Ballymaloe Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad

This Asian-inspired, Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad is super healthy, can be prepped ahead and simply bursts with bright, fresh, delicious flavor!

Yesterday was (sadly) the final day of my weeklong course at The Ballymaloe Cookery School (pronounced Ballymaloó) in Shanagarry, Ireland. I must say from a culinary point of view, this was one of the highlights of my life. I'll be sharing more about the school itself in an upcoming post (with lots of amazing pics as Scott was roaming the organic farm and gardens with his camera while I was cooking my heart out). But today, I'm super excited to share one of the wonderful recipes we prepared during the week, this incredibly delicious Ballymaloe Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad.

Scott actually came into the classroom at Ballymaloe after I made this salad and was given permission to set up there for a photoshoot. The light was magical and, although we didn't have much time, I think his photos convey how fabulous this salad is. We enjoyed it for lunch that day with the other students and it was well-received by all!

So many great recipes!

It would be really difficult to share which recipe at Ballymaloe was my favorite as, between demonstrations and hands-on cooking, we covered well over 50 recipes during the week. But this Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad would definitely rank pretty high on the list. I love that it's healthy, but so very delicious with caramelized sweet potatoes, quinoa and roasted red onion. The salad is finished of with thinly sliced scallions and a plethora of fresh, vibrant herbs.

Perfect to prep ahead

It's the perfect salad to make for guests, as it can be prepped ahead making it wonderful for entertaining. The delicious, Asian-inspired dressing could actually be made up to a week in advance, the quinoa cooked the day before and the sweet potato-onion mixture can be prepped and ready to pop into the oven early in the day. All that's left before serving is to roast the veggies and roughly chop the scallions and fragrant, vibrant herbs.

This dressing is fabulous and I know I'll be using it for lots of other salads. With soy sauce,  and garlic, it's sweet, spicy and combines delicously with the other salad ingredients!

Amazingly versatile!

In addition to all of the above, this quinoa sweet potato salad is also really versatile and the ingredients can be mixed and matched. For example, the quinoa could be switched out for couscous, rice, barley, farro or your favorite grain. Substitute other root veggies like carrots, turnips or beets for the sweet potatoes. Wedges of shallots would be a delicious alternative to the red onions. And if you're not a cilantro lover, fresh basil, rosemary, dill or thyme would also be wonderful.

See what I mean? Super versatile! And beyond delicious! Put the ingredients on your shopping list and make this salad soon! I promise you won't be disappointed!

Café Tips for making this Ballymaloe Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad

• To prep ahead, make the dressing and quinoa and refrigerate. Prep the sweet potatoes and onions by peeling and cutting, then refrigerate. 30 minutes before serving, remove the quinoa and dressing from the refrigerator, roast the veggies and chop the scallions and herbs. Combine all ingredients and serve warm or at room temperature.
• I love to cook a double batch of the quinoa at the beginning of the week and then make salads and sides with it all week. It's one step that doesn't take long, but makes it really easy to eat healthy all week!
• I used red quinoa for this recipe. Although red holds its shape just a bit better, white or brown quinoa would also work well. White quinoa cooks up a bit faster so you could subtract a minute for two from the cooking time.
• The dressing recipe may make more than you need for this quinoa sweet potato salad, but it's great with green salads or other veggie salads.
• At Ballymaloe, the sweet potatoes and onions are roasted together. I really like to keep the onions slightly crisp so I add them later in the recipe. Either way is delicious!
• I used a spicy red chili pepper for the dressing in this recipe. If you can't find chili peppers, a jalapeño would also work well.
• This salad would also be delicious with a topping of crumbled goat or Feta cheese.
• A sprinkle of sunflower seeds would add a nice crunch to this salad.
• I was able to use some of the beautiful chive flowers from the herb gardens at Ballymaloe. Edible flowers make a lovely addition to this salad, but aren't necessary and are totally optional.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear other’s results and ideas for variations.

If you missed them, here are the other Ballymaloe and Irish-inspired recipes we've shared in the past month:

Ballymaloe Summer Tomato Salad

Cheddar Herb Savory Irish Soda Bread

Easy Irish Blackberry Fool

Easy Irish Shortbread Cookies

5 from 8 votes

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Ballymaloe Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad

This Asian-inspired, Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad is super healthy, can be prepped ahead and simply bursts with bright, fresh, delicious flavor!

Author: Chris Scheuer

Course: Main Course, Salad, Salad Dressing

Cuisine: Asian, Irish

Keyword: quinoa sweet potato salad, quinoa salad, sweet potato salad

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Servings: 10

Calories: 208 kcal

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
• finely grated lime zest from two medium limes
• 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice from 2 medium-size limes
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 medium red chili or jalapeno
• 1 medium clove garlic finely minced

For the quinoa

• 1 ¼ cups quinoa uncooked
• 1 ½ cups cold water
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the salad:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and diced into ¾-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 medium onions peeled, halved and cut into thin wedges
• 4 medium-size scallions green onions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
• 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro or basil
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped mint

Instructions

For the dressing:

1. Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well. Set aside or refrigerate if preparing in advance.

For the salad:

1. To cook the quinoa, rinse in a sieve under cold water for 2-3 minutes to remove the natural bitter coating. Place it in a saucepan along with the water and salt. Bring to a boil then​ cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to very low. Cook, covered for 12 minutes until the grain is tender. Turn off the heat, but leave the lid on for a further 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork and allow to cool slightly.

2. Preheat the oven to 450˚F (230˚C). Lightly oil a sheet pan.

3. Combine sweet potatoes, olive oil, coriander, cinnamon and salt on the prepared sheet pan and toss with your hands to coat. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until just beginning to caramelize. Add the onion wedges and roast for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

4. Combine the cooled, cooked quinoa and the veggie mixture on a large platter. Drizzle with half of the dressing and toss to combine. Taste and add more dressing or salt, if needed. Top with the scallions and fresh herbs. Garnish with edible flowers, if desired. Serve extra dressing at the table.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from a recipe from the Ballymaloe Cookery School.

Calories 208kcal

Fat 10g

Saturated fat 1g

Sodium 401mg

Potassium 281mg

Carbohydrates 26g

Fiber 3g

Sugar 5g

Protein 4g

Vitamin A 3736%

Vitamin C 6%

Calcium 29%

Iron 1%

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