This simple, vibrant kale salad is perfect for the holidays. Bursting with roasted sweet potato, pepitas, and pomegranate, it’s a fiesta of flavours and colours. Keep your glow going all winter long with this colourful salad.
I came down with a doozy of a cold over the weekend, and while I’ve been doing all that I can to stave off the worst symptoms (vitamin C, vitamin D, infection fighting herbal tinctures, and plenty of rest), I can sense that the bug doesn’t want to give up yet. I remember my Ayurveda teacher, Elham, saying that sometimes you just need to surrender to sickness and allow it to run its course, rather than fight it, and what an interesting perspective that is. As much as I dislike being forced to slow down and rest when I am sick, I always rebound stronger as a result. Does that make sense?
While I can’t say that I’ve been eating much salad over the past few days (chickpea noodle soup has been my meal of choice), I definitely enjoy kale salads all winter long. Kale is such a hardy vegetable, making it the perfect winter green. I refuse to buy out of season field greens like arugula in plastic boxes during the fall and winter, so kale and collards are my greens of choice at this time of the year. There are so many preparation possibilities for hardy winter greens: steaming, sauteeing, braising, baking, and enjoying them very well massaged in raw form, that it’s impossible to get tired of them.
One of the things I love about kale is that it holds up so well in a salad. You can massage a nice vinaigrette into it add all manner of raw and roasted vegetables and fruits, and kale stands its ground (errr, green?), even after several days. This means that you can prepare a big batch of kale salad such as the one I’m sharing today and enjoy it all week long, without the unappealing sogginess that overtakes more delicate greens like arugula and lettuce.
For this particular kale salad, I knew that I wanted to add a festive flair, so I opted to add some jewel-like pomegranate arils, along with roasted sweet potato, toasted pumpkin seeds, celery, and thinly sliced red onion. I kept the dressing very simple, allowing the fruits and vegetables to shine through. You could make this salad into more of a meal by adding baked tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, and possibly even some cooked and cooled grains, like farro, brown rice, or quinoa. Let your creativity run wild!
In all, this kale salad takes very little time or effort to throw together. The only aspect that takes some time is the roasting of the sweet potato! The rest of the salad takes maybe ten minutes, less if you are motivated by hunger. 😉
more salad recipes, please!
If you love salad, you will probably enjoy my Santa Fe Kale Salad with Crispy Tofu and my Delicata Squash and Roasted Fig Kale Salad, too!
I hope that you love this festive kale salad. If you make it, leave a comment and review below, and don’t forget to tag me @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen on Instagram!
Sweet Potato, Pepita, and Pomegranate Kale Salad for the holidays!
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
This simple, vibrant kale salad is perfect for the holidays. Bursting with roasted sweet potato, pepitas, and pomegranate, it’s a fiesta of flavours and colours. Keep your glow going all winter long with this colourful salad.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
- ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 2 medium bunches of green kale
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- Arils from 1 pomegranate
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds, raw or toasted
Dressing:
- 2 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cubed sweet potato on the baking sheet and toss with olive oil and a pinch each salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- Chop the kale into ribbons. Place in a large bowl.
- Prepare the remaining salad ingredients and set aside.
- Mix up all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl or jar and whisk in the bowl or secure the lid on the jar and shake vigorously.
- Pour the dressing over the kale and ‘massage’ it into the kale until the kale is bright green and tender. Add the celery, red onion, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate, and sweet potato. Toss to combine and serve.
- This salad keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for several days, so enjoy leftovers all week long!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Vegan
Keywords: festive kale salad, sweet potato kale salad, pomegranate and kale salad, winter kale salad with root vegetables
Chris
This is an awesome salad. Very tasty, filling, and cleansing!
★★★★★
Allison
Thank you, Chris!