This crisp, crunchy, and hearty kale salad features roasted sweet potato, couscous, and a zesty lime vinaigrette! It's fantastic for meal prep and is an easy way to up your fiber intake.
I love a good meal preppable salad, and that's exactly what this sweet potato kale salad is!
It features my go-to roasted sweet potatoes with smokey and savory seasonings, crispy chickpeas, and a zesty lime vinaigrette. The lime dressing is heavily inspired by my chipotle ranch dressing, but it uses olive oil instead of yogurt.
The crunch comes from a crisp base of cabbage and kale, alongside a pop of texture from sweet corn and pepitas. I'll definitely be adding this to my regular salad rotation alongside my staple kale chickpea salad and curry couscous salad.
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Ingredients and variations
- Couscous: I love using couscous because it takes only about 10 minutes to cook. Quinoa or farro are great swaps if you prefer those.
- Cabbage: I prefer red cabbage for a pop of color, but green cabbage also works.
- Kale: I prefer lacinato kale (dinosaur kale) but curly kale also works. This recipe uses a full bunch of kale.
- Cauliflower: We use just about ¼ of a cauliflower. This is an easy way to add in some extra veggies and texture to the salad, but it is entirely optional.
- Ear of corn: Fresh sweet corn adds an unparalleled pop of sweetness and texture. Don't skip this one!
- Sweet potato: Choose orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. I leave the skin on because it makes the sweet potato a little crispier, and peeled roasted sweet potato tends to become mushy.
- Chickpeas: I recently updated the recipe to have crispy chickpeas instead of straight-from-the-can. They bake in the same seasonings and on the same sheet pan as the sweet potato.
- Pepitas: AKA roasted pumpkin seeds. I recommend using roasted pumpkin seeds instead of raw, as they have more crunch, texture, and flavor.
- Feta: Regular or vegan feta (I like Follow Your Heart brand) works well. Cotija is another great option.
Tips and methods
- When I first made this salad, I used Pinch of Yum's method of food processing the salad base so that the cabbage and cauliflower are nice and crumbly and bite-sized.
- These days, I just chop everything by hand. It takes a bit more time but it allows for more control over the size of the cauliflower and cabbage.
- I don't food process the kale because it breaks it down too much for my liking. Instead, thinly slice the kale into tiny ribbons.
- Scale up or down: This recipe makes 4 large meal-sized salads. Scale ingredients up and down based on how you like your salad. I think of this salad more as a guideline than a strict recipe.
Storage and serving tips
- I serve the salad as a mix of warm and cool ingredients (warm sweet potato and couscous, chilled vegetables.) For a fully chilled salad, toss everything except for the dressing together, cover, and chill in the fridge for 2 hours. Toss with the dressing just before serving.
- This kale crunch salad is fantastic for meal prep because the kale, cabbage, and cauliflower are hearty enough to keep well in the fridge for a few days.
- If you're making this for meal prep lunches, I recommend storing the dressing separately and tossing the salad just before eating. While the salad is still delicious and keeps well with the dressing on, it's even better if you keep the two components separate because the ingredients tend to absorb the dressing over time.
- Keep the lime vinaigrette refrigerated for up to a week.
More delicious salads
Recipe
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Sweet Potato Kale Crunch Salad
A crunchy base of kale, cabbage, and cauliflower pairs with crisp corn and pumpkin seeds and flavorful roasted sweet potato. This is a meal-prep-friendly salad that's tossed in a simple lime vinaigrette.
Equipment
- 1 food processor optional, see notes
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato
- 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil more as needed
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder or regular chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup couscous plus boiling water & salt, to cook
- ½ small red cabbage roughly 1 pound
- ¼ small head of cauliflower optional
- 6 to 8 ounce bunch dinosaur kale curly kale also works
- 1 ear sweet corn
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- ¼ cup roasted pumpkin seeds
- chopped cilantro and avocado for serving; optional
Lime Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 chipotle chili pepper from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- ¼ cup lime juice ~2-3 limes (I prefer fresh limes so I can use the zest too)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1-2 teaspoons honey adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon lime zest from one lime
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Dice the sweet potato into ½-inch pieces. Toss the sweet potatoes and drained and rinsed chickpeas with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or regular chili powder), ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon paprika, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Roast at 400F for 30-35 minutes, or until the sweet potato is tender and the chickpeas are crisp.
- Prepare couscous according to package instructions. Typically, this is done by adding ¾ cup boiling water or broth to ¾ cup dry couscous with a pinch of salt. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork.
- Roughly chop the cabbage and cauliflower. Add to a food processor with a standard blade attachment. Pulse until broken down into tiny pieces. Alternatively, chop by hand. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Thinly slice the kale into ribbons. I keep the stems and roughly chop them, but you can remove them if you prefer. Toss this with the cabbage and cauliflower.
- To the kale and cabbage mixture add the corn kernels from the ear of sweet corn, chickpeas, feta, and pumpkin seeds. Add the sweet potato and couscous when they are done cooking. Add the zest of one lime, if using fresh limes.
- Make the dressing by blending together ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 chipotle chili pepper, ¼ cup lime juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, and 1-2 teaspoon honey, to taste. Adjust seasonings, as needed.
- If serving as one large salad, toss the salad with the dressing now. If preparing for meal prep, divide the salad between containers and portion the dressing out into separate containers. I recommend dressing the salad just before serving, for best quality. Serve topped with cubed avocado and chopped cilantro, if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make without a food processor: The food processor just makes breaking down the cauliflower and cabbage easier. If you don't have a food processor, simply chop the cabbage and cauliflower until it's very small.
- Quinoa is a good swap for couscous in this salad.
- The cauliflower is optional but adds extra veggies and crunch to the salad.
- I serve the salad as a mix of warm and cool ingredients (warm sweet potato and couscous, chilled vegetables.) For a fully chilled salad, toss everything except for the dressing together, cover, and chill for 2 hours before serving. Toss with the dressing just before serving.
- If you're making this for meal prep lunches, I recommend storing the dressing separately and tossing the salad just before eating. While the salad is still delicious and keeps well with the dressing on, it's even better if you are able to keep the two components separate.
Nutrition
Calories: 704kcalCarbohydrates: 75gProtein: 22gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 1327mgPotassium: 1052mgFiber: 14gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 17718IUVitamin C: 100mgCalcium: 411mgIron: 5mg
Did you make this?I love hearing how it went! Leave a review or tag me on Instagram @cozypeachkitchen so I can see your creations!
Barbara Bernheim says
The macros per serving seem intense!
705 calories and 75 gr carbs? That seems like a lot even though it’s quality food.
Cassidy Reeser, MS, RD says
If you want to cut down the serving size, 5 servings will still make a satisfying meal. I always recommend using the nutrition facts/serving sizes on my blog as a suggestion and not a rule since we all have different appetites/needs.
Malia says
I abhor chickpeas. Would another bean be a suitable replacement?
Cassidy Reeser, MS, RD says
I think black beans would pair well with these flavors!