Next Post
Eggs in Purgatory with Chile Butter and Feta.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
This Kale Caesar Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Crispy Chickpeas is not your average salad. Sweet potatoes and chickpeas tossed with olive oil, smoky chipotle, and paprika, then roasted until lightly charred, crispy, and delicious. Everything is tossed together with a creamy, lemony parmesan tahini dressing, hearty winter kale, shredded brussels sprouts, and avocado. This salad is easy to throw together, colorful, healthy, and filling. Enjoy this for dinner and save the leftovers for lunch the next day. It’s the perfect wintry salad to kick-start clean eating in 2020.
By now I think you all know how I feel about salad. I despise a boring salad (i.e lettuce and very little else). But I LOVE a GOOD salad (i.e one with greens…carbs and cheese). And if it’s a salad with warm roasted vegetables…well, that scores major bonus points with me. Enter this kale Caesar salad, it’s everything you could ever want a winter salad to be. It has texture, color, a mix of warm roasted vegetables, fresh greens, cheese, and the best creamiest dressing.
And yes, it’s still healthy and so perfect for January.
I’ve been excited to share this salad since the day I first made it…all the way back before Christmas. We’re slowly getting to the end of the recipes I made while my family was in town for the holidays. This salad was inspired by every member of my family…with the exclusion of four of my brothers, of course. Those boys don’t love salad of any kind, so I made this recipe mostly with the girls of the family in mind. I knew everyone (myself included) would devour this recipe in minutes. It’s all the things we love.
Start by roasting up the sweet potatoes and getting the chickpeas extra crispy.
I tossed the potatoes with spicy chipotle powder and smoky paprika for a sweet and spicy flavor. I love this combination of sweet potatoes and spicy, smoky chipotle. But if you prefer a less spicy salad, simply reduce the amount of chili powder or omit it all together. You’ll want to give the potatoes a head start on cooking since they take longer than the chickpeas, but once the potatoes have softened a bit, add the chickpeas right to the same baking sheet and roast until crispy.
The chickpeas end up soaking up some of the spices from the potatoes causing them to come out perfectly seasoned and extra crisp.
While the sweet potatoes and chickpeas roast, toss the salad together. It’s a simple mix of shredded kale and finely shredded brussels sprouts. I love using hearty kale and shredded spouts for winter salads. Not only do they hold up incredibly well to dressings (making them perfect for meal prepping), but they feel heartier. The salad ends up being more filling than your typical green salad.
If you don’t love brussels sprouts, you can just use all kale. Either way, the salad will still be great.
It’s truly one of my favorite dressings…bold statement, but true.
The classic Caesar dressing contains anchovies and raw egg yolk, but this dressing has none of that. I know that technically this is really not a Caesar salad, but hear me out. The flavors are spot on…better if you ask me.
So what’s the key? A combination of creamy tahini (sesame seed paste), Dijon mustard, and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce (did you know that one of the main ingredients in Worcestershire is anchovies?). The tahini adds the creaminess that the raw egg yolk would add, while the Dijon and Worcestershire sauce add all the savory, salty flavors that the anchovies would add. Promise, it’s just as delicious…better actually.
Bonus? No raw eggs means you don’t have to worry about any kind of stomach issues while enjoying this Caesar. I know from experience how not-fun it is to eat a Caesar salad that’s delicious going down…but not so delicious coming back up. Yes, been there, done that.
This is your salad! The kale and sprouts hold up wonderfully once this salad has been tossed, I’d say a good day or two. If you want to make the salad last even longer, leave the dressing off, then add just before serving.
The vegetables can be roasted a few days ahead of time and eaten chilled or warmed. Either is great, but you know I love them warm.
As I mentioned, this is not your average Caesar salad. In fact, some of you may argue that this is not a Caesar salad at all since the dressing does not include raw egg yolk or anchovies. Trust me, I debated calling this a Caesar, but in the end, I found the favors to be so similar. So I’m sticking with it.
It’s surely not a classic Caesar, but it surely is delicious. Which is what’s most important in my book…so ENJOY.
Looking for other winter salads? Try my winter pomegranate salad or my super green sun-dried tomato herb salad.
If you make this kale Caesar salad with sweet potatoes and chickpeas, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
This looks amazing! All of your recipes do lol
Im going to try this one this week. Thank you for always taking the time to share.
Thanks so much!! I hope you love this recipe! xT
Hi,
I am making this salad today and wondering if the tahini is tahini paste, as it comes in a jar or tahini after I’ve mixed it into a sauce as I would use it in falafels. Love your recipes!
Janet
Hey Janet,
For this recipe I use the tahini from a jar. I hope you love this salad, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
This looks incredible. Do you need to peel the sweet potatoes first or not?
Hey Karen,
Thanks so much! I typically never peel my sweet potatoes:) I hope this recipe is delish, let me know if you give it a try! xT
As written – this salad is fabulous! It has become my go-to, weekly, meal prep. I’ve made it so many times and have tweaked it for my own needs. I dice the sweet potatoes and I often now add a chopped beet as well as chopped radishes to the roasting pan. The dressing is fantastic but the salad base itself is great with whatever bottled dressing you have on hand if you are in a time crunch. Kale salads last for days which makes them ideal for meal prep.
Hey Steph,
I am so glad to hear that this salad is a go to for you! Thanks for making it so often and sharing what works well for you! xx
this has become a go to salad for me! I LOVE it!
Hey Carson,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! ☀️xxT
This is my favorite Caesar salad BY FAR! I make it exactly as directed, and usually add grilled chicken or salmon for some protein. So so good! Thank you Tieghan!
Hi Kari,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xx
This was fantastic. My 17 y.o. daughter has been on a vegetarian diet (gf since she was 5 due to Celiac’s), and your recipes have really been good for her taste buds! 🙂 We appreciate and really enjoy your recipes. Thank you!
Hi Nicci,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try and sharing your feedback! xx
This salad is a hit over and over again. I’ve made it so many times and made a few ingredient swaps here and there when necessary and it is always just so great! I always keep the staples, though, of chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and the dressing. Thanks Tieghan!
Hi Kelsey,
Wonderful!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
This was so delicious! I used baby arugula instead of Brussels sprouts and cubed my sweet potatoes, so my sweet potatoes cooked a bit faster. This dressing is AMAZING! My husband and I really enjoyed this easy, healthy lunch.
Hey Katie,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go!! ☘️Tieghan
Definitely a favourite!
Hey there,
Fantastic!! Love hearing that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it:) Have the best day! xxT
Hi Tieghan,
This salad was amazing. You were right about the dressing as it taste just like a ceasar dressing.
Hey Jen,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was a winner!! xTieghan
This was the first of your recipes I tried, and it worked a miracle. My twelve-year-old son spent the afternoon dreading the notion of a dinner with so much kale and sweet potatoes. Then he had at least three or four servings and said it was the best thing he ever ate! Every single member of my family loved this. (One of my daughters said she wishes we could keep the sauce from this dinner in the refrigerator at all times so she could put it on all her meals. ? Not a bad idea!)
Forgive me, in my eagerness to comment on the specific recipes we tried, I see that I commented on this one already! But it bears repeating—it’s that good!
Hey Alice,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great day:) xxT
This recipe is the bomb! So yummy! How long can I keep the dressing in the refrigerator for? A little goes a long way
Hey Thulani,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks so much for making it! It’s good for 1 week in the fridge! xx
Good – a lot of work, like most of these recipes are. But the candied/spicy sweet potatoes are excellent. Not sure I would serve on kale again. Even massaged, it’s chewy.
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try Susan!
I made this for dinner last night, and my family absolutely loved it. I was a bit concerned, because some of my kids are not especially into salads, and my twelve year old son in particular was dreading a kale-centric dish. The enthusiasm for this was astonishing. My husband loved it. My 22 year old daughter said “I could eat this every night.” My 20 year old son said, “This is one of the best meals I have ever had.” My 18 year old said, “This is the first time I have ever enjoyed chickpeas.” My 12 year old said, “Please make this again.” My 10 year old said, “I didn’t know I liked sweet potatoes until now.” Anyway, I just thought you would like to see how well received this was for all ages! It was really great, so thank you!
Hey Alice,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Used nutritional yeast instead of cheese to make it vegan and this was amazing!
Hey Rachel,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
I think I have reviewed this before, but it seemed due to say something again, because this recipe has become a beloved staple in our weeknight rotation! SO good, so healthy, but filling and satisfying. The perfect salad! We use dino kale, which I think has the most pleasant texture with the salad! And we use nutritional yeast because it’s so easy to scoop and dump, and it tastes fantastic, even though we’re not vegan!
I love your dinner salads, thank you so much for this one!
Hey Lauren,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Oh boy, this was delicious! I will definitely make this again and again. That dressing and the combo of the sweet potatoes and chickpeas is so unexpectedly good!
Hey Kacie,
Happy Wednesday! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxT