Olivia Piepmeier

Sheet Pan Salad

Friday, February 17, 2023
Categories: main veggies
A watercolor illustration of the recipe. Looking from above, it's a silver rectangular pan with lots of colors in it representing the elements of the salad.

inspired by Food52

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into thin wedges - about ¼-inch thick
  • Salt & pepper, to preference
  • 1 16-oz. can /1.5 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • red onion, cut into thick chunks
  • ⅓ cup sliced almonds
  • 1 bunch of kale, stems discarded, leaves ripped to size preference
  • ¼ cup sharp cheese, cut into thin chunks or shredded
  • 1 apple, halved, cored, and cut into 1/8-inch slices

Balsamic dressing(this will make more than you need, but it’s an excellent thing to have on hand - refrigerate unused!)

  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • Salt & pepper, to preference
  • Dijon mustard, to preference

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 425° F & place a sheet pan in the oven immediately. We want a hot pan!
  2. Mix vinaigrette real well. Putting it into something you can shake seems easiest. (Of course, if you already have some sort of balsamic vinaigrette in your fridge - use that! The above is my standard)
  3. In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes wedges with salt and 2 tablespoons vinaigrette.
  4. In a separate bowl, toss chickpeas and red onion with a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon vinaigrette.
  5. When oven is ready, remove sheet pan and distribute the sweet potatoes in a single, even layer. You want them to have contact with the sheet pan for better browning.
  6. Add the chickpeas and onions to the sheet pan, nestling them amongst the sweet potatoes.
  7. Roast for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are just tender.
  8. Add the almonds, and continue roasting for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the almonds are lightly toasted.
  9. Meanwhile, rinse out the large bowl that held the sweet potatoes; add the kale. Using your hands, toss the kale with 1 to 2 tablespoons vinaigrette (or as much as needed to lightly, evenly dress the kale), salt, and pepper.
  10. Take the sheet pan out and sprinkle the kale on top. 

  11. Bake for 5 minutes. 

  12. Take the sheet pan out and add the cheese and apple. Toss with extra vinaigrette if needed, and adjust seasoning and acidity to taste.

Thoughts

I make this a lot in the fall & winter. It’s easy. It’s mostly pantry/storage crops. It’s warm. It’s healthy. It’s delicious. I’ve made variations with different veggies and/or replacing the beans and cheese with 1/2 lb. ground sausage. All are good. I think the main thing you should get from this is that sheet pan meals are glorious. They can be an easy opportunity to get some greens in a meal, too, beyond my typical “roast veggies with olive oil, salt, and pepper” trick for cooking veggies.