By now I think you all know how I feel about salad. I despise a boring salad (i.e lettuce and very little else). But I LOVE a GOOD salad (i.e one with greens…carbs and cheese). And if it’s a salad with warm roasted vegetables…well, that scores major bonus points with me. Enter this kale Caesar salad, it’s everything you could ever want a winter salad to be. It has texture, color, a mix of warm roasted vegetables, fresh greens, cheese, and the best creamiest dressing. And yes, it’s still healthy and so perfect for January. I’ve been excited to share this salad since the day I first made it…all the way back before Christmas. We’re slowly getting to the end of the recipes I made while my family was in town for the holidays. This salad was inspired by every member of my family…with the exclusion of four of my brothers, of course. Those boys don’t love salad of any kind, so I made this recipe mostly with the girls of the family in mind. I knew everyone (myself included) would devour this recipe in minutes. It’s all the things we love.
The salad details.
Start by roasting up the sweet potatoes and getting the chickpeas extra crispy. I tossed the potatoes with spicy chipotle powder and smoky paprika for a sweet and spicy flavor. I love this combination of sweet potatoes and spicy, smoky chipotle. But if you prefer a less spicy salad, simply reduce the amount of chili powder or omit it all together. You’ll want to give the potatoes a head start on cooking since they take longer than the chickpeas, but once the potatoes have softened a bit, add the chickpeas right to the same baking sheet and roast until crispy. The chickpeas end up soaking up some of the spices from the potatoes causing them to come out perfectly seasoned and extra crisp. While the sweet potatoes and chickpeas roast, toss the salad together. It’s a simple mix of shredded kale and finely shredded brussels sprouts. I love using hearty kale and shredded spouts for winter salads. Not only do they hold up incredibly well to dressings (making them perfect for meal prepping), but they feel heartier. The salad ends up being more filling than your typical green salad. If you don’t love brussels sprouts, you can just use all kale. Either way, the salad will still be great.
Now, on to that creamy parmesan dressing…
It’s truly one of my favorite dressings…bold statement, but true. The classic Caesar dressing contains anchovies and raw egg yolk, but this dressing has none of that. I know that technically this is really not a Caesar salad, but hear me out. The flavors are spot on…better if you ask me. So what’s the key? A combination of creamy tahini (sesame seed paste), Dijon mustard, and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce (did you know that one of the main ingredients in Worcestershire is anchovies?). The tahini adds the creaminess that the raw egg yolk would add, while the Dijon and Worcestershire sauce add all the savory, salty flavors that the anchovies would add. Promise, it’s just as delicious…better actually. Bonus? No raw eggs means you don’t have to worry about any kind of stomach issues while enjoying this Caesar. I know from experience how not-fun it is to eat a Caesar salad that’s delicious going down…but not so delicious coming back up. Yes, been there, done that.
Meal prepping?
This is your salad! The kale and sprouts hold up wonderfully once this salad has been tossed, I’d say a good day or two. If you want to make the salad last even longer, leave the dressing off, then add just before serving. The vegetables can be roasted a few days ahead of time and eaten chilled or warmed. Either is great, but you know I love them warm. As I mentioned, this is not your average Caesar salad. In fact, some of you may argue that this is not a Caesar salad at all since the dressing does not include raw egg yolk or anchovies. Trust me, I debated calling this a Caesar, but in the end, I found the favors to be so similar. So I’m sticking with it. It’s surely not a classic Caesar, but it surely is delicious. Which is what’s most important in my book…so ENJOY. Looking for other winter salads? Try my winter pomegranate salad or my super green sun-dried tomato herb salad.
If you make this kale Caesar salad with sweet potatoes and chickpeas, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
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