This Roasted Sweet Potato and Wild Rice Salad makes the perfect, healthier, light fall lunch or vegetarian side dish addition to your Thanksgiving menu!
Gimme all the fall savory recipes.
Bring ONNNNN the cozy soups, crockpot dinners, hearty casseroles, and . . .
Salads.
Ummm.
What?
I know.
Typically you don’t think of salads as fall food.
Usually they’re summer food.
Because who wants a crisp cold salad when the leaves are falling, the air is chilly, and your favorite pumpkin candle is burning in the background?
Nobody.
BUT.
THIS Roasted Sweet Potato and Wild Rice Salad is different. It’s totally warm and cozy and loaded with fall favorites like sweet potatoes, apples, and wild rice.
So.
Bring ONNNNN the cozy salads, please!
I don’t even know if you can technically call this a salad, but I’m just gonna go with it, ok?
There are three parts to today’s Roasted Sweet Potato and Wild Rice Salad Recipe:
Part One: The Vinaigrette
Part Two: The Roasted Yumminess
Part Three: The Rest of the Salad
The Vinaigrette is SUPER simple, but packed with flavor: olive oil based mayo + apple cider vinegar, dijon, honey, and salt. I really wanted to use mayo as the fat in this dressing, because I wanted something a little creamy to coat the sweet potatoes and wild rice.
Have no fear, because it’s perfectly light, not too heavy, but still nice and creamy.
The Roasted Yumminess is next. Throw some cubed sweet potato, sliced red onion onto a sheet pan and toss with just a touch of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast until the sweet potato is perfectly golden and tender.
Then, there’s The Rest of the Salad.
Into a large bowl:
- Apple
- Red grapes
- Goat cheese
- Walnuts
- Arugula
- Roasted Yumminess
- Cooked Wild Rice
You’ll combine the above with as much or as little dressing as you’d like and you’re ready to serve!
I’ve tried this Roasted Sweet Potato and Wild Rice Salad cold, warm, AND at room temperature. While it’s all really tasty, I do prefer this slightly warm or room temperature.
I absolutely love the combination of tender potatoes, sweet red onion, crisp apples, juicy grapes, tangy goat cheese, crunchy walnuts, hearty rice, and fresh arugula.
Combine that with the creamy, tangy, vinaigrette, and THIS is a salad people will get excited about.
– Jennifer
Roasted Sweet Potato and Wild Rice Salad
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
- 1 pound sweet potato peeled and cubed into 1/4 - 1/2 in chunks
- ½ red onion halved, then sliced
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ apple sliced
- ½ cup red grapes sliced
- ½ cup crumbled goat cheese
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 (5.8 oz) bag quick cooking wild rice cooked and cooled (I used Uncle Ben’s Fast & Fancy Fine Herb & Wild Rice)
- few handful arugula to taste
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil based mayo
- ¼ - ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
- Place sweet potatoes and red onion onto prepared pan and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender, stirring every 10 minutes or so.
- Cool slightly.
- Place roasted veggies into a large bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients (apple - arugula).
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Whisk together dressing ingredients. Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge.
Serving
- Toss salad with as much or as little dressing as desired.
- This salad is best served right away, warm, or at room temperature.
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.