Sweet potato feta salad makes a perfect fall lunch or side dish for your Thanksgiving meal. Spiced, roasted sweet potatoes are tossed with kale, crumbled feta, and pepitas in a simple honey mustard dressing.
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Roasted spiced sweet potatoes are tossed with kale, feta cheese, onion, and pepitas in a homemade honey mustard dressing.
Easy to make: While your potatoes are roasting, prepare a simple dressing and chop your kale and onion. Ready in less than an hour!
Serves: 6 people
Similar to: Roasted Potato Arugula Salad, Kale Cranberry Salad, Kale Apple Slaw
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Seasoned potatoes - You'll need two large, or about 1.5 pounds, of sweet potatoes, olive oil, salt, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, and pepper to create the seasoned potatoes portion of the recipe. Sweet potatoes could be substituted with russet, red, or yukon gold potatoes if desired.
- Kale - Can be substituted with any in-season leafy greens that you enjoy.
- Red onion - Adds flavor to the salad. I don't recommend omitting it.
- Feta cheese - Adds a creamy texture and salty flavor to the salad.
- Pepitas - Can be substituted with sunflower seeds or chopped pecans.
- Dressing - Apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper create a simple honey mustard dressing. Honey can be substituted with maple syrup if desired.
How to make Sweet Potato Feta Salad
- Toss cubed sweet potato pieces in oil and seasoning and spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Whisk dressing ingredients together.
- Remove ribs from kale and lightly knead it to tenderize it. Toss dressing, vegetables, and potatoes with the kale and serve warm.
Tips and tricks
Cube into bite size pieces - Cube your potatoes into small, bite size pieces. Smaller pieces roast faster in the oven and are easier to eat on a salad.
Use a whisk - When making your salad dressing, use a whisk to help the ingredients emulsify.
Preparing kale - Remove the ribs from your kale - this part is thick, harder to chew, and not ideal for a raw salad. Use a chef's knife to separate the center ribs from the leaves and then discard.
Massaging kale - Kale is a tough leafy green. After it's been chopped take a minute to scrunch, or massage, your kale with clean hands. It's kind of like kneading bread. Scrunch it up and toss it around in the bowl until it looks a little darker green and feels more tender. This should take less than a minute.
Frequently asked questions
The amount of dressing in this recipe is meant to lightly coat your salad. There shouldn't be any excess pooling at the bottom of the bowl. It may not look like enough dressing until it's all tossed together.
Yes, raw kale is perfectly edible. I recommend massaging your kale before adding the remaining ingredients to tenderize it slightly. See the section above on how to prepare kale (these directions are also included in the recipe card below).
Any salad, once dressed, is best served within about a day for best texture and flavor. However, the undressed salad base will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days as a leftover. If you plan to have leftovers, dress individual portions, then store leftover salad dressing separate from the other salad ingredients.
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📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Feta Salad
Ingredients
Roasted potatoes:
- 1.5 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Salad ingredients:
- 8 ounces curly kale
- 1 small red onion, thin sliced
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup roasted pepitas, or pecans
Honey mustard dressing:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease, and set aside.
- Cube sweet potatoes into small, bite size pieces and place into a large bowl. Top with olive oil, salt, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, and pepper. Toss until evenly coated.
- Pour out onto prepared baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until potatoes can easily be pierced through with a fork.
- Meanwhile, remove ribs from kale by slicing down each side of the rib with a knife. Then, chop kale leaves into bite size pieces and add to a large bowl.
- Massage kale leaves for one minute. Lightly knead and scrunch leaves with clean hands until kale appears slightly darker and more tender. Add onion, feta, and pepitas.
- In a small bowl, whisk to combine dressing ingredients: oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper.
- When potatoes are ready, add to salad ingredients and top with dressing, tossing to evenly coat. Serve warm.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Serving tips: Sweet potato salad can be served warm or chilled.
- Storage: Leftover potatoes will keep for 3 to 4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Dressed salad will keep for about 1 day in the refrigerator, and is best served immediately once dressed.
- To make ahead: Store dressing and roasted potatoes separately from your salad. Toss to combine just before serving.
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