Tempeh Sweet Potato Kale Salad
Roasted Tempeh Sweet Potato Kale Salad, a simple kale and quinoa salad bowl with baked tempeh and crispy sweet potatoes. Super tasty and perfect for plant-based meal prep!
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Why I Love This Recipe
Are you a tempeh fan? Even though I’ve followed a plant-based diet for years, I didn’t eat much tempeh until recently. But now I’m full-blown obsessed with its texture, especially when its marinated and then baked in the oven until crispy.
That’s where this roasted tempeh and sweet potato kale salad comes in. We’re roasting the tempeh and potatoes with shallots on a sheet pan, and then tossing it with kale and quinoa in a light maple soy dressing. Then add a little avocado and pumpkin seeds for texture and crunch, easy peasy.
It’s packed with plant-protein (about 20 grams per serving) and also a great salad to prep ahead, since its sturdy ingredients hold up even after days stored in the fridge. Make a big batch and then eat all week!
What You’ll Need
Step-by-step photos of how I make it
Step One: Prep sauce and marinate tempeh
First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Then make the maple soy dressing and marinate the tempeh so it absorbs the flavors, but reserve the dressing after you remove the tempeh so you can use the sauce for the kale.
Step Two: Roast tempeh + vegetables
Roast the marinated tempeh with sweet potatoes and shallots on a sheet pan until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. You may have to remove the shallots first if they’re getting overcooked.
Step Three: Cook quinoa
While the vegetables are roasting, cook the quinoa by adding it to a pot with double the amount of water. Bring it to a bowl, then reduce to a simmer until the water absorbs (about 10 minutes). Then uncover and fluff with a fork.
Step Three: Massage kale in dressing
While the vegetables are roasting and the quinoa is cooking, add the kale to the bowl with the reserved marinade and massage to soften the kale.
Step Three: Build the salad
It’s time to put it all together! Mix the kale and quinoa, then add the sweet potatoes, tempeh, and shallots. When you’re ready to serve, add it to a bowl and then top it with avocado and pumpkin seeds. Then leave me a comment to let me know how much you love it!
Tempeh Sweet Potato Kale Salad
Equipment
- 1 sheet pan
- 1 silicone baking mat or parchment paper
- 2 mixing bowls
Ingredients
Maple Soy Dressing Ingredients
- 2½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Salad Ingredients
- 8 ounces tempeh (one block), cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium sweet potato cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 shallots sliced thin
- 1 cup quinoa dry
- 2 cups water to cook quinoa
- 10 ounces kale about 1 cup
- 1 medium avocado cut into cubes
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Make sauce and marinate tempeh: To a medium bowl, add olive oil, maple syrup, dijon mustard, soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Whisk to combine, then add cut tempeh cubes and toss to coat. Let tempeh marinate in sauce for about 5 minutes, or until the oven is preheated. Reserve the marinade in the bowl after removing tempeh (in step three).2½ tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoon maple syrup, 2 tablespoons dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, 8 ounces tempeh
- Roast tempeh and vegetables: To a sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil and then add sweet potatoes, tempeh, and sliced shallots separated from one another (the shallots will cook faster and if they’re separated you can easily remove them while continuing to cook the potatoes and tempeh). Then use your hands or a spatula to coat the potatoes and shallots in the oil from the pan. Place the sheet pan in the preheated oven and cook about 25-30 minutes total, toss the vegetables every 10 minutes to roast on all sides. If the shallots are becoming too brown, remove them first to a bowl and then continue to cook the potatoes and tempeh until they are browned and beginning to become crispy.2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 medium sweet potato, 3 shallots
- Make quinoa: While the vegetables are roasting, cook the quinoa according to package instructions. Usually this means adding the quinoa and water to a small pot, then covering and bringing to bowl. Then reduce heat and cook about 10 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Then remove from heat, uncover, and let sit another 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water
- Toss kale in sauce: While the vegetables are roasting and the quinoa is cooking, add the kale to the bowl with the reserved marinade. Use your hands to toss the kale in the dressing, massaging it into the kale to soften the kale leaves. Set aside until the vegetables and quinoa are done.10 ounces kale
- Build salad: When the vegetables are done roasting, build the salad by adding the quinoa to the bowl with the kale and tossing to combine. Then add the roasted sweet potatoes, tempeh, and shallots. When ready to serve, add salad to a bowl and top with avocado and pumpkin seeds.1 medium avocado, ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
Notes
Nutrition
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