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Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Olive & Chickpea "Dressing" (Vegan)

5 from 7 reader reviews
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 3 -4
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Ingredients

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 665 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon + ⅓ cup olive oil, divided
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 3-4 big handfuls baby arugula
  • 1 small shallot, fine dice
  • 1 ½ tablespoons za’atar spice blend
  • ¾ cup olives, pitted and roughly chopped (see notes)
  • 398 ml can chickpeas (1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas), drained and rinsed
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice (see notes)
  • 85 grams (3 oz) vegan feta, crumbled

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper if you like.
  • Place the chopped sweet potatoes on the baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season with the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Toss to evenly coat all pieces before spreading them out evenly. Roast in the oven until tender and browned, about 35-40 minutes. I like to stir them up at the halfway point.
  • Arrange the arugula on your serving platter. Set aside.
  • Make the olive and chickpea “dressing.” Place a medium skillet on the stove over medium heat. Once hot, pour in the remaining ⅓ cup of olive oil. Add the diced shallot, za’atar blend, and olives. Stir until the shallots are very fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. It should be a quiet and calm sizzle; not a loud, splattering sizzle. Lower the heat if necessary!
  • Add the chickpeas to the skillet, along with salt (being mindful of how salty the olives and feta are), pepper, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Once chickpeas are warmed through, remove the skillet from the heat.
  • Top the arugula with the roasted sweet potatoes, Then, spoon the warm olive and chickpea mixture evenly over the arugula and sweet potatoes.
  • Finish the salad with crumbled vegan feta and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • My oven has been a bit wonky lately, so I recommend checking in on your sweet potatoes at the 30-minute mark. Typically, it takes a full 40 minutes with my oven.
  • The za’atar blend that I use has sumac in it, which offers a bright and lemony flavor. If yours does not contain sumac, I recommend adding a little pinch. I order mine from Etsy and the flavor/freshness is incredible.
  • I use Castelvetrano olives here, which are quite buttery and not as salty as other varieties. Truly any pitted olive that you like will work nicely!
    If you like the skin of sweet potatoes, feel free to leave it on.
  • I like a good amount of acidity in my food, so 3 tablespoons of lemon juice suits me just fine. Others might find this to be too much. I recommend starting with 2 tablespoons, tasting, and going from there.
  • There’s lots of great vegan feta options out there these days! I used Nafsika’s Garden in these photos.
This hearty roasted sweet potato salad is bursting with flavor! Briny olives, earthy za'atar and chickpeas, tender sweet potatoes, peppery arugula, and creamy vegan feta come together beautifully. Ready in 40 minutes with 10 core ingredients.