Southwestern Kale Power Salad
Healthy kale and quinoa power salad with spicy sweet potato, black beans and creamy avocado sauce. This gluten-free salad packs well for lunch, too!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
This hearty salad features a few of my all-time favorite ingredients. Here we have massaged kale, quinoa, spiced sweet potatoes, and black beans served with a dollop of creamy avocado sauce. I added crumbled feta and toasted pepitas for good measure.
I’d cook with only these ingredients if it weren’t for diversity’s sake. This texture-rich vegetarian salad packs great for lunch. If you like to meal prep for the week, this is an excellent candidate. Given the number of components, this is not the quickest recipe around, but it’s absolutely work the effort.
This recipe has been a reader favorite since it was originally published in 2015 (really, nine years ago?). I developed it during a month-long stay in Austin, Texas with my friend Ali. You could probably say that the Southwestern vibes influenced the recipe.
Today, this salad is getting fresh photos and some slight revisions. Enjoy!
How to Make This Power Salad
You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s a brief rundown with notes and video.
- Cook the quinoa. The recipe uses my foolproof method of cooking quinoa, which will differ from the instructions on your bag. You can make the quinoa a day in advance, if you’d like.
- Cook the sweet potatoes in a skillet. I love roasted sweet potatoes, but these sweet potatoes are cut quite small, so the skillet method is ideal. We’ll add a little bit of water, cover and let them steam until tender, then uncover and cook them until they’re caramelized on the edges.
- Massage and dress the kale. Massaging the kale (literally just scrunching it in your hands until it’s darker and softer) removes all the poky edges and improves the flavor. Then we’ll whisk together a simple olive oil and lime dressing, and toss to coat.
- Make the avocado sauce. Combine the ingredients in a food processor and blend. Add more lime juice, if you’d like. The sauce should be nicely tart, but not overwhelmingly so.
- Toast the pepitas in a skillet. Freshly-toasted pepitas taste amazing and are totally worth the extra few minutes. Keep an eye on the skillet, as it’s easy to turn on the heat and forget until they’re too toasty.
- Assemble! Divide the components between bowls as shown, and enjoy.
Watch How to Make Southwestern Kale Power Salad
More Sweet Potato and Kale Recipes
- Coconut Curried Kale and Sweet Potato
- Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato, Kale & Pesto Vinaigrette
- Spicy Sweet Potato and Green Rice Burrito Bowls
- Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Pepita Dip
- Sweet Potato, Kale and Chickpea Soup
Please let me know how this recipe turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Southwestern Kale Power Salad with Sweet Potato, Quinoa & Avocado Sauce
Healthy kale and quinoa power salad with spicy sweet potato, black beans and creamy avocado sauce. If your lime are particularly big, scale back. This gluten-free, vegetarian (easily vegan) salad packs well for lunch, too! Recipe yields 4 generous salads or 6 medium.
Ingredients
Quinoa and kale
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 bunch kale, ribs removed and chopped into very small, bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium lime, juiced
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
Sweet potatoes
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 ½ pounds), sliced into small, ¼-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
Avocado sauce
- 2 ripe avocados, sliced into long strips
- ¼ cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1 medium jalapeño, deseeded, membranes removed and roughly chopped
- 1 handful cilantro leaves
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander, optional
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt, to taste
Everything else
- 1 can (14 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta
- ¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
Instructions
- To cook the quinoa: First, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water for a minute or two. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 2 cups water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then cover the pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the quinoa from heat and let it rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot, drain off any excess water and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool.
- To cook the sweet potatoes: In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped sweet potatoes and toss to coat, then add the cumin, smoked paprika and salt. Stir to combine. Once the pan is sizzling, add a scant ¼ cup water, then cover the pan and reduce heat to low to avoid burning the contents. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potato is easily pierced through with a fork, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Uncover the pan, raise the heat back to medium and cook until the excess moisture has evaporated and the sweet potatoes are caramelizing on the edges, about 3 to 7 minutes (add another little splash of olive oil if the potatoes start sticking to the pan). Set aside to cool.
- To prepare the kale: Transfer the kale to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the chopped kale with salt and use your hands to “massage” it, which improves the flavor. Just grab handfuls of kale in your hands and scrunch it up in your palms. Repeat until the kale is darker green in color and more fragrant. Whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, the juice of 1 lime and ½ teaspoon salt. Drizzle over the kale and toss to coat.
- To make the avocado sauce: Combine the ingredients as listed in a food processor or blender. Blend well, add more lime juice if desired, and season with salt, to taste.
- To toast the pepitas: In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast the pepitas, stirring frequently, until they are turning lightly golden on the edges and starting to make little popping noises, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Once the quinoa has cooled down a bit, pour it into the bowl of kale and toss to combine. Divide the kale and quinoa mixture into four large salad bowls. Top with sweet potatoes, black beans, a big dollop of avocado sauce, and a sprinkle of feta and pepitas.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the feta.
Storage suggestions: This salad keeps well, covered and refrigerated, for a few days. To keep the avocado sauce from browning, store it separately in a small bowl—either press plastic wrap against the top surface or add a wedge of raw onion.
Change it up: Butternut squash or carrots would be good substitutions for the sweet potatoes.
Edits January 11, 2024: Adjusted avocado sauce by omitting 2 tablespoons olive oil (unnecessary), decreasing the salt for the sweet potatoes from 1 ½ teaspoons to ½ teaspoon, and specifying the amounts of lime juice and salt.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Terrific recipe and a great way to cook sweet potatoes, either in a salad or a grain bowl. Subbed sauteed tofu for the beans and left off the avocado sauce – still delicious and nutritious. THANKS.
You’re welcome, Bob!
I made the recipe and I’m loving it! This truly is a power salad. I added raisins to sweeten it up a bit more ( I have a sweet tooth).
This looks amazing. I am thinking about using in a wrap for am easy to pack lunch.
It makes a great lunch for the week! Let me know what you think, Linda.
Hi Kate
I made your southwestern Kale power salad today and I just wanted to let you know that it was amazing. We loved the avocado dip and also the toasted pumpkin seeds (didn’t know they did that when heated and they tasted yummy). I have been finding family dinners a bit challenging since my daughter,already a vegetarian has been diagnosed with gluten intolerance. I found your website when googling vegetarian gluten free food and I will be making lots of your other recipes too. I real hit with all four members of the fa mi!y, so tasty and probably the nicest vegetarian meal I have ever had
Many thank s
Jenny
I’m so glad you liked it, Jenny! I’m sorry to hear about your daughter. I have a lot of gluten free friendly recipes or have gluten free alternatives. Good luck!
My husband and I ate this for dinner tonight, and I really enjoyed it! I eat cooked kale for lunch almost every day, but I don’t really care for raw kale. I’ve never “massaged” kale before, and I was really tempted to just cook it a little to wilt it down, but I decided to try this massage method. I cut the kale in smallish pieces, and it worked really well! I loved all the textures and flavors together, and it’s so healthy. Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome, Kristin! Thanks for sharing.
Yummy! I finally discovered that Alsace, France has kale so now I can do so many kale recipes. :) It’s still sweet potato season but Spring is coming so I’m in the salad mood. It was really lovely. Thank you. I used red beans (b/c they are hard to find here) and I really think black beans would be better because they are smaller (as your recipe calls for). I didn’t add the jalepeno but I will next time.
You’re welcome, Malia!
LOVED this recipe! I’ve made it twice now. The first time I made it as instructed; the second time, I sauteed the kale instead of leaving it raw. So much flavor and great texture combinations! I’m not the biggest fan of cold food so I usually steer clear of most salads. Sauteing the kale allowed me to justify warming up the leftovers and was a definite win. Whether the kale is raw or sauteed, this dish is definitely a staple for my lunch meal prep.
Nice touch, Fiamma! Thank you for your review.
This was so delicious! I wish I had found it years ago when it was first posted!
I made this with carrots, rather than sweet potato and added a boiled egg for my partner. Was really delicious!! 10/10!
Thanks for letting me know you loved it, Stacey!
Can I use lemons instead of limes. they are pretty hard to come by where I live…
It will change the taste slightly, but will give the citrus taste.
We loved it! We’re making it again for the second time in a few weeks. The sweet potatoes would work this way on other salads. Very satisfying.
I’m happy to hear that, Jennifer! Thanks for your review.
Just made this for the first time tonight and it was OH SO GOOD!! I tweaked it a bit by adding red beans and substituting the pepitas for raw sunflower seeds. And omitted the feta. So delish!
I’ve been meatless for 5 years now and have used Cooke + Kate as my guide along the way. I officially went vegan a few months ago and have ventured into the world of vegan food blogs, but find myself continuously coming back to this one. Thank you for making many of your recipes customizable for a vegan diet. Please keep churning them out!
I’m so glad you loved it, Shy! I’m glad you have been enjoying the blog for so long!
The South western kale power salad recipe is amazing. Its very delicious.
I made this tonight, avocado sauce was definitely a miss. Too much lime juice, 1 line would do. Will modify next time. And is way more than 4 servings. Will work on it, much potential and my first quinoa recipe.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it, Maranda. But, I do appreciate your feedback!
This was divine. My husband is not a huge kale fan and does not like sweet salads, but this one was a winner! Great combo of flavors and textures. Hubby told me to “add this one to the list.” (keeper).
Great to hear, CL!
It is super delicious. I love the variety of texture and flavour in the dish.
This is absolutely incredible, so many delicious flavors and textures plus a star-studded lineup of healthy ingredients. I ommitted the feta and was glad I did, I think it would have taken away from the other flavors. I found that the yams needed quite a bit longer to cook than what the directions said – no big deal, just kept them on medium for another 5-10 minutes. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
Thank you for sharing! I’m sorry the timing was off. It can very some based on your oven and the size you cut them. I appreciate your review, Jeff.
I am sooooo glad I found your site! My husband and I are getting older and health is becoming more important to us. We don’t have any major health issues (yet), but we’d like to keep it that way! I had read about the Mediterranean/DASH/MIND diets (way of eating) and was looking for a cookbook that would make it easier for me to plan meals that were healthier than our normal fare. But the cookbooks I found had ingredients that people complained were expensive and hard to find…or people were adding in ingredients that didn’t really follow the healthful eating I was looking for. I finally resigned to looking online. I was just looking on how to prepare quinoa (my past attempts didn’t go so well) when I found your site and your recipes look sooooo delicious! I already have dinner planned for tonight, but this is going to get made tomorrow and I’ll come back and let you know how it went. After I try a few recipes, if I like the results, I plan on buying your recipe book. :) But dang…..just looking at the sample pages on Amazon is making my mouth water!!! So glad I found you!!!!
I’m so glad you found it too! Thanks for sharing.
So, I made this tonight for my husband and I. I should have omitted the lime juice because we’re just not big fans of lime/lemon in our food, but I also like to try a recipe as written. Also, both of us thought that the avocado would have been put to better use as just cubed avocado. We are trying to eat healthier and aren’t quite on board with kale and quinoa yet, but we’re trying. I do think this is a good recipe…we are just not to this level of healthy eating yet. Lol
Thank you for your feedback!
So absolutely delicious! I plan to remake this at least every other week!
This is hands down my favorite recipe. I just love everything about it — the blend of flavors and textures and it’s super healthy to boot! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Nicole!
I’m super excited to try this — everyone’s comments are just so encouraging — and I promise to review! One question, first: do you use fine or kosher salt for this recipe?
I tend to use kosher, Diamond Crystal specifically, and understand that salt varieties and even brands can vary in grain size (and thus, volume). Just wanting to check before I dive in.
Thank you!
This was excellent! The directions were easy to follow and the dish was delicious. I doubled the recipe for my family to take servings for lunchboxes all week. I let some of my high school students sample the dish (they loved it) and they were excited to try the recipe at home. They are asking for recommendations on how to eat healthier :)
I’m glad you liked the recipe and it as easy to follow!
Greetings from Australia! My family and I have enjoyed and felt nourished by your recipes. Also appreciate you helping us out with cooking ideas! We like to say, this one’s a “Kate” recipe.
To cut down on the high sodium content I omitted the 1.5 teaspoon of salt called for in the sweet potatoes, and cut salt to 1/4 teaspoon in the dressing. Did not miss the salt and it was a healthier dish. Added one minced clove to the dressing. Mixed the black beans into the kale/quinoa/dressing mixture. Nice topped with chopped tomato, and goat cheese was a good alternative to feta. Very nice recipe, will make it again!
Hey Kate, just wondering would you serve this warm or cold?
Hi Hayley! I liked it served warm when fresh, but also enjoyed the leftovers cool. I wouldn’t recommend reheating the kale or avocado components. Otherwise, it’s up to you. :)
Thanks Kate. This is one of those early spring meals I’m excited to make!
5/5! We never eat salads for dinner but I’ve been on a kale kick lately. I kept leaning over to my boyfriend and saying, “THIS IS SO GOOD” while we were eating. We had queso fresco on hand but I know it’ll be even better with feta next time!
Thank you, Hayley! I’m happy to hear that.
Absolutely amazing recipe!
Thank you, Kal!
I can’t believe that I’ve never commented on this recipe. This is one of my favorite recipes! I would choose this over almost anything else. For meals on special occasions, I choose this. It makes me so happy :)
This recipe takes a lot longer to make than what it says, but I also am really slow. I don’t mind. Spending time in the kitchen makes me feel calmer and happier.
I do change one thing in the recipe. Instead of making the sweet potatoes on the stove, I roast them in the oven. I add the oil and spice, just cook them differently. I find that when I cook them on the stove, they never cook fully. Biting into a crunchy sweet potato isn’t very pleasant.
I also love that I have leftovers for the next couple of days! This recipe makes A LOT of salad!
Thank you for the yummiest bowl of all time! This will always be a staple.
I think the nutrition information may be in error?This probably isn’t actually 800+ calories nor 81% of daily value sodium per serving. Please give us corrected information? thanks so much
gail
Hi Gail! Thank you for your feedback. More on my nutritional information, if you are interested. I have been investigating as some potential errors have been brought to my attention. Unfortunately, even with trusty sources, the estimates could be off.
This bothered me too. 800+ calories, 50% of daily fat, and 81% of sodium is astronomical for a salad dish! I would think that would be important for you to figure out and share with your readers.
We loved this salad bowl! It tasted delicious the following night; the avocado sauce did not change color. There is a lot going on with color, texture, taste and healthy ingredients. Right here is why I subscribed to CandK. I hope to try many more great recipes like this one. Thanks!
Made this tonight and it was wonderful. I do think 2 limes in the avocado sauce is too much but that was me.
Thank you for your feedback, Susan. You can adjust to taste here if you like.
Delicious salad! I am obsessed with it and can eat it for lunch 4 days in a row easily.
This was the first thing I ever made of yours, and it made me an instantly devoted follower. Several years and many many recipes later, this is still one of my favorite dishes from your blog. And one of my top 2 favorite salads ever. It’s just perfect. Thank you!!!
That was friggin’ delicious!
Even my meat, cheese, and potato lovin’ man enjoyed it!
#winning
I’m glad you loved it, Mel! Thank you for your review.
Can’t wait to try one of your recipes. They all sound wonderful! My first try will be the Southwestern Kale Power Salad. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
! Thanks Cookie and Kate!
I hope you love it!
Love this combo Kate!
Buttt… should have known better when prepping the avo sauce (am such a novice in the kitchen!) And I’ve learned the golden rule… taste taste and taste again!
Threw the juice of 2 limes to the avo and coriander in the blender. Oh no! way too much citrus zing! Only really needed 1 lime …or less.
Lesson learned.
Thank you for a long list of 5 star yumminess Kate but for this one am giving it a four. Not due to my mistake but because my hubbie wasn’t too fussed on this one overall. I substituted carrots for sweet potato which he didn’t like.
Also maybe state average size of the lime or say 2 tablespoons lime juice? They come in different sizes here…. from ping pong ball to the size of a lemon. My 2 limes were the size of lemons. But at the end of the day I’ll remember now “taste as you” go!
Thanks Kate, as always.
I’m not even a vegetarian, but my husband and I loved it. The avocado dip was awesome and the perfect touch. Your dog is adorable!
Well, thank you! I’m a fan myself. I’m happy you both loved this one, Brooke!
This was a great recipe! My only added some cukes and tomatoes to it.
Hi! This looks delicious! Are the nutrition facts for 4 servings or for 1 serving?
Hi! Nutrition information is per serving.
I have made this a gazillion times in the past year and absolutely love ALL of the flavors. Kate you are the master of spicing recipes just perfectly! Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Make these for lunch and add a an egg cooked medium – it’s amazing! Does take me a little more than 40 minutes but I can get the majority of ingredients at Aldi and I get it doesn’t even cost $2 per lunch.
Made this last night for 2 and really enjoyed it. Omitted feta (avoiding dairy) and used chickpeas (cooked w/ onion, garlic + cumin) instead of black beans. I usually roast sweet potatoes and was surprised at how much I enjoyed them using your method here…though next time I’d cut the salt in half. (who needs 1853mg of salt, anyway??)
The prep/cooking times as listed were a bit optimistic IMO but with my boyfriend’s help making the sauce, it was manageable! Thanks for this and many great recipes!
Thank you for this delicious recipe, Cookie and Kate! I made this for my host family, and it was an immediate success, even though they hadn’t tasted many of the ingredients before! I will definitely be making this again and looking into more of your recipes.
You’re welcome, Sabine!
So good and perfect for meal prepping!! Super easy as well, will be making this many more times ❤
I love to hear that, Tiffany! Thank you for sharing.
I changed to a mostly Plantbased menu and I”m hunting around for recipes
Simply and delicious
Has anyone checked the nutrition facts on this salad? I realize many salads are as “low cal” as we expect, but the stats on this seem quite high. Super tasty regardless but @ over 800 calories, nearly 2000mg sodium and 40g fat I might have to figure out how to adjust.
Hi Olivia, I do my best to provide as accurate of information as I can. You can decrease the serving size if you like. Please refer to my Nutrition Disclaimer for more information.
Totally understand. Was truly just making sure the stats were accurate. The salad was DOPE!!! :) Many thanks.
This salad is amazing! I’ve made it twice. The first time I didn’t have lime juice and used lemon. It’s better with lime. Both times I didn’t have the ingredients for the avocado sauce, so I used Tostitos Avocado Salsa. It wasn’t really loose enough to act as a dressing, so I mixed equal parts ranch and barbecue sauce and added a little water to thin it. It turns out better than any salad I’ve ever had in a restaurant. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it both ways.
This salad looks amazing and I would love to try it but hate avocado (I know). The avocado dressing seems pretty important, what would be a good substitute?
Hi Sandra! I do love this with the avocado dressing. You could try Sunshine Slaw with Quinoa
Mhmmmm I made this for the first time last night and my boyfriend and I loved it! It‘s so full of flavours and deliciousness and was so easy and quick to make. I prepare quinoa in my rice cooker, it makes it fluffy and perfect. Couldn‘t find kale, so used spinach and put that to steam on top of the quinoa in my rice cooker just before it was done! This will be a regular recipe for us Thank you!
I’m glad it was a hit, Christina! I appreciate your review.
Fantastic recipe. My wife and I have been making it for a solid 5+ years now and have shared it countless times. Aces!
Wonderful to hear, Colin! Thank you for your review.