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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.
Watch the How-To Reel
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.
This post was originally published on January 9, 2020
Loved this so so much!! Easy and healthy and delish!
Thank you Courtney! I am really glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
Is there a way to make this vegetarian without having to go out and purchase vegan worcestershire sauce?
Hey Elaine,
You can use soy sauce in place of the Worcestershire sauce. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This recipe is such a winner! Thank you Tieghan, it’s yummy, full of flavor, and simple. I’ve probably made it a dozen times since you posted it in January, and everyone from my husband, friends, and family, all love it and always ask for the recipe. It’s got a bit of a kick from the spices, great crunch, and it can be made ahead easily. So, so good. Thanks for a crowd-pleasing recipe!
I am so happy you have been loving this recipe, Brittany! Thank you so much for trying it!! xTieghan
Restaurant quality salad with such little fuss!! I added cherry tomatoes to mine and it tasted sooo good! This is the first of your recipes that I’ve tried and I’m definitely going to go look through for more now. Thanks for the recipe!!
Thank you so much Sian! I am really glad this salad turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This looks delicious!! I’m a vegetarian and have missed Caesar salads!! I’d like to skip the Worcestershire because of the anchovies — what would you suggest as a substitute?
Thank you and can’t wait to give it a try! I’ve loved every recipe of yours that I’ve made! ?
This may be my favorite salad ever. The textures and flavors were just an amazing combination. The chickpeas turned out perfectly crispy and the sweet potatoes were crispy on the outside but almost creamy in texture on the inside. I baked them with the skin left on the slices which made it super fast to prep. The dressing is tangy but not overwhelming. If you’re not a fan of Dijon I would cut the mustard down just a little bit. We are so we thought it was perfect but definitely has a subtle mustard flavor. This was just so great and really beautiful
That is so great to hear! Thank you for trying this Jana! xTieghan
I just made this salad and it’s SO delicious! I especially love the dressing, YUM!
Thank you so much Jenna! xTieghan
I have never heard of a head of Kale. Are we talking about cabbage? Is this a cultural difference. I would certainly use some leafy kale from my garden for this. It looks yummy. I can also imagine shredded cabbage.
Hey Mary,
A head of kale is similar to a head of romaine lettuce. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the recipe. Thank you! xTieghan
The salad dressing is my new go to cesar! Although I do put less than a full lemon in because I found it too lemony for my personal taste. I’m wondering how long you think the dressing would last in the fridge? It usually doesn’t stick around very long but I was debating making a larger batch but wasn’t sure how the ingredients would hold up. Thoughts?
Hey Rachael,
I am so glad you have been enjoying the dressing, it is one of my favorites too! I would say it lasts 2-3 weeks in the fridge. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
amazing!
Thank you Maddi! xTieghan
I make this at least once a month! Love it.
I also make the dressing at the end of the week and keep it on hand for a quick, side Caesar salad alongside other meals. Make this salad!
That is so great to hear! Thank you Caitlin! xTieghan
Made this today and it was amazing! Loved the dressing. I didn’t have any fresh brussel sprout so i used what i had which was some shredded purple cabbage. I also added in some cauliflower to roast since i had some left over from a veggie platter. We will definitely be making this again.
Amazing! I am really glad you were able to use what you had for this one! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
So yummy!!!! I used arugula bc that’s all I had on hand and it still turned out delicious!! I also threw in some cherry tomatoes! This will def be one of my meal planning go-tos from now on!!!
Sounds amazing! I am so glad this turned out so wonderful for you! xTieghan
This is so delicious! I’ve made it a few times now- was skeptical at the combination of ingredients but they all word so well together. The only thing is my garbanzos never come out crispy-not sure why? I’ve tried canned and dried (and cooked of course) but they just come out dry-still good just not crispy.
Hi Denise! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you!! Did you leave the chickpeas on long enough? xTieghan
I LOVE this recipe! I’ve made it every week since quarantine started and shared it with everyone I know. Can’t get enough! thank you so much!
Thank you so much Elyse! I am really glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan