Roasted Sweet Potato and Arugula Salad

Tender roasted sweet potatoes and peppery arugula tossed with a simple vinaigrette, walnuts, and crumbled feta cheese. This roasted sweet potato and arugula salad serves two hungry people as a stand-alone meal or stretches to serve four as a smaller side dish or starter.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Arugula Salad

I wouldn’t describe myself as a “salad person”. You know, the type of person who happily munches on plates full of greens and veggies and, often annoyingly, can be overheard saying, “I don’t know what it is. I just crave salads.” I can, with 100% confidence, admit that those words have never crossed my mind. I have never, ever craved salads.

While I’m not a salad person, I am someone who recognizes their value and will, in rare circumstances, turn to a plate of greens for a side dish or even the main show. There’s evidence of this on this blog – there are, in fact, a few salads sprinkled in and around the more decadent dishes on this site (tomato & pickled beet salad and roasted beet salads with walnuts are a couple favorites) but they’re a rare breed and I’ve yet to corral them into their own category so that they might be easily found and admired. Although, with the addition of this roasted sweet potato and arugula salad, I may reconsider and set up a new “salads” category, let me think about it and get back to you later.

In the meantime, while I may not crave plates of greens, I do tend to crave things like potatoes and so it’s no surprise such ingredients find their way into my salads. Ingredients like roasted sweet potatoes take what might have been a sad plate of arugula and elevate it to new heights. The peppery fresh arugula pops when paired with the warm sweet potatoes – add a tangy Dijon dressing, crunchy walnuts, and creamy feta and you get a salad that’s anything but one-note: this roasted sweet potato and arugula salad offers a pleasing contrast of temperature and texture.

Some Ingredients You’ll Need

• I used baby arugula mostly because of its peppery flavor, but also because it’s sort of pretty tossed together on a plate. With that said, you could substitute baby spinach which is a bit more muted in its flavor.
• Sweet potatoes
• A handful of roughly chopped walnuts add crunch and texture. For an extra special treat, you can candy the walnuts ahead of time (I use a recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen) which means you get an extra boost of sweetness in the salad. I’ve made this salad with both plain walnuts and candied ones and love them both.
• Dijon mustard, olive oil, and lemon juice are all you need for the dressing.
• Sliced green onions add a fresh bite.
• A sprinkle of crumbled feta cheese finishes it off.

I tend to enjoy this salad as a main course when I’m trying to eat a little lighter, but it also stretches to serve a few more as a side dish for holiday meals or random Tuesday night dinners. Or, consider it for lunch – you can prep the components ahead of time and toss them together as a quick and easy mid-day meal.

And, as far as salad cravings go, who knows? This roasted sweet potato and arugula salad may be the first to trigger future salad cravings. I’ll keep you posted.

More Recipes to Try

Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Salad Wraps

Radish and Green Apple Salad

Lobster Salad Sandwiches

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