This Sweet Potato Pine Nut Salad with Peas has a light Vinaigrette and is especially delightful in the spring or for a special occasion.
Lois developed this recipe a few years ago. OMG. So good. The combination of sweet potatoes, sweet peas, creamy toasted pine nuts, and a citrus vinaigrette was amazing.
Sweet Potato Pine Nut Salad Recipe Video
Watch Lois talk about this Sweet Potato Pine Nut Salad on WHSV-TV's 1 on 1 show with Bob Corso.
And it took about 30 minutes to make, start to finish, including peeling and steaming the potatoes in my favorite steamer pot. I love my Victorinox (Swiss) vegetable peeler. It's a dream to use and is nothing like the peeler my mom had. Do you have one? It makes peeling potatoes or veggies so easy.
Simple Nut Toasting
Toasting pine nuts (or any nuts) can be a bit tricky. I use my Black and Decker toaster oven and it does it perfectly. Super easy. But if you don't have one, you can use your dry skillet on top of the stove over medium heat, watching it constantly, cooking them until they just start to brown. Don't walk away, though. They burn easily.
Nutritious, Vegan & Gluten Free
If you are vegan and/or gluten-free, this Sweet Potato Pine Nut Salad will fit right into your diet. The peas offer tons of protein and the sweet potato is packed with Vitamin A and other nutrients. The salad is interesting, beautiful and scrumptious. It is suitable as a main dish entree or a side dish.
I plan to make it again for my next "carry in" (what Southerners call a potluck supper). I'll just put it in a beautiful bowl like this one. What's your go-to potluck dish that you bring to all the events?
Eat Warm or Cold
We ate our Sweet Potato Pine Nut Salad a tad warm, because I didn't feel like waiting for it to get cold. We loved it! And I had some the next day, straight from the 'fridge. Both ways were delicious. My visiting 8-year-old niece totally devoured it. That made me happy.
So, 30-minute meal, super good for you, kids love it, and you'll love it. What more can you want (besides the recipe...read on)?
You're gonna wanna eat this.
Sweet Potato Pine Nut Salad Recipe
Author: Recipe Idea Shop
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 sweet potato peeled and diced
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
- ½ cup pine nuts toasted
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons honey (if you don't like it so sweet, reduce to 2 teaspoons)
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine (optional, can substitute apple cider vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 shallot peeled and minced
Instructions
Salad
- Steam the diced sweet potato for about 5 minutes, then add the peas and continue steaming until the peas are warm and the sweet potatoes are crisp tender, about 3-10 minutes. (Don't overcook.)
- Remove the sweet potatoes and peas to a medium-sized bowl and toss in the toasted pine nuts; stir to combine.
Vinaigrette
- Warm the honey for 10-20 seconds in the microwave.
- Add the olive oil, wine, orange juice, salt, pepper and minced shallot.
- Whisk until the vinaigrette is emulsified.
- Pour it over the salad and stir gently to combine.
- Serve warm or cold.
