Fall Salad With Roasted Sweet Potatoes

5 from 8 votes

Fall Salad that is hearty, fresh, and irresistible with sweet potatoes, apples, wild rice, almonds, and cranberries.

Prep Time40

Cook Time30

Total Time1 10

Course: Salad, Vegetarian

Cuisine: American

Keyword: roasted sweet potato salad

Servings: as large sides

Cost: $8.91

3 cups chopped sweet potatoes cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 (6-ounce) package Long Grain and Wild Rice Mix like Uncle Ben’s, see note 1
2 large apples I love Honeycrisp best, chopped or thinly sliced
1 to 2 ripe avocados chopped or thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 cup sliced roasted almonds
9 cups spring mix lettuce blend 8 ounces; I use a 50/50 blend spinach and spring mix leaves
Crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 400°F. Add chopped sweet potatoes to a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper (I use 1/2 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp pepper), and toss to coat. Spread in an even layer..
Roast 10 minutes, flip, roast another 10 minutes, flip again, then roast 10-15 minutes more until crisp-tender. Set aside to cool to room temperature
Prepare wild rice according to package directions (or see Note 1 for homemade method). Once tender, refrigerate until cool, so it doesn’t wilt the lettuce.
Zest & juice the lemon to get 1/2 tsp zest and 2-1/2 tbsp juice. Add to a small blender/food processor with remaining dressing ingredients. Season with salt & pepper (I use 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper). Blend until smooth and emulsified. Adjust to taste, then transfer to a jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
Chop/slice apples and avocados. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons lemon juice to prevent browning.
In a large bowl, add lettuce, roasted sweet potatoes, and cooled rice. Top with cranberries, almonds, apples, avocado, and optional cheese.
Dress only what you’ll eat that day (salad doesn’t store well once dressed). Drizzle with dressing (added to taste), toss gently, and serve. Store leftover dressing for up to 1 week to use on other salads or roasted veggies.

Note 1: Homemade Wild Rice

Ingredients

Method

Rinse rice in a fine-mesh sieve.
Combine all ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low simmer.
Cover and cook ~45 minutes, check for doneness. Add 10–15 more minutes if needed, adding broth if liquid evaporates.
Once tender, remove from heat and let steam (covered) 5–10 minutes. Drain excess liquid and fluff with a fork. (Cook time may vary by brand, so check regularly.)

Storage: Keep components separate. Store dressing in the fridge up to 5–7 days. Once salad is dressed, it doesn’t keep well.