Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad

Roasted sweet potatoes, caramelized onions and crispy chickpeas topped with a delicious avocado dressing makes this quinoa and sweet potato salad the perfect make-ahead meal.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 620kcal

Author Ryan Beck

Ingredients

Salad

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into ½" cubes
1 (14 oz can) chickpeas, drained and washed
3 shallots, chopped
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
4 cups baby kale
1 cup pistachios, roasted

Avocado Dressing

1 avocado
1 cup Italian parsley and cilantro
1 jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed
2 garlic cloves
juice of two limes
¾ cup water
½ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup pistachios, roasted

Instructions

Salad

Cook quinoa according to package instructions and set aside.
Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, add the diced sweet potatoes, chickpeas and shallots. Toss with olive oil, chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the sweet potato mix in an even layer. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until sweet potato is tender and chickpeas are crispy, flipping halfway through.
Toss the kale, sweet potato mixture, quinoa and pistachios in large bowl until mixed. Add dressing right before serving.

Avocado Dressing

Add all of the ingredients, except the pistachios to a food processor and pulse until combined. And pistachios and pulse until smooth.

Notes

Be consistent with your diced sweet potatoes. You want them to cook in the same amount of time. If you decide to dice the vegetables at 1 inch instead of ½ inch, just keep in mind they'll take longer to cook.
Roast the vegetables and chickpeas long enough so the veggies are cooked and caramelized and the chickpeas are crispy.
if using as a make-ahead lunch, keep the avocado dressing separate and toss right before eating.
Serve the salad at room temperature. This is a salad that is best served at room temperature or even warm. If making ahead, just pull out of the fridge one hour before serving.

Nutrition