Warm Spinach Salad with Roasted Grapes and Sweet Potatoes

This post was originally published here December 29, 2016. The recipe remains unchanged, but I’ve recently updated the text and photographs.

You all know by now that I don’t do boring salads. Or small salads.

So trust me when I tell you that this Warm Spinach Salad with Roasted Grapes and Sweet Potatoes is the next Big F*cking Salad that you need in your rotation.

This salad is truly worthy of greatness. I love every ingredient in it, but I think the stand out for me would have to be the roasted grapes. Roasted grapes are hands down delicious. Their flavor gets concentrated during roasting. And they come out of the oven extra juicy, sweet and wrinkly (not sure if “wrinkly” is an attribute, but I just like saying it!). It’s such a fun and easy trick to bring this fruit into your salads in a new way.

I also adore roasted grapes on these crostinis. And in this compote. Check them both out!

And real talk…if you have some grapes that are getting a little soft and not ideal for eating on their own, this is a great way to repurpose them.

In addition to the roasted grapes, this salad also has roasted sweet potatoes. This is one of my go-to ingredients for making Winter salads feel more satisfying. To keep things as streamlined as possible, I roast both the grapes and sweet potatoes together in the same baking dish. But because the grapes don’t take too long, it’s important to make sure you cut the sweet potato into small-ish pieces here. This way both the grapes and the sweet potatoes will be ready at the same time.

Once the grapes and sweet potatoes have finished roasting, you’re going to scrape everything into a big bowl with the spinach, adding in some balsamic vinegar, chopped pistachios and crumbled goat cheese as you do so. The residual heat will create a slight wilt on the spinach leaves. But don’t worry, because this salad is still far from soggy.

I guess I should also add “no soggy salads” to the list above.

If you try my Warm Spinach Salad with Roasted Grapes and Sweet Potatoes, give me a shout out and let me know! I’d love to hear about it!

Cheers,

Liz

Get the Recipe:

Warm Spinach Salad with Roasted Grapes and Sweet Potatoes

At a Glance:

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 cups red seedless grapes
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and sliced into thin triangles
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 cups baby spinach leaves
• 2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Add the grapes, sweet potatoes, olive oil and maple syrup to a large bowl. Toss to coat. Then spread the grapes and sweet potatoes out in a large baking dish. Sprinkle with the minced rosemary and salt. Transfer the baking dish to your pre-heated oven and roast for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through the cooking time. The sweet potatoes should be soft and the grapes should be juicy and wrinkly. 
2. Place the spinach in a large bowl. Scrape the warm roasted sweet potatoes and grapes, along with any accumulated oil/juices in the baking dish, into the bowl with the spinach. Toss to combine, sprinkling in the balsamic vinegar as you do so. Add the pistachios and goat cheese and toss to combine.
3. Divide the salad between serving dishes and enjoy immediately while still warm.