A hearty roasted root vegetable salad featuring roast sweet potatoes, carrot and beets with a creamy turmeric dressing.
Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean salads need to disappear from the menu altogether, all that’s needed are a few adjustments to make them more suited to the season. That means swapping out delicate lettuces and raw vegetables and instead turning to hearty greens and winter’s most dependable staple: root vegetables.
Not only are roots like carrots, beets and sweet potatoes plentiful this time of year, but they roast up beautifully and pair well with cool weather greens like kale. Built on a base of shredded kale and roasted roots, it's a substantial salad rich with a variety of flavors and textures.
How to make a root vegetable salad:
- All you need is a sheet pan to roast the roots on while you whisk together a simple dressing and prepare the kale with a quick massage, (long-leafed lacinato (aka Tuscan) kale works best here).
- The heat of the oven brings out the inherent sweetness of the roots and gives them a lovely almost caramelized flavor that contrasts nicely with the slight bitterness of the kale leaves and the creaminess of the dressing.
- Speaking of dressing, this one is spiked with turmeric and black pepper, there’s cashew butter for richness and apple cider vinegar for a bit of acidity.
- Once out of the oven the vegetables are tossed, still warm, with the dressing to soak up all the goodness then piled on top the bed of kale. A handful of toasted and chopped pistachios bring a little toasty nutty finish to the dish and a bit of crunch.
If you’re looking for a warm, hearty and healthy kale salad this winter, this is one you’ll want to add to the rotation.
More roasted vegetable salads:
- Kale Lentil Salad with Roasted Carrots
- Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad
- Sesame Roasted Cauliflower Salad
Roasted Root Vegetable Salad
A hearty roasted root vegetable salad with a creamy turmeric dressing.
Ingredients
For the roasted root vegetables:
- 1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 small to medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 small beets, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 Tablespoon/15g coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛th teaspoon freshly ground pepper
For the creamy turmeric dressing:
- 3 Tablespoons/45g raw cashew butter
- 3 Tablespoons/45ml filtered water
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ⅛th teaspoon fine sea salt
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
For the kale salad:
- 1 small bunch lacinato kale, stems removed
- ½ Tablespoon/7g extra-virgin olive oil
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- ¼ cup/ 28g shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- On a parchment lined sheet pan toss the sweet potato, carrots, and beets with the coconut oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Toss genetly with hands until evenly coated and roast for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tender and lightly browned in spots.
- Meanwhile, whisk together all the ingredients for the turmeric dressing together and set aside.
- Finely chiffonade the kale into ribbons with a sharp knife then toss with the olive oil and salt in a large bowl, massaging firmly until the leaves soften.
- Add the warm vegetables to the kale and drizzle with turmeric dressing. Top the salad with chopped pistachios and serve warm or at room temperature.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 345Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 850mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 6g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
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Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Lori Garvey says
suggestions for some other root veggies-dislike beets............ and to swap cashew for almond butter, same ratio??
thanks!
Sylvie says
Try parsnips instead of beets or just do carrots and sweet potatoes and yes an equal amount of almond butter would work as well.
Karen says
I love how humble root vegetables make such a gorgeous salad. Beautiful photos and recipe, as always.
Laura Hahn says
Can peanut butter be used instead of cashew?
Sylvie says
Peanut butter has a very strong and distinct flavor so it would change the taste of the dressing, what you want is something mild and creamy. You could try almond butter or macadamia butter.
Sylvie says
You can but it will have a much different flavor since cashew is milder in flavor.
Shelby @Fitasamamabear says
I could eat root vegetables ALL day! And turmeric is a staple to me so.... YUM This looks amazing.
Carol Little R.H. says
Roasted veggies in a salad is one of my favourite meals!
Have not made with kale -- great idea.
Love the addition of the cashew butter in the dressing!
Thanks!