As soon as the new year rolls around most everyone is ready to eat healthier. This easy sheet pan salad recipe proves that eating healthy does not have to be boring. This salad is loaded with flavor, so making the switch from holiday comfort food will feel easy. It is the perfect combo of sweet and savory. This salad can be prepped once and eaten for lunch for 3 to 4 days after. Even better, it only requires one sheet pan and one jar to prepare!
What is a Sheet Pan Salad?
A sheet pan salad is simply a salad loaded with roasted veggies all baked together on a sheet pan. The flavor combinations are truly endless. If you are someone who doesn’t prefer raw veggies, then this is a delicious alternative. When you eat the salad warm it has the comfort food feeling without the comfort food calories. However, I find the salad to be equally as delicious when it is eaten cold.
Dressing and Topping Alternatives
This easy sheet pan salad recipe can be easily customized to your taste! The rosemary mandarin dressing adds so much flavor to the salad but can be changed if you don’t like mandarin oranges. Switch out the fruit to a fresh berry or dried craisin instead and feel free to use a different dressing recipe. We will have more homemade dressing recipes coming to the blog soon!
If you do not like walnuts, any other nut of your choosing can be substituted. Butternut squash is a great alternative to sweet potatoes. There are alternative options to every ingredient in this salad.
How to Store
This sheet pan salad recipe will stay good for up to 4 days after preparing. Store in the fridge in an airtight container or separate into smaller single serving containers for easy grab and go lunches. If you prefer to eat the salad warm reheat it in the microwave in 30 second increments.
Sheet Pan Salad with Mandarin Rosemary Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 cups sweet potato peeled and chopped
- 2 medium honeycrisp, appled diced
- 1/2 large red onion, sliced
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bunch kale destemmed and torn into bite size pieces
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1 mandarin orange peeled and chopped
- rotisserie chicken cut into bite sized pieces
Mandarin Rosemary Dressing
- 1 clove garlic minced
- zest and juice of 1 mandarin orange
- 1 T apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 T honey
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Lay the sweet potatoes, apple, and onion on to the sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
- To make the dressing add all dressing ingredients to a small bowl or glass jar cover. Shake to combine.
- When the veggies are done roasting add the kale and dressing to the sheet pan and toss to combine with the roasted veggies. Sprinkle the walnuts on top and return the pan to oven to roast for 5-7 more minutes.
- Add the salad to a bowl and top with rotisserie chicken, if you choose and mandarin orange. Enjoy!
Notes
