Roasted Sweet Potato & Goat Cheese Salad with Roasted Shallot Dressing
It’s rare for me to post a salad here, mostly because I generally find salad…sad. Underwhelming. Not a meal. And this one isn’t probably a meal on its own, but add some protein and we’re in business. It is DELICIOUS.
It’s hard to know what to call it because—like all the best salads—it’s packed to bursting with yummy ingredients. So I’m going with roasted sweet potato & cauliflower salad with goat cheese, golden raisins, and roasted shallot dressing. But that’s kind of a mouthful.
I’ve adapted this from Smitten Kitchen, and she calls it her “fall bliss salad”, which feels about right. I made it for Thanksgiving and it was a hit, but I also just throw it together on a random Friday afternoon for lunch while working from home.
The ingredients can be super flexible depending on what you have on-hand, but I love the combo of roasted sweet potatoes, roasted cauliflower for some crunch, soft tangy goat cheese, bursts of golden raisins, and maybe a few pine nuts.
The greens are totally up to you…I like something with a bit of bite that won’t get super soggy fast, but I don’t love kale as much because the texture is too tough and chewy. I usually go with a combo of spring mix and arugula (but baby kale or spinach can be great too).
I um…didn’t take pictures of most of the first steps because it’s just roasting veggies. So first you’ll roast the sweet potato, cauliflower, and shallots.
Personally, I like to roast my veggies with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper, and also do the foil packet of shallots, in the air fryer, which is faster and I think gets a better caramelization on the sweet potatoes and cauliflower. Just keep an eye on them, as the timing will vary based on your air fryer. You can also dice the sweet potatoes if the small slices are too time-consuming.
If you’re using the oven, preheat to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle or brush parchment lightly with olive oil and sprinkle the oil with salt and pepper. Arrange your sweet potato slices in one layer on the parchment. Coat lightly with more oil, salt, and pepper. Do the same with the cauliflower florets (using a second baking sheet if needed).
Place your shallot halves on a square of foil and drizzle lightly with olive oil and kosher salt. Tightly seal the foil around them into a little packet and place on the baking sheet with the vegetables.
Roast the veggies and shallots for 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are lightly brown underneath and the cauliflower is beginning to brown. Flip the pieces and return the tray to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are evenly brown and the cauliflower is tender and browning (you may have to remove the sweet potatoes before the cauliflower). The shallot will not be brown or look caramelized, but will be tender.
Next, take that roasted shallot and let’s make a bomb dressing. In a blender or food processor, blitz your warm, tender shallots with 4 tablespoons of olive oil until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
With the machine running, add the dijon mustard and 3 tablespoons of vinegar, blending until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper, blending again. Taste and adjust with more vinegar, salt, and pepper as needed. If the dressing is very thick, you can thin it with 1 to 2 tablespoons water.
At this point, you can put the dressing and roasted veggies in the fridge and assemble the salad later if you want (just bring the veggies back to room temp).
When you’re ready to serve it, get out a large salad bowl and toss the greens with half the dressing. Season with a bit of additional salt and pepper.
Arrange your roasted sweet potatoes and cauliflower over the greens, then sprinkle with the golden raisins (I like to slightly rehydrate them in hot water for a few minutes), goat cheese, and nuts if you choose.
Drizzle some of the remaining dressing over, to taste and serve right away, with any extra dressing on the side.
This is the double batch I made for Thanksgiving, subbing dried cranberries in since my mom didn’t have golden raisins. It was a major hit!
This delicious fall salad with roasted veggies and shallot vinaigrette has become a staple in my weeknight dinner rotation!
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Other hearty, flavorful salads you’ll love:
- Tahini Curry Broccoli Crunch Salad
- Delicious & Easy Kale Salad
- Winter Grain & Roasted Vegetable Salad With Balsamic Dressing
- Charred Cabbage & Cauliflower Salad with Tahini Dressing
- Super Easy & Healthy “Loaded” Thai Chicken Salad
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Roasted Sweet Potato & Goat Cheese Salad with Shallot Dressing
This delicious roasted sweet potato, cauliflower, & goat cheese salad has a delicious, tangy roasted shallot vinaigrette to top it off...it's a super easy side dish (or main, with some added protein) that can be whipped up quickly and even mostly made ahead of time!
Ingredients
- 1-2 sweet potatoes, sliced thin (¼-inch or less)
- 1-2 cups of cauliflower florets
- Olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces of greens (I like a combo of spring mix & arugula), roughly chopped
- 2 medium shallots, halved lengthwise and peeled
- 3 tablespoons of sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar, plus more to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon of smooth dijon mustard
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of water, as needed
- 1/4 cup of dried cherries or cranberries (or golden raisins)
- 2 ounces of soft goat cheese (chèvre), crumbled
- Optional: 1/2 cup of toasted pistachios, chopped (pecans or pine nuts also are great)
Instructions
Notes
- I like to roast my veggies and do the foil packet of shallots in the air fryer, which is faster and I think gets a better caramelization on the sweet potatoes and cauliflower. Just keep an eye on them, as the timing will vary based on your air fryer. You can also dice the sweet potatoes if the small slices are too time-consuming.
- The nuts you use here are flexible (the original recipe calls for pepitas, which I'm not a huge fan of). Pistachios are great, but walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, etc. can work nicely. Just get them nice and toasty. I often leave out as I'm not the biggest nut fan.
- You can roast the veggies and make the dressing ahead of time, then wait to assemble and serve the salad later if needed. The veggies are great at room temperature so this is a nice make-ahead side dish option.
- If you don't want to use sweet potato, you can also use butternut or honeynut squash. In that case, peel & seed, then slice thin or dice small.
- For the lettuce, I like something with a bit of bite and that won't get super soggy fast, but don't love full-blown kale. Consider spring mix, arugula, even baby kale, spinach.
- I love golden raisins with this (soak in hot water for a few minutes before), but dried cranberries or cherries are great too).
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