Warm Kale Salad, served with Roasted Root Vegetables

At a glance

What stands out: A medley of evenly caramelized roasted root vegetables take this warm kale salad to new heights. You’ll love the honey mustard vinaigrette and candied sunflower seeds! This salad is a reliable remedy for the winter blahs.

How long it takes: 50 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: sheet pan, small skillet, sharp knife
Servings: 4

Awhile back, we posted a list of 20+ Memorable Kale Recipes. We love ’em all, but this recipe? It’s going to the head of the class!

We first tried a salad similar to this one at a neighborhood restaurant we visited with our mom and sister. One forkful and we were in love! The warm root vegetables were evenly caramelized, the dressing was memorable, and the smoked cheese was just the right touch.

Of course, it didn’t take us long to get busy recreating this memorable salad at home and we have to say, we did a pretty good job of it. Our salad isn’t exactly the same but it’s every bit as memorable.

Make a warm kale salad a priority this week. You do need to try this recipe!

A standby Roasted Vegetable Salad

Nutritious and hearty. This is a hearty salad made with roasted vegetables, kale, sunflower seeds, and quinoa which can easily be a main course salad or meal bowl. It’s highly nutritious and so satisfying.

Straightforward to mix. The salad isn’t difficult to make but there are a lot of moving parts, including a from-scratch honey mustard vinaigrette and candied sunflower seeds. Keep reading for a few time-saving make-ahead tips. We assure you, this salad is WORTH every moment you spend preparing it.

Versatile. What we love about this salad is that it’s straightforward to substitute whatever you prefer or happen to have in the house. Of course, we love it just the way it’s written, but you can choose which root vegetables you want to roast (or use Brussels sprouts or broccoli instead!). Use your favorite dressing recipe or purchase dressing at the store. Add your own special touch to the salad.

Three Types of Kale

There are many different varieties of kale but you can boil it down to three basic types. Curly kale has large dark green leaves that are curly, and a prominent fibrous stem. It’s usually sold in a bunch with the stems attached at the bottom. Lacinato kale (often known as elephant kale, dinosaur kale, or Tuscan kale) is also sold in a bunch. The dark bluish green leaves are narrower and bumpy, rather than curly. It is more tender than curly kale. Baby kale is immature kale leaves. The tiny leaves are often sold in containers and are more appropriate for salads.

What goes in

• Turnip, Carrot, Golden Beet, Parsnip: This quartet of root vegetables is pretty memorable. They each bring a unique flavor to the table and we think you’re going to enjoy the combination. Yellow beets are preferable to red beets because they won’t turn your salad pink. If one of these vegetables isn’t available or you don’t care for one, feel free to make substitutions using other root vegetables.
• Olive Oil, Smoked Paprika, Garlic Powder, Salt & Pepper: The diced vegetables are tossed with this savory mixture of olive oil and seasonings before they go into the oven to roast.
• Kale: We've tried both curly kale and lacinato kale for the salad. Both are fine but we think we prefer the lacinato kale because it’s a bit more tender. The kale is lightly roasted with the root vegetables just until it’s wilted.
• Quinoa: This seed/grain is so nutritious and it gives the salad a little extra substance. We like to buy a bag of quinoa and cook up the whole bag at once. It freezes well and can be used in so many ways. For more information, check out this post: How to Freeze Quinoa. You can also purchase prepared quinoa, either frozen or in shelf-stable packets which are straightforward and convenient.
• Smoked Gruyère Cheese: The original salad was topped with smoked feta cheese which we had a difficult time finding so we substituted smoked Gruyère. If you’re not a fan, any hard aged cheese would be at home in this salad, or it can be omitted for a vegan, non-dairy salad.
• Raw Sunflower Seeds: The seeds are toasted with a mixture of sugar, cayenne pepper, and salt. The sugar melts as it heats up and candy coats the seeds. So rich! Since we are a nut-free family, sunflower seeds are a good stand-in for walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc. If you prefer, sliced almonds can be substituted for the sunflower seeds.
• Honey Mustard Vinaigrette: This straightforward vinaigrette consists of just four ingredients, plus salt and pepper. You’ll need olive oil, honey, mustard, and white balsamic vinegar. There is usually a jar of from-scratch honey mustard vinaigrette in our fridge. It’s straightforward to mix and goes well on many different salads.

How it comes together

Preheat the oven. Turn the oven on to preheat, with the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. You’ll need a large sheet pan, 13 x 18 inches.

Prep vegetables. The vegetables need to be peeled or scrubbed thoroughly. Cut them into a small dice, about a half inch, as evenly as possible. Smaller pieces roast more quickly and are easier to eat in a salad.

Roast. Toss the diced root vegetables with the oil and seasonings; spread them out on the sheet pan. Roast for 20 minutes.

Roast the kale. Remove the pan from the oven and stir the vegetables. Sprinkle the shredded kale evenly over the vegetables and put the pan back into the oven for 5 minutes.

Take the pan out of the oven and stir the kale into the roasted vegetables.

Set the pan aside to cool slightly while you assemble the rest of the salad ingredients.

Toast the sunflower seeds. While the vegetables are roasting, toast the sunflower seeds. Put them into a small skillet along with the sugar, salt, and cayenne pepper.

Toast them over medium heat, stirring pretty constantly, until the sugar melts and the seeds turn golden brown.

Immediately remove them from the pan and spread them on a plate to cool. Don’t leave them in the pan because the residual heat will scorch the seeds.

Whisk together the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper until it’s smooth and combined (emulsified).

Assemble the salad. Transfer the roasted root vegetables and kale into a large bowl. Add the cooked quinoa and cubed cheese. Top with the vinaigrette, stirring to combine it with the salad. You may not need all of the vinaigrette, depending on how much dressing you like.

Serve. Spoon the salad into shallow bowls or plates. Garnish with the toasted sunflower seeds and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Ways to serve it

Looking for something to serve with the salad? Try artisan style Dutch oven bread or from-scratch no knead whole wheat bread. A simple from-scratch muffin like these apple cinnamon muffins or pumpkin bran muffins go great, too.

Possible Recipe Variations

• Choose your own lineup of vegetables to roast. As long as you end up with roughly four cups of diced root vegetables, pretty much anything goes. You could even substitute an apple, like you’ll find in our harvest chicken bowl.
• Take the salad up another notch! Top it with cranberries, raisins, or dried cherries. Instead of sunflower seeds, try toasted pecans, toasted walnuts, or pine nuts.
• Add more protein with chickpeas. Rinse and drain a can of chickpeas, and rub them dry, removing the skins as much as possible. Toss the chickpeas with the root vegetables, with an additional tablespoon of oil. Roast as directed. For more information, check out this post for roasted chickpeas.
• Make it dairy-free. Instead of smoked cheese, make the salad with cooked and crumbled bacon. You’ll still get the smoky flavor but without the cheese.
• Use a different grain. If you’re not a fan of quinoa, substitute cooked barley, farro (try Instant Pot farro), couscous, or you could even leave the grain out.
• Don’t want to turn your oven on? This quinoa salad with orange & grapes is rich and versatile. Try our barley salad with tomatoes, cucumber and parsley or a classic spinach salad.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Head start: Prep the quinoa, dice the root vegetables, shred the kale, and make the dressing a day or two ahead of time; store separately in the refrigerator. The sunflower seeds can be toasted up to a week ahead of time. Once they have completely cooled, store them at room temperature in an airtight container.

When you’re ready to serve the salad, take everything out of the refrigerator, roast the vegetables and kale as directed, and assemble the salad. Straightforward peasy!

Keeping leftovers

This salad is best eaten immediately but it keeps surprisingly well too. It will keep in the refrigerator for a few days and makes an awesome lunch.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #46 or Meal Plan #94. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

Browse Meal Plans

Kale Salad Recipes

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 25 minutes
• Cook: 25 minutes
• Total: 50 minutes

Ingredients

For Roasted Vegetables:

• 1 cup diced peeled turnip, ½-inch dice ( 1 medium turnip)
• 1 cup diced carrot, ½-inch dice ( 2 medium carrots)
• 1 cup diced peeled golden beets, ½-inch dice ( 1 large beet)
• 1 cup diced peeled parsnip, ½-inch dice ( 1 large parsnip)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 6 cups firmly packed finely shredded kale (about 1 bunch)

For Sunflower Seeds:

• ⅓ cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

For Salad:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa ( ⅓ cup dry quinoa, prepared as directed on package)
• 3 ounces smoked Gruyère cheese, cut into ¼-inch cubes (heaping ½ cup)

For Vinaigrette:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in the bottom third of the oven. Lightly spray or grease a large rimmed sheet pan, about 18 x 13-inches.
2. Toss turnips, carrots, and beets with 2 tablespoons olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on prepared sheet pan.
3. Place pan on lower rack in preheated oven, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Stir vegetables; add kale in a single layer on top. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven and immediately toss the kale with the root vegetables. The heat from the pan and the vegetables will soften and tenderize the kale.
4. While vegetables are roasting, make candied sunflower seeds. In a small skillet, combine sunflower seeds, sugar, cayenne, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes, until sugar melts and coats the seeds, and seeds are toasted and golden brown. Remove seeds from pan immediately to a plate lined with parchment paper to cool.
5. Make vinaigrette: combine olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until smooth. Makes about ½ cup.
6. In a large bowl, lightly toss roasted vegetables, quinoa, and cheese to combine. Drizzle on vinaigrette, and toss lightly again. (You may not need all of the vinaigrette.) Serve immediately, topped with the candied sunflower seeds.

Notes

Kale: Either curly kale or lacinato kale (Tuscan, dinosaur, elephant) can be used. Lacinato kale is a bit more tender.

Vegetables: If you don’t care for all 4 root vegetables, feel free to substitute as you wish, as long as you end up with roughly 4 cups of diced root vegetables.

Nuts: Sliced almonds can be substituted for the sunflower seeds. Toast as directed.

Quinoa: To prepare quinoa, try Instant Pot quinoa. It freezes well, too, so make a big batch. You can also buy pre-made quinoa.