It’s another day, and another very #AmbitiousThanksgiving recipe that you’re going to LOVE. First, let’s throw it back to 2018 when I first wrote about this beautiful salad and said:
“I call this recipe the Zac Efron Salad. It’s sexy, sweet, savory, feel-good and definitely delicious enough to put on your Thanksgiving table. In fact, it may just sing to you and give you a six-pack. Zac, you sure know how to treat a lady good.”
While I’m not so sure about the look Zac’s currently working with, I am 100% sure you need this roasted sweet potato spinach salad on your Thanksgiving table. A little green is an absolute MUST during the week before and after Thanksgiving too, and in my opinion, a delicious spinach salad can do no wrong.
It’s filled with juicy pears and pomegranate seeds, creamy goat cheese, perfectly toasty, crunchy pecans, and a delicious balsamic dressing to tie it all together. Every time I serve this over the holidays it’s gone within minutes, so trust me when I say your guests will swoon over this one!
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Ingredients in this sweet potato spinach salad
The recipe is a combination of my favorite seasonal fruits and veggies tossed with yummy mix-ins and a tangy balsamic dressing. It feels a little fancy even though it’s so easy! Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Sweet potatoes: probably the star of the show in this lovely salad. You’ll roast them up with a little coconut or olive oil, brown sugar (or coconut sugar or maple syrup), garlic powder, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
- Pecans: for a delicious crunch we’re adding toasted pecans.
- Spinach: the base of the salad is made with nutritious leafy spinach.
- Fruit: add a little sweetness with fresh sliced pears and pomegranate seeds.
- Cheese: the salad gets some creamy tanginess from goat cheese.
- For the dressing: everything gets tossed together in the best homemade balsamic dressing, which is made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, maple syrup or honey, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
Make this salad you’re own
The great part about this sweet potato spinach salad is that it’s easy to customize, which makes it perfect for serving guests. Here are some ingredient swaps you can make:
- For the sweet potatoes: feel free to roast up some butternut squash if you have it on hand.
- For the pecans: toasted walnuts would also be delicious.
- For the pears: I love the flavor and texture of sliced pears in this salad, but apples would also work.
- For the cheese: feel free to use feta if you like saltier cheese.
I also like to add avocado if I’m feeling extra fancy!
Can I make it vegan?
Sure! Keep the salad vegan and dairy free by simply leaving off the cheese. It will still be delicious. Be sure to also use maple syrup in the dressing instead of honey.
Our favorite protein add-ins
If you’re looking to add a boost of protein to this pear spinach salad (especially for lunch), try adding:
Looking to serve a crowd?
If you are serving this to a crowd/gathering, I recommend layering it on a platter. First add spinach, sweet potatoes, pear, and pomegranate. Drizzle with dressing, then top with pecans and goat cheese. Do not toss it together, just serve as is and let guests scoop it themselves!
How to store this sweet potato spinach salad
Store this spinach salad in an airtight container in the fridge, without the dressing, for up to 4-5 days. Simply dress the salad as soon as you’re ready to eat it so that the spinach doesn’t get soggy. The dressing will stay good in a container in the fridge for up to one week.
More fall salads you’ll love
- Winter Roasted Butternut Squash Black Lentil Salad with Grapes + Arugula
- Curry Roasted Cauliflower Sweet Potato Salad
- Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Brussels Sprouts Kale Honeycrisp Apple Salad with Maple Cider Dressing
- Winter Butternut Squash Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad
Get all of my salad recipes here, and my Thanksgiving recipes here!
I hope you love this roasted sweet potato spinach salad! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Roasted Sweet Potato, Pear & Pomegranate Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- For the sweet potatoes:
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into ½ cubes (can also use cubed butternut squash)
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or coconut sugar or maple syrup)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- For the pecans:
- ½ cup pecans
- For the salad:
- 2 (6 ounce) bags organic spinach (about 8-10 cups spinach)
- 3/4 cup pomegranate seeds, from 1 pomegranate
- 2 medium ripe bartlett pears, thinly sliced
- ½ cup goat cheese (or can use feta)
- For the dressing:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, garlic powder, cinnamon and cayenne. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and pour mixture over the top. Season with salt and pepper and toss well to coat. Roast for 20-30 minutes until sweet potatoes are fork-tender, tossing a bit halfway through. They should get a little crispy on the edges.
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking, you can toast the pecans on the stovetop: Add pecans to a pan and place over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 3-6 minutes until pecans are fragrant and slightly golden brown on edges. Remove from heat and transfer to a cutting board. After a few minutes, roughly chop the pecans into big pieces. Set aside.
- In a mason jar or small bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients. Shake or mix well to combine. Taste and add additional salt/pepper, if necessary.
- In a large bowl, add the spinach, pomegranate seeds, pear slices, and cooked sweet potatoes. Top with toasted pecans and goat cheese crumbles. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing, then toss to coat. Add to bowls and serve with extra pecans and goat cheese, if desired.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on November 12th, 2018, and republished on November 8th, 2022.
Wonderful salad, would be great to bring to a Thanksgiving meal. I made the dressing & the sweet potatoes the day before (wasn’t feeling well). Had it the next day with an organic sweet spring mix instead of the spinach. Love the bright flavor of the pomegranate & smooth taste of the goat cheese. A keeper!
Perfect for the holidays! I’m glad you enjoyed, and hope you’re feeling better!
I can’t stop making this salad! Easy to do and nutritious. I add chicken thighs and it’s a perfect lunch or dinner. Also feels fancy with Pom seeds, goat cheese, pecans and pears! The tangy dressing is amazing! Thank you!
Love that! One of our favs this time of year, too 🙂
This was soooo delicious. Amazing recipe!!!
So glad you loved it!
Love this recipe!
Trying this recipe for the first time. Sauce mixture for sweet potatoes was VERY thick – like a paste. Wat did I do wrong. I add more oil and heated it up to dissolve sugar a little more, but I didn’t read about anyone with this proem, so a meting I did.
Hi Susan – I am not sure what you’re referring to as this salad doesn’t have a sauce???
This salad is amazing. I feel like we are at a 5 star restaurant every time we make it. Thank you for making it available to us!
Another great AK salad! My go to site for delicious and filling salads. I split this into 4 servings for a lunch salad with just one 5oz container of spring mix. The dressing is perfect to bring all the flavors together.
Excellent! So glad you are loving this salad. Such a great option for meal prep 🙂
This is by far one of the tastiest salads I’ve had. Easy instructions and quick to put together. Definitely on the rotation list.
Yay! So happy to hear that you are loving this recipe 🙂
Just made this for a light fall dinner and it was perfect. I doubled the dressing and used a bit of fig balsamic in addition to regular balsamic, just because it felt fancy. Loved it! Especially the hot sweet potatoes tossed with the goat cheese and dressing– umm, YUM. This will go into the fall rotation for sure– thanks for a great recipe!
YAY! Happy to hear it came out great and that you’re loving this recipe 🙂
what a brilliant autumnal salad! 100% going straight to my weekly meals. Thanks 🙂
Yay! So glad. Hope you enjoy this salad 😊
This is one of my top 5 favorite salads from your recipes. All of the flavors pair together so perfectly! I wish it was pomegranate season all year long so that I could make it all year long!
Another AK hit for my little family – can’t wait to put this into the regular fall recipe rotation! I can see it being great for Thanksgiving but also on the side of grilled chicken breast, pork tenderloin, etc. Next time I would use a little less cayenne – I don’t mind heat usually but this was a little too much for me. Otherwise 10/10!!
I’m SO happy you tried and loved it, Liz! totally agree that it would be great with any protein. And good to know about the cayenne 🙂
Thank you so much for the nice recipe! I’ll definitely try it!
You’re welcome, hope you love it!
I ate this salad for 5 straight lunches last week; it was SO good! I could probably eat it all week this week as well and not get tired of it! So much flavor and so filling! Thank you for the recipe!
Right?! Such a great one for the fall!
First I got to say : My husband is a Chef, so he always has tips to „improve“ the meals I make!
Also he is the „Meat is my veggie“ type of guy ! (We say it like this here in Germany)
So I made this Salad three days ago for dinner and he was just stunned!
All the flavors combined and the crispy pecans and sweet potatoes ! It‘s so delicious!
He said „That is the best salad you ever made“ and we had it three days in a row ! For lunch and for dinner ! For all the people out there : try it ! It is so totally worth it ! We will ! Thank you AK !
Oh my gosh that’s incredible!! I’m so happy that you guys are loving this recipe, Svenja! Really appreciate the review 🙂
This salad was amazing!! Definitely will make this one again.
So happy to hear that!
This was excellent. Served it on Christmas Eve and it was a hit. Loved the dressing too. Perfect winter salad.
So happy to hear that!
I’m wondering how much of this you think I could make ahead. Is the salad something that it taste better if the potato and pecan are served warm? How do you experimented with putting any other ingredients in the salad.?
Yes, absolutely! The sweet potato and pear do not have to be warm. Feel free to prep everything, but cut and add the pear last so that it doesn’t brown. Save the dressing until you’re ready to serve, and feel free to mix up any nuts you like, use apples, etc.
Someone brought this salad at Thanksgiving and it was AMAZING. I could have only had this and been fine without the turkey and stuffing. I’m happy to make it at home this weekend. Can’t wait! Sandy
So happy you loved it!
This salad is delicious ! I used butternut squash instead of sweet potato and it was still tasty. A little too much spice on the squash for me and my family, so next time I will use less cayenne! Thank you for a delicious salad that I served at thanksgiving
Perfect! And yes feel free to cut back on the cayenne next time 🙂
I made this salad for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! Usually salads aren’t a hit, but it was light and refreshing with all of the heavy food. I didn’t have coconut oil and it was still delicious. Recommended!
Amazing! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Excellent Excellent Excellent!!!! Made it today. Very satisfying and the FLAVOR!! Wow!! I’ll be making it again….THANKS for sharing!
So happy you loved this one!!
So excited to make this for Thanksgiving! Can this be prepped ahead of time? Wondering if it should be served warm or if it can be room temperature?
Perfect for Thanksgiving! Room temp is great so feel free to prep ahead and save the dressing until you’re ready to serve.
I just made this for lunch, and it was fantastic! I love your website. Every single thing I’ve tried so far has been outstanding. You are my first and usually last stop when searching for healthy and delicious recipes. Thank you so much!
Amazing! So happy to hear that, Mary 🙂
Great salad; left out the sweet potatoes because it was for Thanksgiving. Easy – except for getting rid of the spinach stems.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed.
This was absolutely amazing! I made the vegan version tonight and it went down a treat. A great, luxurious salad with beautiful, seasonal ingredients. Thank you for sharing!
Love that! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Oh My! This is a match-made-in-heaven: roasted sweet potatoes + pears + pomegranates + pecans + goat cheese + a balsamic dressing. Thank you so much, Monique! This recipe is so awesome I’ve added it to a mini recipe roundup for flexitarians.
All the goods in here! And love that – tons of flexitarian recipes on my site too 🙂
So many fantastic flavours in this salad, and it looks beautiful on the plate as well!
Absolutely! The colors really pop 🙂 Perfect for lunch or a party.
Love this recipe! I was just wondering what you would suggest as an alternative to balsamic vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar would be good, but I would use less.
This looks amazing. I’m the worst cook in the world but I’m going to use as inspiration to become a better cook. I was asked to bring something to thanksgiving this year so I’m going with your salad. Eeeek!!!! I’m nervous. To make sure everything looks beautiful how far ahead of time should I make this?
Perfect recipe to bring! This one’s super simple and delicious. You could layer everything in a bowl and keep it in the fridge the day before or morning of, and then dress the salad when you’re ready to serve 🙂
This looks amazing. I’m the worst cook in the world but I’m going to use as inspiration to become a better cook. I was asked to bring something to thanksgiving this year so I’m going with your salad. Eeeek!!!! I’m nervous. To make sure everything looks beautiful how far ahead of time should I make this?
How would you recommend making this ahead of time if having to drive somewhere for thanksgiving ? Cutting fruit prior but avoiding it browning?
How would you recommend making this ahead of time if having to drive somewhere for thanksgiving ? Cutting fruit prior but avoiding it browning?
Making it for Thanksgiving. I will keep you posted. It looks amazing!!
I hope everyone loves it! Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
Hi Monique! Thank you! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I made the salad and it was a big hit. It was the best salad ever. I had added a little bit of finely diced red onion. I sent your recipe to a lot of people and mostly likely be sending it to more throughout the holidays since this my new favorite salad. Thanks again!!
So happy to hear that, Sheli! The red onion sounds great in here 🙂 Perfect for the holidays.
I’m eating this salad right now and love it so much I couldn’t actually wait to say thanks. But THANKS!!!!!!! It’s so good.
I’m so glad you like it, Megan! One of my favs this season 🙂
Just gorgeous! I love everything about this recipe. The ingredients are great, but I love the seasoning for the sweet potatoes.
So happy to hear that, Mimi!
Made this for Thanksgiving, and it’s amazing!!
I hope everyone loves it! Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
Hi Monique! Thank you! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I made the salad and it was a big hit. It was the best salad ever. I had added a little bit of finely diced red onion. I sent your recipe to a lot of people and mostly likely be sending it to more throughout the holidays since this my new favorite salad. Thanks again!!
So happy to hear that, Sheli! The red onion sounds great in here 🙂 Perfect for the holidays.
Apple cider vinegar would be good, but I would use less.