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Looking for some Thanksgiving inspiration? Roasted Sweet Potato Cranberry Salad features assorted leafy greens with roasted sweet potatoes, jammy cranberries, thinly sliced red onion, creamy gorgonzola cheese, and crunchy, savory cornbread granola bits.

Roasted Sweet Potato Cranberry Salad

Add whole-grain mustard and maple syrup vinaigrette for a bright flavor with a little sweetness and a little tartness. This beautiful salad is a great Thanksgiving side dish that will look amazing on your table.

Thanksgiving Ingredients

Roasted Sweet Potato Cranberry Salad combines typical Thanksgiving ingredients but in a different presentation. Sweet potatoes and cranberries are roasted together with maple syrup, orange juice, and rosemary to be served as a sweet and tart component of this fall salad recipe.

Three wooden bowls filled with salad on a red napkin with forks in the foreground.

Thanksgiving Ingredients!

In a twist, cornbread is combined with smoked almonds, oats, and minced rosemary to create a crunchy and savory granola topping. These crackly bits are addictive - I find myself snacking on them.

Salad Components

The Roasted Sweet Potato Cranberry Salad is composed of 4 different recipe preparations.

Savory Cornbread Granola
Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries
Wholegrain Mustard and Maple Vinaigrette
Salad Ingredients

Don't be put off by the list - the preparation for the ingredients is minimal and doesn't require a lot of time. Most of the components can be made a day ahead so that you aren't tied to the stove on Thanksgiving.

Savory Cornbread Granola

A sheet pan filled with baked crunchy bits of savory granola.

Savory Cornbread Granola

Ingredients

dry, cubed cornbread
oats
chopped smoked almonds
minced fresh rosemary
raw sugar
egg whites
olive oil
kosher salt
cayenne pepper

Making granola

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a sheet pan with cooking spray.
Whisk 2 egg whites and 1 tablespoon of olive oil together until slightly frothy.
Add oats, cornbread cubes, minced rosemary, chopped smoked almonds, raw sugar, salt, and pepper.

Dried corn bread cubes combined with oats, smoked almonds, minced rosemary, and raw sugar in a clear glass bowl.

Ingredients for savory granola.

Lightly toss the ingredients until covered with the egg white/olive oil mix. You don't want the cornbread to break apart into crumbs.
Pour the granola ingredients onto the prepared sheet pan.
Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Toss the granola on the sheet pan to redistribute the ingredients. Put the sheet pan back in the oven for another 12 minutes. Let the granola cool.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries

Ingredients

peeled and diced sweet potatoes
fresh rosemary
kosher salt and ground black pepper
olive oil
fresh cranberries
orange zest and juice
maple syrup

Roasting

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toss sweet potatoes with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of ground black pepper. Place on a sheet pan.
Add 20 rosemary leaves to the pan, tossing to combine, and coat with olive oil.

A sheet pan filled with diced sweet potato and fresh rosemary tossed with olive oil, kosher salt, and ground black pepper.

Toss diced sweet potatoes and fresh rosemary leaves with olive oil.

Place the sweet potatoes in the oven. While they are roasting, rinse the cranberries. Pick out any that are soft or mushy.
Using the same bowl that the sweet potatoes were combined with the olive oil, add the cranberries, orange zest and juice, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

A small clear glass bowl filled with cranberries tossed with maple syrup, orange juice, and zest.

Toss with maple syrup, orange juice, and zest.

After the sweet potatoes have roasted for 15 minutes, add the cranberries to the sheet pan. Combine all ingredients.
Roast for another 15 minutes. Take the sheet pan out of the oven and pour 1 tablespoon of maple syrup over the ingredients. Let cool.

A sheet pan filled with roasted sweet potatoes and cranberries.

Toss with maple syrup.

Wholegrain Mustard and Maple Vinaigrette

Ingredients

wholegrain mustard
maple syrup
apple cider vinegar
kosher salt
black pepper
olive oil

Whisking

Combine whole-grain mustard, maple syrup, and apple cider. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper, mixing. Let the salt dissolve for 3-5 minutes.
While whisking, add olive oil in a steam. Whisk until emulsified.

Assembling the Salad

Additional Ingredients

assorted greens
red onion
Gorgonzola cheese
salt and pepper

A large clear glass bowl filled with leafy greens with roasted sweet potatoes and cranberries, thin sliced red onion, chunks of Gorgonzola cheese, and savory granola bits on top.

Salad Ingredients

Combine

Wash and spin-dry assorted lettuce. You can prepare the greens ahead of time, refrigerating them until you are ready to assemble the salad.
In a large bowl, toss the salad greens with a pinch of kosher salt and a pinch of ground black pepper.
Add the thinly sliced red onion and gorgonzola cheese to the bowl.
Add the vinaigrette to the bowl, tossing the ingredients to combine.
Remove the rosemary leaves from the roasted sweet potatoes and cranberries. Add to the bowl of lettuce, tossing to combine.

Other fall salad recipes -

https://tenpoundcakecompany.com/autumn-kale-and-pear-salad/

https://tenpoundcakecompany.com/fall-harvest-salad/

Recipe

Roasted Sweet Potato Cranberry Salad

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Compliments many cuisines

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 55

Servings: servings

Calories: 576kcal

Author: Ten Pound Cake Company

Assorted greens are tossed with roasted sweet potatoes, cranberries, red onion, creamy gorgonzola cheese, and crunchy, savory cornbread granola. Tossed with whole grain mustard and maple vinaigrette.

Print Recipe

Equipment

2 sheet pans
1 large bowl
1 salad spinner optional
1 microplane
1 vegetable peeler
1 whisk
1 medium bowl
1 large bowl

Ingredients

Savory Corn Bread Granola

1½ cups dry, cubed cornbread (2.7 ounces/77 grams)
½ cup oats (1.5 ounces/43 grams)
½ cup smoked almonds, chopped (2 ounces/57 grams)
½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1½ tablespoons raw sugar
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries

1½ cups diced sweet potatoes (8 ounces/220 grams)
20 leaves fresh rosemary
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅙ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups fresh cranberries (7 ounces/198 grams)
¼ teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 pinch salt and pepper

Wholegrain Mustard and Maple Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup olive oil

Salad Ingredients

½ cup thinly sliced red onion (2.4 ounces/64 grams)
1 cup gorgonzola chunks (2.5 ounces/72 grams)
salt and pepper
6 cups assorted lettuce greens

Instructions

Savory Cornbread Granola

Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat a sheet pan with cooking spray.
Whisk 2 egg whites and 1 tablespoon of olive oil together until slightly frothy.
Add oats, cornbread cubes, minced rosemary, chopped smoked almonds, raw sugar, salt, and pepper.
Lightly toss the ingredients until covered with the egg white/olive oil mix. You don't want the cornbread to break apart into crumbs.
Pour the granola ingredients onto the prepared sheet pan.
Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Toss the granola on the sheet pan to redistribute the ingredients.
Put the sheet pan back in the oven for another 12 minutes. Let the granola cool.
It should be in clumps - crunchy and stuck together. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.
Makes 3 cups which is more than you need for the salad but it is a great snack! This step can be prepared the day before. Store in a covered container.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries

Preheat oven to 400°.
Peel and chop a large sweet potato into ½-inch dice. You will need 1½ cups.
Toss sweet potatoes with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of ground black pepper. Place on a sheet pan.
Add 20 rosemary leaves to the pan, tossing to combine and coat with olive oil.
Place the sweet potatoes in the oven. While they are roasting, rinse the cranberries. Pick out any that are soft or mushy.
Using the same bowl that the sweet potatoes were combined with the olive oil, add the cranberries, orange zest and juice, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
After the sweet potatoes have roasted for 15 minutes, add the cranberries to the sheet pan. Combine all ingredients.
Roast for another 15 minutes. Take the sheet pan out of the oven and pour 1 tablespoon of maple syrup over the ingredients. Let cool.
This step can be prepared ahead of time. Makes 1½ cups.

Whole Grain Mustard and Maple Vinaigrette

Combine whole-grain mustard, maple syrup, and apple cider. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper, mixing. Let the salt dissolve for 3-5 minutes.
While whisking, add olive oil in a steam. Whisk until emulsified.
Makes an abundant ⅓ cup. The vinaigrette can be prepared ahead of time.

Assemble Roasted Sweet Potato Cranberry Salad

Wash and spin-dry assorted lettuce. You can prepare the greens ahead of time, refrigerating them until you are ready to assemble the salad.
In a large bowl, toss the salad greens with a pinch of kosher salt and a pinch of ground black pepper.
Add the thinly sliced red onion and gorgonzola cheese to the bowl.
Add the vinaigrette to the bowl, tossing the ingredients to combine.
Remove the rosemary leaves from the roasted sweet potatoes and cranberries. Add to the bowl of lettuce, tossing to combine.
Garnish with 1 cup of savory cornbread granola pieces and serve.

Notes

Tips

The salad components can be made a day ahead of time and tossed together just before serving.
Adding salt and pepper to the lettuce makes a big difference in the taste of the salad.
Real maple syrup should be used. The caramel notes of the syrup add depth of flavor.
It is best to use stale or dry cornbread. You can put the cubes in a 325-degree oven for a few minutes to dry them out if the cornbread is too moist.