Treat yourself to this delicious Kale Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes … it’s packed with flavor and healthy ingredients, and it’s so easy to make!
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I’ve been craving salads lately … that and this Potato Soup (ha ha). Life is a balance!
In all seriousness though, I do love a salad. As long as it is a substantial salad that will actually keep me full. There’s nothing worse than eating a big, delicious salad, then getting hungry again an hour later, right?
Which is why I love this Kale Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
This Kale and Quinoa Salad recipe is packed with so much flavor. And between the protein-packed quinoa, hearty kale, and delicious roasted sweet potatoes, it’s sure keep you full until your next meal!
About this Salad
This yummy salad is such a treat for quinoa and kale lovers, and if you’re reading right now, I’m assuming that is you!
I was actually inspired to make this salad after trying the Green Jean Salad at Vessel Kitchen in Kimball Junction, Utah. If you’re ever in Kimball Junction / Park City or Salt Lake City, you NEED to stop in … everything I’ve had there is so good.
My version of the Green Jean is a simplified version of Vessel Kitchen’s: a Kale and Quinoa Salad mixed with a super tasty miso dressing and topped with roasted sweet potato chunks. The finishing touch is a rich Tahini Dressing drizzled over the top. It’s so easy to make and so delicious!
This tasty vegan salad makes a wonderful fall meal (although I’d serve it anytime of year). It makes an excellent “bowl meal”, but it’s also good-looking enough to serve for a special occasion, like Thanksgiving.
How to Make Kale Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Although it has a number of components, this salad is so easy to make. Don’t let the somewhat long ingredient list put you off … I promise you can do this!
The key to success with this recipe is to stay organized and to prepare things in a certain order. Here’s what you’re going to do in a nutshell:
- Roast sweet potatoes.
- While sweet potatoes are roasting, start cooking quinoa.
- Prep miso dressing, then massage into kale (while sweet potatoes and quinoa are cooking).
- Add cooked quinoa to kale.
- Make tahini dressing.
- Top kale-quinoa mixture with roasted sweet potatoes, then drizzle with tahini dressing.
That doesn’t sound too bad, right? Let’s breakdown those steps a bit further.
Roasting the Sweet Potatoes
You’ll start by roasting the sweet potatoes. Cut your potatoes into 1-inch cubes, then mix them with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Roast the potatoes until they’re tender and browned in spots … it should take about half an hour, and you’ll want to flip them midway through.
Cooking the Quinoa
Once you’ve popped your potatoes in the oven, you’ll work on the quinoa. Simply combine the quinoa with water and a little salt, then bring the water it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, then cook the quinoa for 15 minutes or until tender.
This recipe is a great way to use up leftover quinoa, by the way. You’d need to substitute two cups cooked quinoa.
Tip: if you’ve need cooked quinoa before, check out my How to Cook Quinoa article for lots of easy tips. You’ll find lots of other delicious quinoa recipes, too!
Making the Miso Dressing
This recipe has two dressings, which I know sounds a little over-the-top, but trust me on this one! Both are super simple to make and so delish.
Are you familiar with miso? It’s a salty, savory fermented soybean paste that’s full of umami flavors. You’ve probably had miso soup if you’ve ever eaten in a Japanese restaurant. Miso comes in a few varieties (red, yellow, and white are most common), and you can use any kind in this recipe.
For this Kale Quinoa Salad recipe, you’re going to mix the miso with a few other ingredients (like ginger, garlic, sesame oil, maple syrup, etc.) to create a perfectly balanced salad dressing (it’s so good!). Then, you’ll massage this dressing into the kale. Get your hands in the bowl and go to town … it’s a little weird, but it works!
When the quinoa is ready, let it cool slightly, then mix that in, too. (By the way, this salad can be served warm or at room temperature.)
Tahini Dressing
The tahini dressing is also quite easy to prepare. Simply whisk together tahini (use the leftovers to make hummus!), lemon juice, garlic, maple syrup, and a touch of salt.
This dressing take approximately two minutes to make, but if you want to save yourself a little time, you could skip it. It really is the perfect finishing touch though, so consider wisely!
Finishing the Salad
Okay, you’ve made all the components … it’s time to assemble your beautiful salad!
Place the quinoa and kale mixture in a large bowl or on a platter. Top with the roasted sweet potatoes, then drizzle with your tahini dressing. And that’s it … time to eat!
Don’t you just want to dig into this Kale Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes right now? You know you do, so grab the recipe below and get cooking!
Related Recipes
Looking for more hearty kale salads? Try my Farro Kale Salad, Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad, Superfood Salad, or Winter Kale Salad with Freekeh and Roasted Vegetables next!
If you’re looking for more of a basic salad, don’t miss my Massaged Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing … it’s the perfect side dish for any meal and great for meal prep, too.
Sweet potatoes lovers will also want to check out my Roasted Sweet Potato Salad, Wheat Berry Salad with Roasted Vegetables, and Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, and Roasted Sweet Potato Fries.
Kale Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
For Sweet Potatoes:
- 4 cups chopped sweet potatoes (1-inch cubes)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
For Quinoa:
- 2/3 cup quinoa *
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For Kale:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons miso
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 small bunches kale (or 1 large bunch)
For Tahini Dressing:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Instructions
Prepare Sweet Potatoes:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Place sweet potatoes on large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
- Roast sweet potatoes for 15 minutes. Flip sweet potatoes, then cook for another 15 minutes or until browned and tender. Set aside.
Prepare Quinoa:
- While sweet potatoes are cooking, combine quinoa and 1/4 teaspoon salt with 1 1/3 cups water in a large pot.
- Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover pot. Cook quinoa for 15 minutes or until tender.
- Fluff quinoa with a fork, then set aside to cool slightly.
Prepare Kale:
- Whisk together olive oil, miso, vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, and garlic in a small bowl.
- Remove stems from kale and discard. Slice kale leaves.
- Place kale in a large bowl and pour miso dressing over top. Use your hands to massage dressing into kale for a few minutes. When done, kale should be well coated with dressing and reduced in size.
- Set kale aside for about 10 minutes, then stir in quinoa.
Prepare Tahini Dressing:
- Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt, and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside until ready to use.
Assemble Salad:
- Transfer kale-quinoa mixture to a platter. Top with sweet potatoes. Drizzle salad with tahini dressing.
- Serve salad immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
What is your favorite fall salad?