Salad featuring Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Quinoa, and Kale

This Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Quinoa is a colorful, nutritious dish that is filled with flavor! Tasty and hearty components blended together with a light maple vinaigrette. Ideal for lunch or a simple weeknight meal!

This recipe is certainly a long-time FAVORITE, so I felt it was necessary to refresh the images and remind everyone of the deliciousness of this salad! This Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Quinoa has been one of my staple seasonal salads for quite some time, and the dressing is fantastic. I enjoy including sweet potatoes in my meals, so adding them to a salad was an obvious choice. Ever since I prepared these sweet and spicy sweet potato fries, I can’t get enough of this specific flavor blend. A perfect blend of sweetness, spice, and herb undertones – it checks all the boxes!

Reasons to Love This

• Wholesome and satisfying – the mix of kale, quinoa, and sweet potatoes creates a healthy trio that is filling and substantial. We enjoy a meal-sized salad!
• Versatile – you can easily personalize this salad by selecting your own grains and adding nuts or cheese as well as avocado slices.
• Ideal for meal prep – prepare the parts of this salad in advance to enjoy throughout the week. Kale withstands dressings well, making this salad suitable for meal prepping, and leftovers taste even better the next day!
• Suitable for everyone – this salad is inherently gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan, but you can easily include your preferred protein like chicken, shrimp, or beef.

Essential Ingredients

• sweet potatoes – you’ll want approximately 2 medium sweet potatoes (or 1 large one) cut into small 1/4-inch cubes for quick roasting and easy caramelization.
• quinoa – provides protein, fiber, and a light, fluffy texture that complements the rich roasted sweet potatoes in this dish.
• kale – offers structure and crunch to the salad, while adding a nutrient-packed, earthy foundation. Just be sure to discard the tough stems first. Spinach, arugula, or other leafy greens can be used as alternatives.
• seasonings – a flavorful mix of chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, kosher salt, and black pepper.
• dried cranberries – contribute a hint of sweetness and chewiness that balances the salad’s savory elements. You could also use dried cherries, golden raisins, or chopped dates instead.
• maple vinaigrette – consists of a few tablespoons of olive oil, red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar), maple syrup (or honey) for natural sweetness, finely minced shallots, and sea salt. Adding a splash of lemon juice can also brighten the entire salad.

Steps to Prepare Sweet Potato Kale Salad

1. Roast the sweet potatoes. Coat the cubed sweet potato with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, chipotle chili powder, and salt until fully covered. Arrange the sweet potatoes on a large sheet pan lined with parchment paper in a single layer and roast for about 25-35 minutes, turning once.
2. Cook the quinoa. While roasting the sweet potatoes, rinse the quinoa thoroughly using a mesh strainer. Place water (or vegetable or chicken broth) in a small saucepan and add the rinsed quinoa. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover and reduce the heat. Let it simmer for around 13 minutes.
3. Cool the quinoa. Remove from heat while keeping the quinoa covered. Allow it to sit for about 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Set aside until you’re ready to put the salad together.
4. Prepare the kale. In a large bowl, add the chopped kale leaves and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Massage the kale with your hands or tongs for 1 to 2 minutes until it softens and deepens in color.
5. Prepare the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, shallots, salt, and pepper until well combined.
6. Combine salad. Mix the kale, quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, and cranberries in a large bowl and drizzle with the dressing. Adjust seasoning with extra salt and pepper, as required, and enjoy!

Suggestions for Making this Salad

• Massage the kale – this vital step softens the leaves, enhances the texture, and breaks down the kale to reduce bitterness.
• Prep while sweet potatoes roast – as the sweet potatoes cook, you can simultaneously prepare the quinoa, wash the kale, and mix the homemade dressing to save time.
• Avoid overcooking quinoa – aim for fluffy, not mushy quinoa. Once the water is absorbed, take it off the heat.
• Roast extra sweet potatoes – I prefer having more sweet potatoes on hand for topping grain bowls, adding to wraps, or serving at breakfast during the week.

Ways to Customize this Salad

• Substitute the potatoes – instead of sweet potatoes, consider roasting butternut squash or carrots.
• Different whole grains – if quinoa isn’t to your liking, you can swap it out for brown rice, wild rice, farro, or couscous.
• Change the greens – you can easily exchange fresh kale for baby spinach, arugula, or mixed greens.
• Increase protein – for an extra surge of protein, add cooked chicken, shrimp, salmon, or beef. Feel free to include plant-based proteins like black beans, lentils, or crispy chickpeas as well.
• Extra vegetables – enhance the dish with red onion slices, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes, bell peppers, or corn.
• Optional additions – instead of dried cranberries, try dried cherries, golden raisins, or even chopped apples for a different flavor. You might also mix in chopped walnuts, pecans, pistachios, almonds, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds for extra crunch.
• Incorporate cheese – feel free to add some feta, goat cheese, or even shaved Parmesan for added flavor.

Tips for Prepping and Storing

• To Prep – You can prepare all the components (sweet potatoes, quinoa, and dressing) in advance and store them separately in sealed, airtight containers for up to 5 days in the fridge. This makes the salad excellent for meal prep!
• To Store – Once the salad is assembled, any leftovers will keep for 2 to 3 days in a sealed, airtight container stored in the refrigerator.

More Autumn Salad Recipes

I trust you’ll enjoy this Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes! If this recipe delights you as much as it does us, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and remember to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny!