, and toasted pecans and pepitas and store separately. You can chop the kale and massage it, toss in the onions and cranberries, but then toss everything else in about 30 minutes to an hour before you serve it.
For best results, massage the kale! Massaging kale with a touch of olive oil and sea salt is a game changer. It softens the kale and improves the flavor and makes it less bitter. It changed everything I ever thought about kale after starting to do this!