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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.
The salad details.
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.
Now, on to that creamy parmesan dressing…
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.
Meal prepping?
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!
Watch the How To Video:
Kale Caesar Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Crispy Chickpeas
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 515 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 small sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch circles
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder, use to your taste
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
- 1 large head kale, shredded
- 4 cups shredded brussels sprouts, or 1 additional head of kale
- 1-2 avocados, sliced
Parmesan Tahini Dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 cloves garlic, grated
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, combine the sweet potatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, chili powder, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Toss well to evenly coat. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, add the chickpeas and remaining oil. Toss with the sweet potatoes and return to the oven for another 20 minutes, until the chickpeas are crisp and the sweet potatoes tender.3. Meanwhile, in a large salad bowl, combine the kale and brussels sprouts. 4. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.5. Toss the roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas in with the salad. Add the dressing and toss to combine. Top the salad with avocado and additional parmesan. Serve and enjoy! The salad keeps well for 3-4 days in the fridge, add the avocados just before serving.
Pleasantly surprised on how delicious this was. When we are in NYC, I love Grey Dog’s Spicy Caesar. I didn’t expect this taste so close to this salad but it does. So happy to have this version to make at home.
Thanks for yet another home run recipe!
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
Making this for my Canadian thanksgiving dinner! Has anyone added cranberries to it? Thinking it would be a nice pop of color!
Hi there! I bet that would be so yummy! xT
6/2023 Made-as & delicious-as written.
This is a very hearty filling salad. Will make again.
Flavors improved next day, even cold was lovely.
My 1st attempt good but not great…my suspicions below.
– “large” kale and “small” sweet potato…I’ve noted what my ingredients weighed this attempt and will adjust next time as my portions seemed off.
– Garbanzo beans never crisped up, still tasty but not the crunch I was needing in this thick bowl of goodness. Was my oven temp off or too much moisture (i.e. too crowded) on sheet pan?
– 1/2″ thick sweet potatoes are a lot in a dinner salad for me, I’ll try smaller chunks next time. This will also offer more surface area for the perfect spices (+ “pinch of cayenne!”).
– Avocado a must. Thick slices worked.
– Dressing super easy and delicious. I’ll play with thinning it out a tad next attempt.
– I had only common kale, which needed to be massaged 60+ sec after removing from thick rib. I’d do this again.
– Brussels – I thinly sliced. Next time I’ll blitz in food processor or cut in 1/2 before slicing.
– Assembly – Only used what was going to be served immediately for 2ppl. I lightly dressed salad, then folded in sweet potatoes, & beans. Plated then topped with avocado, thin sliced parm, sprinkle of more beans. Additional dressing on the side. I’ll do this again.
– Leftovers – stored naked greens separately in bag. Naked sweet pot, beans, & dressing also separate. All easy to assemble based on need over next 2 days.
Thank you Tieghan!
Love to hear this Sarah!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your feedback! Thanks for sharing all of your handy tips! Could have been a crowded sheet pan for the garbanzo beans:) Have a wonderful weekend!🌈🌤️ xT
My husband and I make this almost weekly for dinner. It’s so delicious and very filling considering it’s vegetarian! I’ve started making double batches of the dressing so I can use it on whatever I’m making for lunch.
Hi Lida,
Happy Monday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and I appreciate you making it! xT
I loved this salad! Simple and super tasty! Thanks Tieghan!
Hi Jill,
Happy Friday!! ☘️🌈 So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out! xT
This salad was delicious and the dressing was wonderful. I made “meal prep” containers with it (minus the avocado till serving) and just added a small side of farro to round it out. I could eat this all day every day. Thank you!
Hey Christianna,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it!! Have a great weekend! xx
I always love your recipes for inspiration!
I do find that whenever a recipe needs a sauce made they always come out far too thick and rich.
I’ve always added water to any dressing I make which is what most chef’s do. Or that many oils and rich ingredients will just make for a big globule.
This recipe I subbed the tahini out for mayo, added 3 healing tablespoons of it. I also added a tablespoon of grape seed oil to cut the flavours. And 1/4 cup of cold water.
Mixed it up in my ninja.
Yummmm!!
Hi Meg,
Fantastic!!🌺 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for making it! xT
WOOO this was a GREAT salad! Few modifications I made were:
– air fry the chickpeas and sweet potatoes after roasting to give some crunch (didn’t really make a difference with the sweet potatoes but chickpeas were a little crunchier but still kind of dense – curious to know how to make this more crispy for a crunch factor?
– didn’t add tahini to the dressing to prevent excess calories – dressing came out super tangy BUT it was great with the salad and spice of the chickpeas/sweet potato
Overall this salad was a hit and I was pleasantly surprised. The avocado flavor and texture was a great contrast against all the other ingredients. As background my bf was totally against trying this recipe when I described the ingredients and HATES dijon mustard. His flavor profiles are sour/savory/herby (is that a thing?) while mine are spicy/tangy/sour and pretty much everything except super sweet lol. That said this recipe really won us over and I’ll deffffinitely be making it again.
Hey Karina,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:) Great idea to use the air fryer for the chickpeas! Thanks for sharing your feedback! xT
Hi! I’m having a really hard time locating Tahini in my small town. Any suggestions for substitution? I can buy from Amazon, but the options there are for multiple bottles…
Hey Kristi,
You could use another nut butter or mayo. Let me know how this recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xT
This salad was INCREDIBLE but the dressing solidified some once going into the fridge and became almost a hummus/dip like consistency that was hard to mix with the kale on the days after making it. Any suggestions for thinning it once it’s been in the fridge for a day or two?
Hey Kelsey,
Wonderful! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your comment, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Just run the dressing jar under super hot water. xx
Really delicious salad-works as an entree for dinner!
Hey Brett,
Amazing!! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it and your comment! xx
Love this salad so much! The dressing is similar to the one in the Half Baked Harvest Every Day book, which is where I originally fell in love (shameless book plug!). Have to admit, I was skeptical (I’m not a huge tahini fan), but it is incredible….
So incredible that I made a turkey burger inspired by this recipe! One pound ground turkey, one egg, some panko bread crumbs, garlic powder, two slices of minced red onion, and a handful of finely shredded kale. Made four patties that I pan fried. Then I topped with more dressing, shredded kale, and a few slices of sweet potato (cooked as instructed in this recipe). I’m sure Tieghan could improve my simple take at this burger recipe, but it was so easy and PHENOMENAL.
Hey Shannon,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Thanks for sharing about the turkey burger! xx
I’ve now made this recipe three times! This dressing is so good I want to put it on everything. I haven’t had all the ingredients for the core salad, but I keep lathering my greens with the dressing and topping them with whatever I have on hand. Another amazing recipe! Thank you Tieghan!
Hey Sera,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
Might be one of the best salads I’ve ever eaten. Totally changed my feelings about them and it reheats well for meal prep if you keep the ingredients separated. Highly recommend!
Hey Haley,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit!⛄️ xT
Hi Tieghan! I am going to make this today. I am wondering if you massage the kale or do anything else to it before chopping. Thanks!
Hey Patti,
I don’t, but you totally can! Let me know how this recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xT