These Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes are perfect for a tasty weeknight dinner or as a side dish for your holiday table. Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes are roasted along with red onions. Add some creamy feta and a tangy lemon mustard dressing for a very tasty salad or side dish.
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Everyone has their own favourite way to cook Brussel sprouts, and while they are really great as a side dish I like to make them the star of the show! This salad is ridiculously easy to make and mouthwateringly good. I'm not kidding, even my sprout hating daughter loves this!
This is such a good way to use up leftover brussels sprouts too. I tend to overbuy sprouts during the holiday season so if you're like me then this is a really great way to use them up. I also like to add them to a breakfast hash and have them for brunch, this is a great way to get kids to eat them too!
This recipe is so easy - the Brussel sprouts are roasted with red onion, and on another tray, the sweet potatoes are roasted with a hint of maple syrup. It's all served with fresh spinach, feta and walnuts and tossed in a tangy lemon mustard dressing. This is bound to be your new favourite way to eat sprouts as it tastes so good!!!
📝 What Do We Need
- Brussel Sprouts - when buying Brussel sprouts look for small to medium sprouts. They will have more flavour than larger sprouts.They should be bright green and the leaves should be tightly packed together.
- Sweet Potatoes - choose medium sweet potatoes for this recipe. When buying them avoid any that are bruised or sprouting. The only sprouts we need for this recipe are the Brussels kind!
- Feta - I used feta for this recipe but goats cheese works really well too.
- Nuts/Seeds/Fruit - this recipe is flexible so you can use other nuts or seeds if you want. I like walnuts and pumkin seeds, pecans or almond seeds will work well as will sunflower seeds. I like the dried cranberries as they add a little tartness to the salad.
- Spinach - Fresh young or baby spinach is best for this salad.
🔪 How To Make It
1. Start by roasting the sweet potatoes. I roast these first as they need to cool slightly before I add them to the salad.
2. Add the Brussel sprouts and red onion to a large baking tray then roast.
3. Make the dressing. This is very easy, just whisk the dressing ingredients together.
4. Add all the vegetables to a large serving bowl. Crumble the feta over the veg, add the walnuts and seeds then add the dressing and toss lightly. Serve.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
- Try and cut the sweet potatoes into equally sized chunks. This will ensure they are all cooked at the same time. The smaller the chunks the quicker they will cook.
- Don't be tempted to leave any of the Brussel sprouts whole, they need to be cut in half. This will ensure they cook properly but also it will help reduce any bitterness there may be in the sprouts.
- Leave the sweet potatoes to cool slightly before you add them to the spinach. They will be hot when they come out of the oven and you don't want them to wilt the spinach.
📌 Variations/Substitutions
- Try swapping the spinach for kale, just make sure that you massage the kale in lemon and salt first.
- Swap the feta for goat's cheese, or any other crumbly cheese that you like blue cheese would be great too!
- Make it vegan, leave out the cheese and use maple syrup instead of honey for the dressing.
- Swap the walnuts for pecans or almonds. Toasted almonds flakes would work really well too.
🍽 How To Serve It
We love this as a salad on its own but it's also great as a side dish. Try it as a side dish to my Nut Roast en Croûte or my Mushroom Wellington. It's also really great as a side dish to my Creamy Vegetable Pot Pie or my Beetroot and Goat's Cheese Tart.
📖 FAQs
Yes, they should. Like all vegetables, there may be some soil on the sprouts. Just rinse them under a cold tap in a colander. Remove any loose or damaged leaves.
Parts of this can be made ahead of time. The dressing can be made a couple of days ahead. You could roast the sweet potatoes and the Brussel sprouts earlier but I wouldn't do it too far ahead, as the sprouts are best made fresh. The complete salad is best made fresh, if you want to make it a few hours ahead you can, just don't add the dressing until you are ready to serve.
If you have any leftovers you can store them in the fridge and use them within 2 days.
🍽 More Tasty Salads
If you need more salads for a Holiday side or a tasty weeknight salad then check out my Kale and Quinoa Salad, it's great as a side or a main dish. My Apple and Walnut Salad is a great showstopper salad, perfect for your Thanksgiving table! My Roasted Butternut Squash Salad is a great Thanksgiving side dish as is my Roasted Beet and Feta Salad. All of these work great as side dishes or as mains.
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Roasted Brussel Sprout and Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
For The Salad
- 3 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks of a similar size.
- 500 g (just over a 1 lb) Brussel sprouts cut in half
- 2 medium red onions skin left on cut into eights
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 80 g (2¾ cups) young or baby spinach
- 60 g (just under ½ a cup) feta cheese
- 40 g (⅓ of a cup) walnut halves
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- 30 g (¼ cup) dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt divided into two parts
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper divided into two parts
For The Dressing
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 level tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ lemon the juice of
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
To make the salad
- Place the cranberries in a small bowl. Pour warm water over the cranberries and leave them to plump up.
- Place the sweet potatoes on a baking tray. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of maple syrup over the sweet potatoes. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper about ¼ teaspoon of each should do.Place the tray on the lower shelf of the oven and roast at 200°C/390°F fan oven or 220°C/ 430°F conventional oven.Roast for 15 to 20 minutes depending on how big you have cut the sweet potatoes. Turn the tray and flip the potatoes halfway through cooking.Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, they should be soft. Take them out of the oven and leave them to cool slightly.
- Place the Brussel sprouts and red onions on another tray. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper about ¼ teaspoon of each should do.Place them on the middle tray in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the tray and flip the potatoes halfway through cooking.They should be added to the oven at the same time that you put the sweet potatoes in.They will be cooked when the cut side is golden brown and the sprouts are tender.Remove any overly crispy skin from the red onions.Once cooked leave to cool slightly.Make the dressing while the veggies are roasting.
- Place the spinach in a large serving dish. Add the sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts and red onions.Crumble the feta and walnut halves over the salad. Drain the cranberries then add them to the salad along with the pumpkin seeds
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently.Serve immediately.
To make the dressing
- Add 1 tablespoon of honey along with 1 level teaspoon of Dijon mustard and the juice of half a lemon to a small bowl.Use a whisk to combine the honey, mustard and lemon. Once they are combined slowly start whisking the extra virgin olive oil.Once all the oil has been added stir in a level ¼ teaspoon of sea salt and the same amount of freshly ground black pepper.Taste the dressing and if you need more seasoning add it now.
Notes
- Sweet Potatoes - Cut the sweet potatoes into equally sized chunks. This will ensure they are all cooked at the same time. I peel my sweet potatoes.
- Brussel Sprouts - Go for small to medium sprouts and don't be tempted to leave any of the sprouts whole. Cutting the sports in half will endure they cook properly but also it will help reduce any bitterness there may be in the sprouts.
- Storing/Freezing/Reheating -This salad is best made and served fresh. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge and should be used within a day or two. This dish is not suitable for freezing.
- Nutritional Information - is calculated using an online nutrition tool and is approximate. It is based on one serving of six as a side dish.
- Weights and measurements - For US readers, I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy, I recommend weighing all ingredients if possible for best results.
Susana
Hola Michelle! Una ensalada estupenda, la combinación de ingredientes es genial. ¡Gracias!!
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Susana, I'm so glad you liked it 🙂
Jessica
This was a great recipe! I never would have thought of pairing all these flavors, but it all came together beautifully and we enjoyed a delicious meal!
Michelle Alston
Thanks so mush Jessica, I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed it 🙂
Kate
Such a gorgeous combination of flavours - perfect as a meal on its own or a side dish.
Natalie
What a beautiful side perfect for Christmas. I will add this recipe to my Holiday dinner menu. Yum! Looks delicious.
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Natalie, I hope you enjoy it.
Danielle Wolter
These are perfect for thanksgiving! Loving all the delicious flavors for roasting. Great for making ahead too.
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Danielle x
Gus
I love all the ingredients in here! Looks like the kind of salad I eat as a full meal for lunch! Can't wait to try it!
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Gus. I hope you enjoy it 🙂