Since we’ve been trying to stay away from meat, I’ve been on a quest to find the best-tasting, filling salad recipes. This one from the Gousto ticks all the boxes – hearty, tasty and healthy – and will be on rotation all winter. I brought this to a potluck dinner and it was a hit as a side salad with steak.

Nutty Goats’ Cheese Salad

Prep time: 30 min

Ingredients for 2 people (double for 4):

125g soft goats’ cheese

1 red onion

50g mixed baby leaf salad greens

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

30g 3 seed mix (or substitute with pumpkin seeds)

30g chopped dried dates

300g sweet potatoes

 

Instructions for 2 people (double for 4):

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ 425°F/ Gas 7

Chop the sweet potato[es] (skins on) into large, bite-sized pieces

Cut the red onion[s] into quarters, leaving the skins and root on, this stops them drying out and falling apart when roasting

Add the chopped sweet potato and onion to a baking tray (use tin foil to avoid mess!)

Drizzle with olive oil and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper 

Put the tray in the oven for 20-30 min or until the onion is tender and the sweet potato is cooked and starting to crisp

Meanwhile, wash the baby leaf mixed saladand dry with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper

Once dry, add it to a large mixing bowl

Add the 3 seed mix to a separate baking tray or heatproof dish

Put the tray in the oven for 5 min or until the seeds have darkened slightly in colour

Once toasted, remove the tray from the oven and leave to cool

Meanwhile, combine the white wine vinegarwith 3 tbsp [6 tbsp] olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper – this is your dressing

Chop the chopped dates up a little more, so they are very finely chopped

Grind a generous amount of pepper onto a chopping board, add the toasted seed mixand the chopped dates and chop the lot roughly

Roll the goats’ cheese into the seedy mix

Tip: apply a good amount of pressure so that the mix sticks to the cheese

Reserve the seeds that didn’t stick for garnish!

Once the vegetables are done, carefully remove the skins from the cooked onion by cutting off the root and carefully peeling off their skins

Separate the onion quarters into petals 

Add the onion petals, sweet potato, and remaining seed mix to the salad bowl

Slice the seeded goats’ cheese into thick slices or break it into rough pieces

Serve the goats’ cheese over the salad and drizzle the dressing over

Tip: if you’ll serve leftovers for lunch, keep the dressing separate until you’re ready to eat, so it won’t go soggy

Enjoy!

Nutritional information