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You are here: Home / Recipes / Vegan / One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad

One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad

September 29, 2018 by Mahy, Updated March 23, 2022 21 Comments

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A simple yet flavorful and satisfying sweet potato salad with high-protein add-ins like quinoa and navy beans as well as superfood kale! A simple balsamic dressing adds a touch of sweetness to this healthy vegan one-pot dish.

One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad served in an oval salad bowl sprinkled with slivered almonds and chopped scallions

Have you had enough salads this month already? Just make room for this one, just this One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad Recipe. It’s not exactly your typical salad, it’s a warm one-pot vegetarian and vegan meal, perfect for lunch. 

Why this recipe for One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad works:

There are some recipes that you can’t go wrong with in life. These great recipes are mostly those that offer pure comfort with mostly classic flavors and ingredients. Today’s sweet potato salad fits right into this category. Easy, simple, quick and pure delicious comfort love.

When I am making this sweet potato salad for dinner, a potluck or a party, I serve it as a side salad—it pairs wonderfully with just about anything! Depending on how big/small you cut your chunks of sweet potatoes, this sweet potato salad all comes together in 15 minutes start to finish, and it’s absolute comfort you can’t miss 🙂

side view of One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad served in an oval salad bowl sprinkled with slivered almonds and chopped scallions

Sometimes all you need is a foolproof salad recipe. Nothing too fancy or out of the norm with classic ingredients and flavors, as well as a really simple technique! A quick salad recipe that tastes like homemade comfort and is also Kid friendly! This One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad fits the bill.

balsamic dressing being poured on top of One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad served in an oval salad bowl sprinkled with slivered almonds and chopped scallions

How to make One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad:

Let’s start with how the sweet potato is cooked perfectly with no water, boiling, roasting or mess. I teach this technique all the time at the coking school and every single person who came in and made it has never gone back.

The ultimate best way to cook sweet potatoes (or regular potatoes as a matter of fact), whether for mashing or for using them cubed as they are is on your stove using a pan.

almonds being scattered on top of sweet potato salad

Do you remember this amazing sweet potato gratin recipe? I explain much about it there. Basically, you’ll sauté the sweet potatoes in a bit of butter or olive oil, turn the heat to low and cover the pan tightly. The sweet potatoes will cook and steam in their own juices. No extra water added.

And if you want to add onion, garlic or any flavors to the sweet potatoes, you just simply sauté them first before adding the sweet potatoes to your pan. It’s that simple, easy and brilliant. Once they’re fork tender, the sweet potatoes can be mashed or left whole.

One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad in the making

One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad in the making

I added quinoa to the sweet potatoes, i.e raw quinoa seeds that I’ve rinsed. Here’s a great post on How to Cook Quinoa perfectly every single time. For this recipe for sweet potato salad, the quinoa cooks right in the pot with the sweet potatoes. It’s like a one pot wonder

kale and sweet potato chunks sprinkled with quinoa, sauteeing in a saucepan

Once the sweet potatoes are fork tender, the quinoa will be tender with a slight bite (perfect for texture), you’ll then add in some white navy beans. The beans will just cook for a couple of minutes with sweet potatoes and quinoa before I turn off the heat, add in some chopped fresh kale and cover the pot. The kale will wilt slightly from the heat in the pan for a couple of minutes. And it’s DONE!

One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad served in an oval salad bowl sprinkled with slivered almonds and chopped scallions

I finish off the Sweet Potato Salad with a basic straightforward balsamic dressing. You can make a really fancy basil balsamic like the one in this Blackberry Pecan Roast Veggie Power Salad, or keep it a simple balsamic vinegar and olive oil one. Either way—it tastes GREAT!

No matter how sick of salads you’ve been this month—PLEASE make room for this One-Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad. And don’t think of it as a salad, it’s really more of a side dish or a full meal. Enjoy!

Tips for success:

  • Instead of navy beans, use chickpeas, black beans or lentils.
  • I love sprinkling some slivered almonds and some chopped scallions on the top of my sweet potato salad.
  • Other great additions are some chopped tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, broccoli or arugula.

More Salad Recipes:

  • Sweet Persimmon Apple Kale Salad Recipe
  • Kale Salad with Spicy Lentils
  • Smoked Salmon Salad With Blue Cheese Dressing
  • Salmon Salad With Sweet Dill Dressing
One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad. This ONE POT wonder is more than just a salad--it's a perfect vegetarian and vegan meal on its' own! It's hearty, filling and tastes like pure comfort. Get the step by step recipe for this inarguably one of the GREATEST recipes ever! www.twopurplefigs.com
4.67 from 12 votes
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One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad

A simple yet flavorful and satisfying sweet potato salad with high-protein add-ins like quinoa and navy beans as well as superfood kale! A simple balsamic dressing adds a touch of sweetness to this healthy vegan one-pot dish.

Course Appetizer, Main Course, side
Cuisine American
Keyword quinoa salad, salad with sweet potatoes and quinoa, sweet potato salad
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 211 kcal
Author Mahy

Ingredients

For the salad:

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil butter or butter substitute
  • 2 scallions chopped
  • 2 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup brown/black raw quinoa rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 tablespoon water
  • 2/3 cup white navy beans (drained and rinsed from a can or home cooked)
  • 2 cups kale chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 2 scallions , chopped

For the dressing:

  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil ( up to 2 Tablespoons for extra flavor)

Instructions

  1. Preheat a wide pot with a lid over medium-high heat, and add in the olive oil or butter.
  2. Sautee the scallions for one minute over medium-high heat and then add in the sweet potatoes, quinoa, seasoning and sauté for 1-2 minutes over medium-high heat.
  3. Add the water and cover the pot firmly. Lower the heat to low and allow the sweet potatoes too cook for about 15-18 minutes. Check the sweet potatoes with a fork, when it’s fork tender, it’s ready.
  4. Add the white navy beans, toss them with the sweet potatoes and let them cook for two more minutes then turn off the heat.
  5. Add the kale, seasoning and toss the kale with the sweet potato mixture. Then cover the pot and let the kale wilt from the heat in the pan for 2-5 minutes.
  6. Plate the salad, sprinkle extra almonds and scallions (optional).
  7. For the dressing, mix all the ingredients in a bowl and pour over the salad. Enjoy warm.

Recipe Notes

  • Instead of navy beans, use chickpeas, black beans or lentils.
  • I love sprinkling some slivered almonds and some chopped scallions on the top of my sweet potato salad.
  • Other great additions are some chopped tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, broccoli or arugula.
Nutrition Facts
One Pot Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 211 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Sodium 177mg8%
Potassium 516mg15%
Carbohydrates 30g10%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 8460IU169%
Vitamin C 29.7mg36%
Calcium 105mg11%
Iron 2.5mg14%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Filed Under: Breakfast & Brunch, Gluten Free, Holidays, Parties, Potluck, Recipes, Salads, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: balsamic, balsamic dressing, gluten free, kale, kale salad, one pan, one pan wonder, one pot, one pot meals, one pot wonder, quinoa, quinoa salad, sweet potato, sweet potato salad, sweet potatoes, vegan, vegan meals, vegetarian, vegetarian meals

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Byron Thomas

    August 25, 2019 at 10:26 am

    5 stars
    Loved, loved, loved this salad!! I have to confess, I’m not a fan of sweet potato, so we just switched it out and used squash. I find that when they are cooked, both of them have a very similar texture anyway. I thought there would be leftovers for work the next day, but it was all gone. Now, I have to make more. 🙂

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 3, 2019 at 10:31 pm

      So happy you liked it Byron!

      Reply
  2. Swathi

    August 24, 2019 at 12:16 am

    5 stars
    I didn’t thought a combo of sweet potato and quinoa, this is wonderful filling salad. I am going to give it a try as sweet potato season is coming soon.

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 3, 2019 at 10:32 pm

      So true Swathi!

      Reply
  3. Leslie

    August 23, 2019 at 7:24 pm

    This is a bright and beautiful dish! It literally has everything going for it! Comfort food at it’s finest! Wishing I could dive in right now!

    Reply
  4. Kelly Neil

    August 23, 2019 at 5:22 am

    5 stars
    I love that you could eat this dish as a salad or as a meal. It’s so full of flavour and so good for you! Thank you for a great recipe!

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 3, 2019 at 10:32 pm

      Enjoy it Kelly

      Reply
  5. Allie

    October 10, 2018 at 4:04 pm

    I’m making this right now. My quinoa didn’t cook. It’s still raw and crunchy. What did I do wrong??

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 23, 2018 at 10:59 am

      Hi Allie, usually depending on the size of your cut up sweet potatoes, your cooking time will vary between 10-15 minutes. If you’ve cut the sweet potatoes too small, the quinoa wont have enough time to fully cook. In that case, you can add a couple tablespoons of water to help the quinoa cook faster. In all cases, it wont be soft and mushy quinoa, it’ll always a bite but it’ll be cooked not crunchy. Please try it again!! This is such a good one!

      Reply
  6. Anna

    October 2, 2018 at 12:06 pm

    5 stars
    I could eat this for lunch every day! So delicious!

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 9, 2018 at 7:09 pm

      Same here!! Thanks Anna

      Reply
  7. Jamielyn

    October 2, 2018 at 10:04 am

    5 stars
    I love this idea! Looks like the perfect fall salad!

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 9, 2018 at 7:10 pm

      Hope you make it soon!!

      Reply
  8. Melanie Bauer

    October 2, 2018 at 3:16 am

    5 stars
    Looks so festive and yummy! Love everything about this, adding to my list of must makes this fall!

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 9, 2018 at 7:10 pm

      Enjoy it!

      Reply
  9. Dee

    October 1, 2018 at 11:21 pm

    5 stars
    I love quinoa and sweet potatoes but never thought about putting them both in the same dish. I’ve gotta try this recipe!

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 9, 2018 at 7:12 pm

      Hope you enjoy it

      Reply
  10. Demeter

    October 1, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    Such a delicious dish for fall! This will definitley be added to all of my holiday dinners this season.

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 9, 2018 at 7:12 pm

      Thanks Demeter

      Reply
  11. Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes)

    October 1, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    5 stars
    This is one delicious looking potato salad. Amazing that you used sweet potatoes.

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 9, 2018 at 7:12 pm

      Thanks Jocelyn!

      Reply

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