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Simple Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Cabbage, Spinach and Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Sweet potatoes are an amazing food for a busy person like you.
They are healthy, delicious, and easy to cook. They are the perfect base ingredient for a quick and filling meal.
Every time you go to the grocery store, pick up a few pounds of sweet potatoes to have on-hand for the week.
You can quickly turn them into an easy sweet potato salad like this one with cabbage and spinach. I always grab 2 medium sweet potatoes for my household of 2.
Roasted sweet potatoes are a busy person’s best friend. Toss them with olive oil and salt. Place them in the oven. And 40 or so hands-off minutes later, you have yourself the base for a meal.
By themselves, they may seem more like a sweet potato side dish that needs some extra flavor.
Well, that’s where this salad comes in. Add some cabbage, spinach, seeds, a simple vinaigrette and you have yourself a filling and flavor packed meal in no time.
Minimum effort for maximum flavor.
This sweet potato salad takes less than 35 minutes to make. Perfect for putting together after work. Plus, you’ll have leftovers so you’ll actually be excited to eat your lunch the next day.
Keep reading to learn how to turn roast sweet potato wedges into a delicious and filling meal!
Sweet Potato Nutrition
First off, sweet potatoes are not potatoes (which are actually “tubers”).
Sweet potatoes are root vegetables. They are more closely related to radishes, carrots, turnips and other root vegetables.
Sweet potatoes are a good source of carbohydrates. One large sweet potato has about 37 grams of carbs. They are fairly low on the glycemic index. So, they do not cause a large spike in blood sugar after eating. This helps fight against post-meal lethargy and type 2 diabetes.
Where sweet potatoes shine is their vitamin and mineral content. According to WebMD, a single sweet potato gives you 400% of the vitamin A you need per day. This helps keep your eyes, immune system, and reproductive system healthy.
Sweet potatoes are also rich in carotenoids. These are antioxidants give sweet potatoes their bright color and help fight cell damage in your body.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes Cooking Tips
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Don’t pack the sweet potatoes too closely on the sheet pan, or they will steam rather than brown. If you scale up this recipe and the sweet potatoes don’t fit on one sheet pan, use two. The best sheet pans are these and luckily, they come in a pair.
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Toss the sweet potatoes about every 15 minutes during roasting. This will ensure even browning.
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Season with enough olive oil and salt as indicated by the amounts in the recipe below.
Do I Have to Peel The Sweet Potatoes?
No, you don’t have to peel the sweet potatoes before roasting. Sweet potatoes have a thin skin that is completely edible and nutritious. However, you should trim off the dry tips of the potatoes at each end.
How Long Does this Sweet Potato Salad Keep?
This salad will last 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator.
It is a great meal prep dish that you can eat for lunch or dinner throughout the week. It is also great warm or cold.
So, seriously consider scaling up the recipe to meet your household size and intended number of meals.
Storing this Sweet Potato Salad
This sweet potato salad should be stored, covered in the refrigerator. I love these OXO glass containers for storing completed dishes like this one. You can store, cover, and serve all in one container.
They’re perfect for meal prepped lunches like this one.
What Type of Cabbage Should I Use?
Red or green cabbage work best for this recipe. They are hearty enough for roasting. Plus, they are the most affordable and widely available.
I’m a red cabbage fan. According to WebMD, it is the healthiest type of cabbage. I always have a head of red cabbage in my refrigerator because it’s delicious, affordable, beautiful, and available at most grocery stores.
How-to Buy Ingredients for This Sweet Potato Salad
Here are a few tips for buying the highest quality ingredients for this recipe:
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Sweet Potatoes – Look for firm and heavy sweet potatoes that do not have any skin bruises, soft spots, or sprouts.
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Cabbage – Look for tightly packed heads that feel firm and dense. It is okay if the outer leaves are loose. Avoid heads with any discoloring or cracks in the leaves.
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Spinach – I recommend bagged spinach. It’s easy to clean (if you need to clean at all) and most of the stems have already been removed.
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Pepitas – I typically try to buy already roasted nuts and seeds, so they are ready to use in any recipes. I also opt for unsalted, so I have full control over the salt content of the dish. Pepitas are no different.
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Garlic – When picking garlic, choose a bulb that is heavy and firm with tight skin. It shouldn’t have any soft spots.
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Olive Oil – Extra virgin is best. This oil from California Olive Ranch offers the best price, taste, and availability combination. It is what I use every day.
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Apple Cider Vinegar – Organic, raw apple cider vinegar like this one from Bragg provides the most health benefits.
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Kosher Salt – Diamond Crystal kosher salt was used for this recipe and all other recipes on this site. Use this conversion table from The Spruce Eats if you only have another type of salt.
Want to Add Some Protein to This Sweet Potato Salad?
Here are a few protein ideas to make this salad more filling:
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Add a few eggs – Follow the directions in this potato salad recipe to make two 7-minute hard-boiled eggs. Break up the eggs and toss.
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Toss in some roasted chicken – Add some of this buttermilk roasted chicken to make this a filling meal.
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Top it with avocado – What else goes great with cilantro and lime? Avocado. Slice one or two up and top this salad with it.
Don’t Have Apple Cider Vinegar? Here Are Some Other Dressings to Top This Salad.
Check out this list of other delicious healthy dressing recipes. Pick your favorite and toss on top of this salad instead of the vinaigrette below.
10 Healthy Homemade Dressings That Make Everything Taste Better
More Filling Salad Recipes Like This One
Sweet Potato Salad with Cabbage and Spinach
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds sweet potatoes or yams (about 1-2), cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 head red or green cabbage, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 7 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 oz. spinach (about 4 cups), thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup roasted, unsalted pepitas
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place one rack in the upper third of the oven and the other rack in the bottom third.
- Toss sweet potatoes, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, and 1 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Add to a rimmed baking sheet.
- Add cabbage to the same bowl. Toss with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. salt. Add to a separate baking sheet.
- Roast sweet potatoes and cabbage for 15 minutes. Toss. Rotate the pans on the racks to ensure even cooking. Continue roasting for 15-25 minutes until vegetables are nicely browned.
- While the vegetables are roasting, slice the spinach and prepare the dressing. Combine the garlic, vinegar, 4 Tbsp. olive oil, and 1/2 tsp. salt to the same bowl you used to toss the vegetables.
- Give the dressing a whisk or stir to combine and then add roasted sweet potatoes, cabbage, spinach, and pepitas. Toss to combine. Taste and season with salt if needed. Top with shoots if using.
Nutrition
Ready to Make This Sweet Potato Salad?
Sweet potatoes are a pantry staple for a busy person like you. They are healthy, easy to make, and super versatile.
But, I know it’s not always easy to make it to the grocery store to buy fresh produce. So, I made this list of the best places to buy produce online.
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If you make this recipe, let me know how it goes by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you!