Simple Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Roasted Sweet Potato – a tasty Fall side dish! Features an easy balsamic glaze dressing recipe.
I absolutely love this Fall arugula salad because what goes well with arugula? Roasted sweet potatoes! And healthy sweet potato recipes that are easy and delicious are right up my alley. You also can’t go wrong with some tangy, creamy goat cheese crumbled all over.
ARUGULA SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE AND ROASTED SWEET POTATO
If you aren’t familiar with it you may be asking what does arugula taste like? Arugula is a dark leafy lettuce that has a sharp, peppery taste. It can have a strong flavour and be a little harsh on its own.
How do you make arugula taste better? Adding sweetness to offset the snappy greens makes everything balance out nicely. In this yummy salad recipe, we use sweet potatoes as well as the balsamic glaze dressing to bring that sweetness to the dish.
Add in the creamy goat cheese cheese and we have a winner, folks!
Does your spouse ever surprise you?
When Joe came meandering through the kitchen to see what was in the works I flat out told him he wouldn’t like it. The goat cheese, sweet potato, arugula thing usually isn’t his speed. Well, I was wrong! By the time I turned around he had totally finished a whole plate.
I was so happy.
Man pleasing meals, especially ones with arugula are doubly satisfying. I remember how impressed with myself I was when Joe first drank a green smoothie and declared it “Not bad”. That to me means total success. 😉
Anyway, back to the recipe.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS ARUGULA SALAD
A few things to gather and we are on our way!
- arugula
- sweet potatoes
- goat cheese
- balsamic glaze
- olive oil
- garlic puree or garlic powder
- dried rosemary
- sea salt
STEP BY STEP
The first thing to do is get your sweet potatoes roasting. Can you cook sweet potato with the skin on? Yes, you can! In fact, a lot of nutrition is in those skins so I cook them with the skins on and I eat them too. 😉 Just give them a good scrub and it’s probably a good idea to buy organic.
Slice up that scrubbed sweet potato, skin and all, into evenly sized rounds and toss them in olive oil. I used my rosemary infused version and highly recommend it. I also rubbed a little of the garlic purée into them as well. That stuff is the bomb.
If you don’t have time to make it, garlic powder works fine too! I do both.
Lay the sweet potatoes out on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop them into a warm oven to roast. Meanwhile you can prep the rest of the salad.
Onto our arugula! Is arugula the same as rocket? Yes, indeed they are one and the same. Both rocket and arugula are derived from Italian words.
Toss your arugula with a little balsamic and olive oil. Once again, I used the rosemary-infused oil and I also used the balsamic reduction I made earlier in the week. The flavours of a reduced vinegar are much sweeter which is a nice contrast to the peppery greens.
You can make your own as I did but balsamic glaze is also easily available at the grocery store too.
By now the roasted sweet potatoes are ready.
HOW TO SERVE THIS SALAD
Place those gloriously crispy potatoes on a plate and top them with the dressed arugula and crumble on your desired amount of goat cheese. I can’t tell you how much cheese to use, just listen to your heart!
This arugula salad with goat cheese and roasted sweet potato is to be served warm right out of the oven and can be alongside any protein you like! Chicken, salmon, shrimp, steak, and of course turkey all will pair nicely with this arugula salad.
This dish is also great for the holidays, as it can look pretty fancy all drizzled in the balsamic.
The warm potato melts the cheese just enough. The textures are so perfect together.
This is a keeper recipe.
The potatoes alone are great if you just wanted to whip those up as a side dish! But why not go all in considering how simple the recipe is. Let me know if you give this recipe a try!
Enjoy!
MORE HEALTHY SWEET POTATO RECIPES
Spicy Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes – Vegan & Gluten Free
Eggs with Avocado & Sweet Potato “Toast”
Quinoa Stuffed Maple Sweet Potato
Originally posted November 28, 2014. Updated December 1, 2020.
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Simple Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Roasted Sweet Potato – a tasty Fall side dish! Features an easy balsamic glaze dressing recipe.
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 2 tbsp rosemary infused olive oil or plain olive oil
- ½ tbsp dried rosemary
- ½ tsp garlic puree or use ¼ tsp of garlic powder
- generous pinch of sea salt
- 4 cups arugula
- 3 tsp rosemary infused olive oil or plain olive oil
- 2 tsp balsamic reduction
- ¼ cup goat cheese
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Preheat your oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment.
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Scrub the sweet potato clean and slice it into ½ inch thick rounds and place them in a small mixing bowl.
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Toss the sweet potato rounds in the oil, sea salt, garlic, and dried rosemary until well coated then place them evenly spaced onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.
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Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, flip them, and roast for 5 minutes more.
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Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl add the oil and balsamic reduction and, using a fork, stir it well to combine it. Add the arugula and toss it well to coat the leaves.
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Take the sweet potatoes out of the oven and transfer them to a plate. Top the warm potatoes with the dressed greens and crumble the goat cheese on top. Drizzle with extra balsamic reduction, if desired. Serve immediately.
Baby June
Mmm that sounds like a great salad! I love sweet potatoes, this looks like the perfect way to use them 🙂
Sharon
And so easy! Thanks so much June. I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful. 🙂
Chelsea @ Chelsea's Healthy Kitchen
Great flavour combination! I love pairing tangy cheeses with the sweetness of sweet potato/winter squash – you can never go wrong.
Sharon
Such an easy, classic tasting salad. Thanks Chelsea. 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Karen
This looks like an amazing salad. Just my kind of salad…..with carbs! Love it Sharon 🙂
Sharon
Thanks Karen! The potatoes made the salad, FOR SURE! Oh, and, cheese. 😉
Thalia @ butter and brioche
Love how simply, healthy and delicious this sweet potato salad is. I always am on the lookout for delicious salad recipes to quickly make for myself, so thanks for sharing this one!
Sharon
Thanks Thalia. 🙂 I’m with you on loving quick and easy salads. I was so happy how simple yet effective the roasted sweet potatoes were. Have a great weekend!
Jane Saunders
ohhh, I love the tangy goats cheese with sweet potatoes. Just the perfect salad that doesn’t leave me hungry afterwards. I can see why your husband finished a plate off in no-time.
Sharon
He’s a lucky guy! 😉 Thanks, Jane.
Laura
You really can’t go wrong with this combo of flavours! Healthy and delicious!
Sharon
Agree 100%! Thanks, Laura. 🙂
Deborah
You had me at sweet potato! Made this last night minus the feta and it was divine. Thanks so much.
Sharon
Easily veganized! Nice job. 🙂 Thanks, Deborah.
Kay
Made this for my partner last night and it went down brilliant, he absolutely devoured it after coming back from the gym, just what he needed but he did have some chicken of the side lol
The balsamic glaze over the top just gave it that sweet taste that goes perfect with rocket and sweet potato 🙂
Thanks for sharing!!
Sharon
It really is a great side dish for some simple grilled chicken. Thanks, Kay!
Yvonne Langen
Such a great salad recipe! I love the combination of goat cheese and arugula so this is right up my alley!
Kristen
Big sweet potato and arugula fans over here. This salad will definitely be made again, it is delicious!
Sharon
Right?! A total repeater. 🙂
Terri
Ha Ha! I know what you mean about man pleasing meals, especially ones with arugula, being doubly satisfying! I’m sure my guys would be pleased by this a well!
Sharon
I’m always extra impressed with myself. 😉
Sabrina
Simple, easy, hearty and delicious. I love the dressing with the balsamic reduction too, thanks!
Sharon
Omgsh the reduction is the best part! 🙂
nancy
what a delicious sounding arugula salad!! i love the roasted potatoes and goat cheese!!
Sharon
Can’t go wrong!