Fall Harvest Salad with Tahini Caesar Dressing

Tahini dressing drizzle on top of sweet potato kale salad in a bowl.

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Fall Harvest Salad with Tahini Caesar Dressing

You'll convert a salad hater with this gorgeously festive, absolutely LOADED fall harvest salad. I'm talking sweet potatoes, crispy bacon, apples, cranberries, salted honey pecans, gruyere and kale all tossed with a creamy tahini Caesar dressing. It's perfect for meal prep or holiday spreads.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: salads

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fall harvest salad, sweet potato salad

Servings: servings

Calories: 450kcal

Author: Kate Phillips

Ingredients

For the salad -

1 lb sweet potatoes roughly 2 large, or 500g
1 can chickpeas drained, (400g/14oz)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
100 g (3.5oz) gruyere cheese diced
2 apples diced
200 g (7oz) kale leaves
6 slices of bacon chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries
⅓ cup pecans
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon flaky salt

For the dressing -

¼ cup tahini
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon miso paste
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon honey
¼ cup water

Instructions

Roast the sweet potatoes and chickpeas.
Heat your oven to 200°C/390°F. Dice your sweet potatoes (there's no need to peel them). Toss the diced sweet potatoes and chickpeas with 2 teaspoons of paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Lay them out on a single layer on a lined sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are charred and soft, and the chickpeas are crispy.
Mix the dressing.
Add ¼ cup tahini, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of miso paste, ¼ cup grated parmesan, 1 teaspoon of honey and ¼ cup of water to a small bowl. Use a fork to mix into a smooth, pourable sauce.

The tahini will seize up a bit and you might think it won't come together, but it will, just keep mixing. Add a little more water if you'd like the dressing runnier.

Massage the dressing into the kale.
Add the kale to a large mixing bowl, then pour half of the dressing over it. Use your hands to massage it into the leaves, then leave it to sit and soften while you prep the other elements.
Make the salted honey pecans.
Break up the pecans with your hands (or chop them), then add them to a dry pan over medium heat, and toast, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, until lightly brown and smelling lovely and fragrant. At this point, add the honey and the flaky sea salt and stir to coat the pecans.
Transfer to a parchment paper lined plate and leave to get super crispy and sticky.
Cook the bacon and soak the apples.
To the same pan, add the diced bacon and cook for 5 minutes over high heat, until super crispy. Set aside. Add the diced apples to a bowl and cover with cold water.
Leave for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry with a paper towel (this will stop them from browning).
Assemble and serve.
Add the roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas, diced gruyere, apple, dried cranberries, crispy bacon and most of the sweet salty pecans to the bowl with the dressed kale.
Toss to combine well, then transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle with the remaining dressing, then scatter over the remaining pecans.

Notes

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The salad will keep well, for five days, stored in the fridge so it's wonderful for meal prep, or if you're looking for a great prep-ahead salad for the holiday season.

INGREDIENT NOTES: I recommend seeking out tahini made in Isreal or Lebanon, for the best flavour and consistency. Grocery store own brand versions tend to be thick, claggy and bitter. I like Al Nakhil, Belazu or Al Yaman (you can find them on Amazon).

SUBSTITUTIONS: You can really play with your ingredients here. Swap sweet potatoes for butternut squash or pumpkin, use spinach or another leafy green rather than kale (skip the massaging if you use something like spinach), swap the cranberries for dried apricots or raisins, use cashews, walnuts or almonds instead of pecans, swap gruyere for mature cheddar, parmesan or manchego and use chorizo instead of bacon if you like.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: This is wonderful served alongside a selection of salads, roasted meat (try it with juicy herb roast chicken or crispy pork belly), grilled chicken, lamb koftas or baked salmon. It's also hearty enough to enjoy by itself.

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