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Are you looking for a fun fall salad that will put you in the "autumn frame of mind"? Does it need to be delicious, unique and loaded with great nutrition? You probably want it to be drop-dead gorgeous too, right?
You're asking quite a bit you know, but guess what? I've got you covered; this Roasted Sweet Potato Salad is perfect for your most fancy-dancy guests though your family and friends will be quite smitten with the delightful combination of sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy, smoky, fresh and vibrant so get ready for rave reviews!
P.S. This would make a fabulous lunch salad on its own or a delicious side with any fall menu. I served it with grilled chicken. I simply marinated the chicken in a bit of the Honey-Cumin Vinaigrette for an hour, then sprinkled it liberally with Lemon Pepper Seasoning. It was a delicious meal. I sliced the leftover chicken and made myself a salad to take to work - I looked forward immensely to my break-time!
One other thing - all of the components of this salad can be made ahead; the sweet potatoes, the dressing, the pecans. Just store separately and put the whole thing together quickly at the last minute for a fabulous meal!
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Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Honey-Cumin Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 6-8 ounces salad greens; spring mix, butter lettuce, spinach or whatever looks freshest at the market (I love the artisan lettuces from Costco)
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup crumbled Feta cheese, goat cheese would also be wonderful
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes, see recipe below
- Sea-Salted-Roasted Pecans, see recipe below
- Honey-Cumin Vinaigrette, see recipe below
Instructions
- Divide salad greens between 4 salad plates.
- Scatter with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, dried cranberries, Feta cheese and Sea-Salted-Roasted Pecans.
- Drizzle with Honey-Cumin Vinaigrette. Pass extra vinaigrette at the table.
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Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 large sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Place potatoes on a sheet pan, drizzle with the oil, then toss to coat. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
- Roast, turning occasionally, until just tender and starting to turn golden, about 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool while preparing salad.
- Note: You'll have lots of extra sweet potatoes, but if you're heating your oven you might as well make the whole batch. They're great as a side on their own, in omelets, on pizzas, in sandwiches, etc. You'll probably only use about ¼ of these for the four salads.
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Honey-Cumin Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablesoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablesoons lime juice
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake well.
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Sea Salt Roasted Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups pecan halves
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325˚F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Place butter on baking sheet and place in oven for 2-3 minutes or until butter is melted. Remove from oven.
- Place pecans on sheet with melted butter and toss to coat well. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Return pan to oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven when pecans are deep golden brown.
- Allow to cool on baking sheet.
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Thank's
Hi Chris,
I made this salad for a family dinner last week, and received RAVE reviews. My sister said that if autumn had a taste, it would be this salad. Dressing was fantastic too (I purposefully left out the cumin and still very flavorful).
I have a feeling that I'll be asked to bring this for Thanksgiving dinner!!
Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Katie
Thanks Katie, so happy this turned out so well for you!
I love this salad. We have nut allergies in our house so I substituted the pecans with pumpkin seeds .... also I had arugula on hand so used that instead of the salad greens - awesome!
So happy you enjoyed this Susan!
This looks A M A Z I N G!
We have already fallen in love with all of your recipes. This salad looks spectacular. Shared, pinned, FB'd etc.. Keep up the good work. This is is on my top list of "awesome recipes to make"
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yep, I am already falling in love with this tasty & powerful colourful salad! 🙂
MMMMMMMMM! You could also swap the sweet potato chunks for roasted butternut squash: eaqually tasty, I think!
This is super delicious!! Granted I made several modifications due to not wanting to go to the grocery store (used raisins and almonds instead of cranberries and pecans), I love this salad!
Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Hi, I'm in love with your salad. How can anyone say NO!!! It looks really good and appetizing. Excellent combo.
Have a nice day.
This is my kind of salad - healthy, colorful, and full of flavor. Topped with roasted southern pecans - life is good.
Sam
Yes, I'm in love with this very fun fall inspired salad and it fits the bill for entertaining as well-thanks for sharing your recipe;-)
Very nice salad Chris. Love the sea salt pecans and that dressing sounds wonderful!
I bought some basil feta from the markets yesterday and it would go perfectly in this. Yum!
In a word... Brilliant!! I love how all the colors have come together so beautifully. Saw the photo on fB, I think, and I couldn't stop thinking about this one. I'm just back from the farmers market with a big bag of beets... I think I might add those too! Happy Fall Weekend!
A mouthwatering autumn salad!
Love love this recipe. I went to pick up some squashes yesterday, think it ould be a great substitute for the sweet potato!
Great post! I roast sweet potatoes all the time, but have never made them into a salad. But you can bet I will. Really like this idea - thanks so much.
Chris...this is just my type of salad! We eat a lot of salads, so I'm always looking for ways to transition from Summer to Fall in the flavor profile. This is perfect! Pinned...
luv sweet potatoes as well as pumpkins too! your photo looks incredibly good , i think nobody can resist this bowl of salad!!
Beautiful salad! Besides the colors...the combination of flavors sounds wonderful...
LOL, I love the artisan lettuce at Costco too. This salad sounds awesome. I am definitely trying it.
You post the most delicious-sounding recipes! I cannot wait to try this.
I've "pinned" it to my page.
Thanks,
patti
WOW ... this looks amazing.
Fondly,
Glenda
I love salads any time of year and yours looks so perfect for the season. Definitely have to try this one, it looks delicious!
Fall salads are always welcome here because it is still too hot to be cooking here in AZ. This looks delicious.
Isn't that the most perfect fall salad. I love all the combinations here. I could just dive right in Chris.
oh yeah, definitely in love. Trying that one tonight!
This look absolutely nice I love!!
What a fabulous salad! I love the roasted sweet potatoes and pecans here!
Yummy!!! I love this salad!!! I don't know what it is with sweet potatoes and cranberries, but I love them together. I can't wait to try the salad dressing! Have a wonderful weekend!!