Easy Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes, Dates & Pistachios
One thing I’m known for in my family is my ability to make a bomb salad out of any random assortment of ingredients—a clean-out-the-fridge salad, if you will. When my stepsister and my stepbrother’s girlfriend come over for dinner, they are always most excited about my salads. My easy kale salad with sweet potatoes, dates, and pistachios is no exception. I threw this together one night when I was eating dinner with my family, and my mom asked me to whip up a salad. If there’s one thing you won’t catch me doing, it’s serving a boring salad!
How to Make Easy Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes, Dates & Pistachios
I’m going to call this my winter/fall take on an easy kale salad because it includes warming spices and deliciously starchy sweet potatoes, which give it a cozier and more autumnal vibe than a traditional kale salad. Something great about kale is that it thrives in cooler weather, making it an excellent green to add to your salad rotation during the winter! I’ve grown kale in my own garden for years, and I’ve had many plants survive the snowy Ontario winters to produce greens through until the following fall.
Easy Kale Salad Ingredients
To make this easy kale salad, you will need the following ingredients:
- Lacinato kale (also known as dino kale)
- Sweet potato
- Olive oil
- Ground cinnamon
- Smoked paprika
- Medjool dates
- Parsley
- Raisins
- Shelled pistachios
- Feta Cheese
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Shallot
- Maple Syrup
- Sea salt and black pepper
*Continue scrolling for the full recipe with measurements.
What Does “Massaging” Kale Mean?
If you’ve ever eaten a kale salad and found the leaves to be unpleasantly tough and lacking in flavour, it is likely because the kale wasn’t massaged. Massaging your kale is super simple; it involves adding a bit of oil and an acid, or a bit of dressing, to the kale, then using your hands to gently massage it into the leaves. This is a crucial step in any kale salad because it helps to break down the kale’s naturally tough fibres and reduce bitterness. Massaging your kale also helps it absorb the flavours of the dressing better. Don’t skip this step!
Make the Spiced Roasted Sweet Potatoes
The most time-consuming part of making this easy kale salad is roasting the sweet potatoes, but you can stack tasks while the sweet potatoes are roasting.
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Peel and chop the sweet potatoes, then transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Add the olive oil, ground cinnamon, smoked paprika, sea salt, and black pepper. Give the potatoes a good toss to coat. Pop the baking sheet into the oven and roast for 25 minutes, turning the potatoes after 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
While the potatoes are roasting, you will prepare the vinaigrette and other salad ingredients.
Prepare the Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
While the sweet potatoes are roasting, prepare the maple Dijon vinaigrette. Add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and minced shallot to a jar or small bowl. Whisk well to combine. Season with sea salt and black pepper, then whisk again until incorporated.
Set the vinaigrette aside while you prepare the salad.
Assemble the Easy Kale Salad
Remove the kale’s stems, wash, dry, and then chop the leaves. Prepare the other salad ingredients by chopping the Medjool dates, parsley, and shelled pistachios.
Add the chopped kale to a salad bowl and drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Using your hands, gently massage the dressing into the kale until the leaves are evenly coated and have begun to soften.
Once the sweet potatoes have come out of the oven and cooled slightly, add them to the salad bowl along with the Medjool dates, parsley, golden raisins, and pistachios. Crumble over the feta cheese and drizzle the remaining vinaigrette. Toss well.
Serve and Enjoy!
Serve the salad immediately with your favourite main dish, or store it in the fridge for up to two days.
More Easy Salad Recipes
If you loved this easy kale salad recipe, be sure to check out these other easy salads:
Winter Radicchio Salad with Blood Orange
Please let me know how this recipe turned out for you by leaving a comment below or a recipe review. I love to hear from you! If you make this easy kale salad, be sure to tag me on Instagram.
xx
Ashley
Easy Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes, Dates & Pistachios
Ingredients
Spiced Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Sea salt and fresh black pepper
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon minced shallot
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- Fresh black pepper, to taste
Easy Kale Salad
- 5 cups lacinato kale, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped dates
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
- 1/3 cup feta cheese
- Spiced roasted sweet potatoes
Instructions
Make the Spiced Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the sweet potatoes to the prepared baking sheet, then toss with the olive oil, ground cinnamon, smoked paprika, sea salt, and fresh black pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, flipping the potatoes after 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you prepare and assemble the rest of the salad.
Prepare the Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, prepare the dressing. Add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and minced shallot to a jar or small bowl. Whisk well until fully incorporated. Season with the salt and pepper, whisk again, then set aside while you prepare the salad.
Assemble the Kale Salad
- After making the dressing, add the chopped lacinato kale to a large salad bowl. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of the dressing and massage the kale with your hands. This helps to soften kale's tough fibres and reduce bitterness. Once the kale is covered in a light layer of dressing, set it aside until the sweet potatoes are out of the oven. This will allow the kale to soften before assembling the salad.
- Once the sweet potatoes are out of the oven, assemble the salad. Add the chopped dates, parsley, pistachios, and golden raisins to the salad bowl with the kale. Add the spiced roasted sweet potatoes, sprinkle over the feta, and then pour over the remaining dressing. Toss well so the ingredients are distributed throughout the salad.
- Serve the salad immediately, or enjoy it for up to two days after it has been prepared.