This Sweet Potato Kale Salad features roasted sweet potatoes, crispy chickpeas, caramelized onions, and a silky smooth roasted red pepper dressing! If you’re at all bored of your salads lately, this one’s for you. The sweet caramelized onions and tangy dressing really take it to the next level – it’s downright addicting! It’s hearty enough to be a main course, but is also wonderful with a piece of grilled salmon or chicken!
This sweet potato kale salad was inspired by a salad I had at a local café recently. I knew the moment I tried it, that I had to re-create it at home. Side note – caramelized onions in salad is my new favorite thing. It makes this salad feel cozy somehow?? Perfect for fall and even a Thanksgiving side if you’re one of those people like me, who needs some green on their plate, always.
The star of this show might just be the roasted red pepper dressing.
It’s equal parts tangy, sweet, savory, lemony, garlicky, and just straight up perfect. I love it so much and it has become a quick favorite!
I like to roast the peppers myself – they are so much better this way, trust me. But for time’s sake, you can use jarred if you’d like. I won’t judge. 🙂
I’ve also included a few more time-saving hacks below!
The next extra special part of this salad: the caramelized onions!
I make them the same way I do in this recipe. They are extremely easy to make – they just take a little bit of time to cook down and get all beautiful and caramelized. The good news is, they can be made ahead of time, and are mostly hands-off.
I like to cheat and add a little brown sugar to my caramelized onions, which helps add a little extra depth and sweetness, and I also like to add a touch of balsamic vinegar to add even more depth, and also a little acidity. They are SO good and add such a special element to this salad.
Here’s a quick rundown of how to make this sweet potato kale salad:
- Start by prepping the dressing. Place the peppers on a baking sheet under the broiler for 25-30 minutes until they’re black all over. While the peppers are in the oven, use this time to prep the rest of the ingredients. Chop your sweet potato, drain your chickpeas, clean and chop your kale, slice the onions, and gather the dressing ingredients.
- Blend the dressing. All you need: the cooled, peeled peppers, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, dijon, honey, shallot, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Blend it until smooth and creamy and season to taste!
- Roast the sweet potatoes and chickpeas. These get prepped super simply with just a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 425℉ for about 20-25 minutes, until the chickpeas are nice and crunchy, and the sweet potatoes are tender and golden.
- Meanwhile, caramelize the onions. While the sweet potatoes and chickpeas are roasting, make the caramelized onions. The key to these is cooking them low and slow. All you need is a little olive oil, butter, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. They are addictingly good.
- Assemble! Massage some of the dressing into the kale along with salt and pepper, then top with caramelized onions, roasted sweet potatoes, crispy chickpeas, a healthy handful of crumbled feta, and more dressing.
I know that this salad has a handful of components/steps, but I promise it’s all worth it! However, here are a few ways to make this recipe quicker and more weeknight friendly:
- Use store-bought roasted red peppers in the dressing.
- Use store-bought crispy chickpeas such as these.
- Use pre-washed and chopped kale or baby kale.
- Make the dressing and caramelized onions up to 3 days ahead of time.
If you love this recipe, you will also love:
Shaved Brussels Kale Salad with Butternut Squash, Mandarins, and Candied Pistachios
Roasted Cauliflower Kale Salad with Dried Cherries, Walnuts, and Feta
Favorite Kale Salad
Thanksgiving Leftovers Kale Salad
Autumn Blood Orange Kale Salad
Crispy Mushroom Kale Salad with Parmesan Garlic Dressing
Caramelized Onion White Bean Dip
Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Bowls with Romesco Sauce
And don’t forget to share a photo on Instagram and tag me @spicesinmydna if you make this recipe! Nothing makes me happier than seeing what you create in the kitchen!
Sweet Potato Kale Salad with Crispy Chickpeas, Caramelized Onions, and Roasted Red Pepper Dressing
This Sweet Potato Kale Salad features roasted sweet potatoes, crispy chickpeas, caramelized onions, and a silky smooth roasted red pepper dressing! If you're at all bored of your salads lately, this one's for you. The sweet caramelized onions and tangy dressing really take it to the next level - it's downright addicting! It's hearty enough to be a main course, but is also wonderful with a piece of grilled salmon or chicken!
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 bundle curly kale, de-stemmed and chopped
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- crumbled feta, to taste
For the roasted red pepper dressing
- 1 large red bell pepper (or 2 small)
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
For the caramelized onions
- 2 medium or 1 large sweet yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
Begin by roasting the pepper for the dressing. Preheat your oven's broiler to high. Place the bell pepper(s) on a baking sheet, and place under the broiler until peppers are black all over, turning every 5-10 minutes. This will take about 25-30 minutes total. Once peppers have blackened, remove from heat and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel off all of the black skin. Lower the oven to 425℉ for the sweet potatoes and chickpeas.
While peppers are in the oven, prep the ingredients for the rest of the salad. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the cubed sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Drizzle with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until chickpeas are crispy, and sweet potatoes are tender and golden.
While the sweet potatoes and chickpeas are roasting, make the caramelized onions. In a large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the onions, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Let the onions sweat for a minute or two, then add the brown sugar. Cook the onions over medium to medium-low heat for about 40-45 minutes, stirring frequently, until deeply golden brown and caramelized. In the last few minutes of cooking, add the 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and continue to sauté for a few minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Make the roasted red pepper dressing. To a blender, add the peeled roasted pepper(s), white wine vinegar, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
To assemble the salad, add the chopped kale to a large bowl and massage with a few tablespoons of the red pepper dressing, a generous pinch of salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Top with the caramelized onions, roasted sweet potatoes, crispy chickpeas, and a couple handfuls of crumbled feta. Season again with cracked pepper. Drizzle with desired amount of red pepper dressing and serve!
There may be an affiliate link(s) in this post, which means that if you click on a product link above and complete a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you SO much for reading!
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