Southwestern Roasted Vegetable Salad

It’s been a minute since we’ve done a salad and today that all changes. This Southwestern Roasted Vegetable Salad is giving me all the feels.

Remember that sweet potato bowl I posted a few weeks back? Well there were a TON of leftovers after making it one night and rather than dream up a new recipe the following night, I decided to repurpose those roasted vegetables and fold them into what is now my new favorite winter salad!

This salad is loaded with black beans (which I have perfected in the instant pot and that recipe is coming on Monday), plenty of roasted sweet potatoes and butternut squash, kale, avocados, cotija cheese and my cilantro vinaigrette. To add to all of that, I tossed in some crispy quinoa to give it a little bit of a crunch and add in some protein. It’s perfection and its also something that can easily be prepped ahead of batches and then mixed together every morning to take into work for lunch. (Always thinking ahead guys, that’s the name of the game!) Make this, trust me, you’ll be obsessed.

Southwestern Roasted Vegetable Salad

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 28 mins

Total Time 48 mins

Course Salad, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Southwestern

Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

  

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For the Crispy Quinoa

• ¼ cup cooked quinoa
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

For the Salad

• 2 bunches kale finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium lime juiced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 avocados
• 1 14 ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
• ¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese optional
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• Red pepper flakes to taste

For the Roasted Vegetables

• 2 cups diced sweet potatoes ¼ -inch cubes
• 1 cup diced butternut squash ¼ -inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For the Cilantro Vinaigrette

• 1 shallot roughly chopped
• 2 cups tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves stems removed (about 4 ounces)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

For the Roasted Vegetables

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• On a large baking sheet, toss together the cubed veggies, olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin and paprika. Once coated, evenly distribute the vegetables on the baking sheet.
• Transfer the baking sheet into the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes until they are fork tender.

For the Crispy Quinoa

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the cooked quinoa and toast for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and crunchy. Remove and set aside to cool.

For the Salad

• Toss the kale, olive oil, lime juice and salt in a large bowl and then add piles of the avocados, quinoa, black beans, cotija and roasted vegetables. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and serve alongside the cilantro vinaigrette.

For the Cilantro Vinaigrette

• Combine everything in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.