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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.

overhead photo of Kale Caesar Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Crispy Chickpeas

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.

overhead photo of Sweet Potatoes and Crispy Chickpeas on baking sheet

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.

parmesan tahini dressing

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.

side angled close up photo of Kale Caesar Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Crispy Chickpeas

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.

side angled photo of Kale Caesar Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Crispy Chickpeas with spoon drizzling dressing over 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

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
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.

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Watch the How-To Reel

Ingredients

Parmesan Tahini Dressing

US Customary – Metric

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.
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horizontal photo of Kale Caesar Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Crispy Chickpeas

This post was originally published on January 9, 2020
4.36 from 864 votes (699 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  2. This is my ultimate go-to meal prep recipe for healthy lunches. I make this at least once a week to get me through work. Please, please come up with similar healthy recipes that last in the fridge!

    Reply

    1. I will definitely try to! It is seriously the best when meals last longer, especially during this time! Thank you Lindsey! xTieghan

      Reply

  3. 5 stars
    Hi! This salad has turned into a go-to.. I’m a private chef and I made it a few months ago for a women’s yoga retreat- they were stoked on the flavor the spice packed. I made it again recently but took my own spin on it to suit Spring season at the farmers market- fennel and radish to replace the Brussel sprouts, and a DILL caesar dressing rather than parsley. I’m new to blogging .. the taste and presentation of this salad inspired me so much that my version of the recipe became my first blog post. I’d love it if you checked it out and left a little love.

    <3 Ashley

    Reply

    1. Hi Ashley! I am so glad you have been loving this recipe! And love that it inspired your own creation! Your photos look so colorful, and I love the placemat you have under there! The best of luck with blogging, all I can say is make everything authentic to you! xTieghan

      Reply

  4. 5 stars
    This is so delicious, i’m eating it right now. Only thing I would change is to add less lemon in the dressing 🙂

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    YUM! Delicious, healthy, and so satisfying. The sweetness of the sweet potatoes is so good with the tangy dressing and smoky seasoning. Thank you Tieghan, your blog is my favorite!!

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    I have to admit, I felt a bit concerned with the ingredient list. Kale isn’t my favorite texture in a salad because it’s a bit too chewy for me but shockingly after combining dressing it was tasty and filling. Next time I’ll definitely double the dressing because we ran out before we could finish off the salad.

    Reply

  7. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! We live outside of the US and only have access to frozen Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes, I baked both on the sheet pan according to the directions and it all turned out amazing! Can’t get over how good the caesar dressing is! My husband and I are obsessed with this recipe, just had leftovers for lunch and it was still amazing! Can’t wait to make it again!

    Reply

    1. Hi Savanna! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan

      Reply

  8. 5 stars
    Yum! Yum! Yum! This tasted so good and plated just as lovely as yours. Definite salad to impress the neighbors with, but super easy to make. Thank you for your wonderful recipes!!

    Reply

  10. This dressing is DELICIOUS! Another winner, Tieghan. I make your recipes several times a week, and now when I say “she” or “her” in the kitchen, my family knows I’m talking about you. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Haha wow that is so amazing! Thank you so much for trying all of these different recipes, I am so glad you have been loving them! xTieghan

      Reply

  11. 5 stars
    This looks divine. I will make it tonight. Love your dressing – just happen to stock up on tahini for the Corona quarantine!
    Your pictures and recipes all look amazing – they will give me new things to try with all this time on my hands! Thank you!

    Reply

  13. 5 stars
    Was totally floored by how much this dressing tasted like ceasar dressing! it’s so tasty! I only used one lemon b/c it yielded ~3Tablespoons, which is about the right amount, I think. Skipped the sprouts cause we didn’t have any but used 1.5 bunches of kale (threw the rest in a soup). SO good. Definitely will be making again.

    Reply

  14. 5 stars
    Delicious! Dressing is so good on this and everything! Started the chickpeas with the potatoes (the second time already!) that I made this bc they took longer. Used closer to the 2 tsp of the chipotle powder since the avocado and dressing work perfect with the little extra heat.

    Reply

    1. Hey Aly, you need about 3-4 cups of shredded/chopped kale. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan

      Reply