Oven Roasted Squash and Sweet Potato Chickpea Salad

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Please see the RECIPE CARD at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients and measurements with a printable recipe.

Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes can be peeled or boiled in their skins. They can be baked, roasted, or mashed, added to soups, pasta, or curries, or eaten as chips, like my Tikka Masala Deluxe Sweet Potato Chips. You will find sweet potatoes in season between October and March.

Butternut Squash

Peeled and seeded, and add more veggies like carrots, parsnips, pumpkin, or swede, which work well in place of or alongside the squash or sweet potato.

Cooked chickpeas

I like to cook them from scratch. When I don’t have enough time, I use store-bought variety, chickpeas that are organically grown and preserved in water and salt. The aquafaba is a must; I use it in sauces, desserts, and pancakes for a fluffier texture, hummus, or I freeze it for later. The chickpeas are roasted until crispy, but they still have all the protein and heartiness as before they were oven-roasted.

Walnuts

I like to presoak my walnuts for an hour or two before eating them or using them in a recipe. It makes them softer, easier to digest, and gives them a slightly milder flavor. Drain them well before adding them to a crunchy salad so they stay crunchy. If you’re out of walnuts or fancy a change, you can swap them for pecans, almonds, or even sunflower seeds for a nut-free option.

Spices

I used Mediterranean spices: oregano, basil, thyme, and sweet paprika. You can swap basil for rosemary or add a pinch of chilli flakes for spice.

Olive Oil

I gave a squirt of mild olive oil to the oven-bound vegetables and chickpeas before popping them in to roast, and once served with the crispy, crunchy kale, walnuts, and avocado, I added a drizzle of Mediterranean liquid, extra virgin olive oil, to the salad before serving.

How to make Oven Roasted Squash and Sweet Potato Chickpea Salad

1. Prepare

Peel and remove the seeds from the squash and chop it into squares. Peel the sweet potato, and wash the kale. Put the walnuts in a bowl of water.

2. Roast

Roast the squash, sweet potato, and chickpeas with Meditierranean spices until golden and crisp, around 45-50 minutes. Leave to cool.

3. Steam

Lightly steam the kale so it´s tender but still a little crunchy.

4. Serve

Drain the walnuts completely. Toss everything with the chopped creamy avocado, virgin olive oil, and pre-soaked walnuts for a fresh, crispy crunch salad that`s full of flavor.