This roasted sweet potato and pear salad with bulgur has eastern mediterranean influences. Sweet potato, pear and red onion are spiced with cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne and roasted to perfection, then served over bulgur with a tangy white balsamic dressing. Topped with pomegranate arils and fresh herbs, this makes a terrific side dish that is simple to make and is packed with flavour.
Roasted Sweet Potato and Pear Salad — what a combo!
I love recipes that are simple to make and still pack a punch when it comes to flavour! Yes, it’s true that I like to combine vegetables and fruit. Whether in salads or when roasting them. But pears and sweet potato taste fabulous together! Just like fennel and pears, parsnip and apples, pumpkin and apples — just like in love, there are so many unlikely pairs that, together, work in perfect harmony. And this is a salad that you can feel good about eating — it’s packed with goodness!
Sweet potato and pear salad uses simple pantry ingredients
What I particularly love about this sweet potato and pear salad is that it is something that relies only on a few ingredients — mostly pantry staples. Sweet potatoes I almost always have on hand. Same goes with pears (or apples) and of course onions. These are everyday staples. Spice too. Bulgur can easily be replaced with quinoa, couscous, or millet. But my personal preference here is definitely bulgur. As for pomegranate, it adds texture, sweet-tart flavours and above all colour! A splash of freshly squeezed lime juice or lemon juice could probably do the job, if needed. I hope you love this salad. It’s delicious!
Looking for other recipe inspiration?
Take a look at my recipe archive for other more ideas on how to combine fruit and vegetables. Or try one of these favourite recipes:
Pear Fennel Salad with Mint & Sumac
Celery Salad with Apple and Fennel
Apple Celery Lentil Salad
Roasted Sweet Potato, Pear and Quinoa Salad
Roasted Sweet Potato and Pear Salad with Bulgur
Ingredients
- 2 small to medium sweet potato, peeled and diced (2-3 cm) (ca. 500 g)
- 1 large pear (firm, but ripe), cored and diced (2-3 cm)
- 4 small red onions, quartered
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1/4 ground coriander
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 cup bulgur (200g)
For the dressing:
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
To serve:
- seeds from 1/2 pomegranate
- Handful cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
Method
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Preheat the oven to 200 c and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place sweet potato, onions, pear in a large bowl, sprinkle with spices (cumin, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne). Add olive oil and toss well until evenly coated. Transfer to baking sheet and spread in even layer. Season with salt and pepper.
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Transfer to the preheated oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until the sweet potato can be easily pierced with a fork.
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While the vegetables are roasting, cook the bulgur according to package instructions.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
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To serve, place the bulgur onto a large platter or individual plates and top with the roasted vegetables. Drizzle with the dressing and garnish with the pomegranate seeds and herbs.
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Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
- For this recipe, it's also fine to use a pear that is more firm than ripe, it also roasts nicely, and is a little less sweet.
- This salad will also keep well for a couple of days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
- I like to use a coarse sea salt (Flor de Sal do Algarve) and my go-to olive oil which is fantastic for roasting and for salad dressing (Olio Extra Vergine Grezzo from Farchioni). It is also available as organic. Check your local organic supermarket.
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