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A Crispy Chickpea Kale Caesar Salad that is hearty, healthy and a meal all on its own. Dark leafy kale and romaine lettuce matched with amazing roasted sweet potatoes and crispy chickpeas, chopped walnuts, and red onion all topped with an amazing creamy tahini dressing. Vegetarian, easily vegan, gluten-free and a perfect meal-prep recipe!
Most people that know me, know how much I love a big, hearty, healthy salad. Pretty much every day for either lunch or dinner. Especially this new favorite Kale Caesar Salad.
I just find it easier to plan my meals if there is a daily salad on the menu. Plus, it helps me get more veggies in and allows me to be super creative.
Well, this Crispy Chickpea Kale Caesar Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes did not disappoint. It has everything and then some, that you want in a creamy, filling, hearty salad that stands on its own as a complete meal. Oh, and it can easily be made vegan. Yes!!!!
It stands up pretty well to my other favorite salad, which is this Chickpea Chicken Salad that tastes just like a traditional chicken salad except it is vegan.
Why you will love this salad
- Filling, hearty and nutritious
- Perfectly crispy roasted chickpeas and sweet potatoes that are just AMAZING!
- Crazy good creamy tahini dressing that you will want to put on everything!
- Simple make-ahead meal and perfect for meal prep. I could eat this every day.
- Crisp kale and romaine are the perfect bed of greens in this salad
- It’s vegetarian and packed with lots of plant based protein
Ingredients to make this kale caesar salad
How to make this amazing kale caesar salad
- Roast the sweet potatoes. Chop up the sweet potato into 1- inch cubes and place onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss to coat and roast at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes.
- Add the chickpeas. After 20 minutes, turn the sweet potatoes over and push them to one side of the baking sheet. Mix up the chili powder, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour the chickpeas onto the other half of the baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, and sprinkle them with the seasoning mix. Use your hands to lightly toss the chickpeas to coat them in the oil and spices. Return the pan to the oven and roast the chickpeas and the sweet potatoes for 20 more minutes. Then remove and let cool for a few minutes.
- Prepare the rest of the salad. While the potatoes and chickpeas are roasting, you can prepare the rest of the salad. Add the sliced kale and romaine to a large salad bowl or platter. Drizzle with a little olive oil and lightly massage for a minute or so. Then add in the diced red onion, chopped walnuts, diced avocado and the roasted chickpeas and sweet potato.
- Make the dressing. Add all dressing ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine into a creamy dressing. It’s so good!!!!!
- Assemble and dress the salad. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss the salad to evenly coat the rest of the ingredients. You will not need to use all of the dressing. I use about 1/4-1/2 cup of the dressing for the whole salad or you can plate it and then dress each portion individually.
Roast potatoes and chickpeas 
Combine salad ingredients
Mix up dressing Assemble and dress salad
This salad is crisp and fresh with some tender sweet potatoes and chickpeas mixed in. Then topped with a super creamy, tangy dressing that is the perfect finish to this recipe.
Perfect for meal prep and entertaining a crowd.
You can store the remaining dressing in a mason jar or airtight container for up to 3 days.
What to serve with Chickpea Kale Caesar Salad
- Skinny Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups
- Simple Instant Pot Healthy Turkey Chili
- Healthy Turkey Meatloaf
- Hearty soup: Such as this Healthy Creamy Tomato Soup or this Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Baked Eggplant Meatballs
- Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash
Here are some other hearty salads you may also want to try
Looking for more hearty salads? Here are a few of my faves!
- Roasted Butternut Squash and Beet Salad
- Simple Kale and Sweet Potato Salad
- 10 Minute Crunchy Curry Chicken Salad
- Vegan Chickpea Chicken Salad
- Chopped Kale Salad With Quinoa
- Easy Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Switch up the greens. You could swap the kale with spinach or even add in some sliced cabbage in place of the romaine lettuce. Arugula would also be great in this salad.
- Make this recipe vegan. Simply swap the manchego cheese in the dressing with 1/4 cup cashews that have been soaked overnight in some water and leave out the greek yogurt or sub with vegan mayo.
- Want more toppings? Almonds, cranberries, or shredded carrots would all be great and add some additional taste and texture.
- Add some more protein. Grilled chicken, crispy tofu, or sliced hard-boiled eggs would add a nice bump in protein to this salad.
- Parmesan cheese or feta cheese can be used in place of the manchego cheese in the dressing. I am just a huge fan of Manchego cheese.
- You can cut the sweet potato and size and shape you like. Cut them into bits size pieces, 1-inch cubes, rounds or half circles and bake as directed in this recipe. Just note that the baking time will differ based on the size and shape you cut the sweet potatoes.
- Don’t like the onion? If you prefer not to use the red onion then simply leave it out or you can replace it with diced shallots with are less strong but still give this salad that crunchy kick that I love.
- This salad can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Add th sliced avocado when ready to eat.
The recipe and post have been updated with better step by step photos and ingredients.
Did you try this recipe? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below.
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Crispy Chickpea Kale Caesar Salad
- Total Time: 50
- Yield: 6
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A Crispy Chickpea Kale Caesar Salad that is hearty, healthy and a meal all on its own. Dark leafy kale and romaine lettuce matched with amazing roasted sweet potatoes and crispy chickpeas, chopped walnuts, and red onion all topped with an amazing creamy tahini dressing. Vegetarian, easily vegan, gluten-free and a perfect meal-prep recipe!
Ingredients
For the roasted sweet potatoes
- 2 small sweet potatoes – cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the crispy roasted chickpeas
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
For the Salad
- 4 cups of curly kale-sliced thin
- 2 cups romaine lettuce-sliced thin
- 1/2 cup diced avocado – about 1–2 avocados depending on their size
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- Shredded parmesan cheese for serving – optional
For the creamy tahini dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons plain green yogurt or mayo (I like to use vegan mayo)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons tahini paste
- The juice of 1-2 lemons-about 2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cloves garlic-peeled and minced
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/3 cup grated manchego cheese, parmesan cheese or feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
Instructions
Roast the Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the cubed sweet potato onto the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper. Toss to coat. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Mix up the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Move the sweet potatoes to one side of the pan flipping them over as you move them. Then pour the chickpeas onto the same pan on the empty side. Drizzle the chickpeas with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle them with the seasoning mix. Toss them with your hands to coat everything in the oil and seasoning. Return the pan to the oven and continue to roast for another 20 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes.
Assemble the salad
- While the potatoes and chickpeas are roasting you can prep the rest of the salad. Place the shredded kale and romaine into a salad bowl or large rimmed dish, lightly drizzel with olive oil and massage for one minute.
- Add the diced avocado, red onion, and chopped walnuts to the bowl with the kale and romaine.
- Make the dressing: Add all dressing ingredients to the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse for 30-45 seconds to combine and emulsify into a creamy dressing.
- Add the roasted chickpeas and sweet potato to the salad. Drizzle some of the dressing over the salad and lightly toss to coat all of the ingredients in the dressing.
- Top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese if desired.
- Serve cold or at room temperature and enjoy!
Notes
- Switch up the greens. You could swap the kale with spinach or even add in some sliced cabbage in place of the romaine lettuce. Arugula would also be great in this salad.
- Make this vegan. Simply swap the manchego cheese in the dressing with 1/4 cup cashews that have been soaked overnight in some water and leave out the greek yogurt or sub with vegan mayo.
- Want more toppings? Almonds, cranberries, or shredded carrots would all be great and add some additional taste and texture.
- Add some more protein. Grilled chicken, crispy tofu, or sliced hard-boiled eggs would add a nice bump in protein to this salad.
- Parmesan cheese or feta cheese can be used in place of the manchego cheese in the dressing.
- This salad can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Add th sliced avocado when ready to eat.
Recipe adapted from: Half Baked Harvest
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Healthy Salads
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Kale Caesar salad, kale salad, tahini dressing, vegetarian salad recipes, crispy chickpeas
Are there any other cheeses that would work well in this recipe?
Hi Donna, Thank you for your comment. Parmesan cheese would also work. I will add that in the recipe notes section.
I always use Parmesan when making this 😊
Absolutely delicious recipe. The dressing is just perfect. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Have you updated this recipe? Main picture shows sweet potato rounds but description says to chop and your other images show them chopped. I also don’t remember red onions in the original recipe. I’ve made this loads and love it – just want to know I’m not going mad 😆
Hi Lynette, Thank you for your comment. Yes I updated the recipe. You can cut the sweet potatoes into rounds or half circles or chop them up. The larger you cut them the longer they will take to cook. I did add red onion which you can leave out if you prefer to.