This Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad is bursting with leafy greens, roasted sweet potatoes, spiced chickpeas, and creamy feta cheese. Then it's tossed in a sweet and tangy balsamic dressing. Served as an appetizer, side dish, or the main course, this is one hearty and satisfying salad.
Key Ingredients
Spring Mix - Spring mix is typically made up of a combination of lettuces such as baby spinach, red and green leaf lettuces, chard, arugula, and butter lettuce, as well as others. This is a great option as the base for this salad but you can use any type you like. However, I wouldn't recommend using iceberg or romaine for this salad.
Sweet Potato - The sweet potato adds a nice sweetness to the salad that compliments the bitterness of the lettuce and the saltiness of the feta cheese.
Paprika - Paprika is a beautiful spice that pairs very well with sweet potato. The smokiness of paprika and the sweetness of the sweet potato just go together.
Chickpeas - Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) help to make this salad heartier and more satisfying.
Cumin - Cumin is the perfect spice for chickpeas. It's often found in hummus and pairs just as well here.
Feta - The saltiness of feta cheese is just the final touch this salad needs to round out the flavors. I like to use a creamy feta but drier more crumbly versions work just as well. You could also use blue cheese.
Homemade Balsamic Dressing - Balsamic dressing has the perfect balance of tanginess and sweetness to help compliment all the other flavors in the salad. And it's super fast to put together so you can make it last minute with little fuss.
Step By Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
To prepare the sweet potatoes, peel them (optional), slice them into ½ inch thick disks, and then quarter them.
Toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil, paprika, and salt.
Then, lay the sweet potato pieces on half of a large baking sheet leaving room between each piece. Bake for 20 minutes.
While the sweet potatoes are baking, prepare the chickpeas by tossing them in olive oil, cumin, and salt.
After the first 20 minutes, turn the sweet potato pieces over. Then, add the chickpeas to the other half of the pan.
Bake for another 15 minutes.
Allow the sweet potatoes and chickpeas to cool a bit on the baking sheet while you prepare the balsamic dressing.
In a bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Take your time as this may take a minute.
Then, very slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil while continuously whisking until it is all well incorporated.
To assemble the sweet potato and chickpea salad, lay down a bed of spring mix. Then, add a layer of sweet potato, followed by the chickpeas, and finally the feta cheese.
Serve the balsamic vinaigrette on the side.
Possible Additions If You Like Some Crunch
Pecans
Walnuts
Shelled Pumpkin Seeds
Croutons
Tips
- Be sure to use a sharp knife when cutting the sweet potato. Larger potatoes can be particularly tough to cut and a good sharp knife will make all the difference.
- For the salad dressing, instead of drizzling in the oil and whisking, which takes some time and will definitely result in a tired arm (worth it, I promise!), you could put all of the ingredients into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously for a minute or two. It won't produce quite the same results as whisking but close.
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Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potatoes
- 2 cups sweet potatoes peeled, sliced into ½ inch rounds, then quartered
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Chickpeas
- 1 16- ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Salad
- 5 ounces spring mix lettuce
- 8 tablespoons crumbled feta
For the Balsamic Dressing
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Toss the sweet potato in olive oil, paprika, and salt. Place on one half of a large baking sheet making sure no pieces are touching. Roast for 20 minutes.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, prepare the chickpeas by tossing them in olive oil, cumin, and salt.
- After 20 minutes, pull the sweet potatoes from the oven and flip each piece over. Then add the chickpeas to the other half of the pan. Roast another 15 minutes.
- Once the sweet potatoes and chickpeas are done roasting, allow them to cool a bit on the pan while you make the dressing.
- To make the balsamic vinegarette, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and pepper until the sugar is fully dissolved. Then, very slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil while whisking constantly. Once all the oil is poured in, continue whisking vigorously for another 30 seconds to ensure it is all well combined.
- To assemble the salad, layer the spring mix, then the sweet potatoes, then the chickpeas. Top it with the feta cheese. Serve the balsamic vinaigrette on the side.
Notes
- When making the dressing, it is important that you very slowly drizzle the oil in while whisking constantly. That's how you emulsify the ingredients together.
- Alternatively, you could place all of the dressing ingredients into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and vigorously shake it for 1 to 2 minutes to achieve similar results.
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