Baked Sweet Potato and Kale
This simple recipe for Baked Sweet Potato and Kale can be served as a healthy main dish or side dish. It’s an easy recipe with just a few ingredients that is surprisingly hearty and delicious. Serve it as a side dish or even as a vegetarian main dish.
When your pantry ingredients are running low or you just want an easy recipe, this you are going to love this Baked Sweet Potato and Kale. It’s very filling because of the sweet potatoes. The kale and onion get nice and browned and super flavorful during the baking process.
I hesitate to call this dish a casserole because it lacks a sauce, but it is essentially a dish that you can prep ahead of time and bake it when you’re ready to eat.
No matter what, I think you’ll be impressed with how great such simple ingredients can taste together.
Why You Need This Recipe
- This Baked Sweet Potato and Kale is so easy to make because you really just need chopped sweet potatoes, a chopped onion, and a bunch of chopped kale. It can stand in for a main dish for vegans and vegetarians, or it makes a great side dish for everyone else.
- This recipe is naturally vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and full of nutrition. Sweet potatoes are on my list of the Best Orange Vegetables.
- You can adapt this recipe using ingredients you like. Feel free to leave out the cinnamon and use chili powder instead.
Key Ingredients
Kale is a hearty, healthy green that is easy to chew once roasted. You can use curly kale, tuscan kale, or any other type of fresh kale (except baby kale which is too tender for this dish).
I also like using kale for my Creamed Kale recipe.
Sweet potatoes are a classic autumn ingredient with many health benefits like beta carotene.
Onion adds texture and flavor. You can use red onion or white onion.
Cinnamon – yes, even in a savory dish! Ground cinnamon brings warmth to the dish.
Thyme is the perfect seasoning when you are serving poultry dishes, which will tie this in to your main meal. You can use any dried herbs you like, including oregano, Italian seasoning, paprika, or marjoram.
Coconut oil is a great neutral oil to roast your veggies. If you aren’t on a vegan or dairy-free diet, you can also use melted butter or ghee.
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Steps
Step One
The first step is to preheat your oven to 375ºF. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Step Two
Next, combine your chopped ingredients in a mixing bowl.
You can also add your cinnamon and thyme, and then toss everything together with the melted coconut oil.
Step Three
Pour the mixture into your casserole dish. You’ll need to cook it for about 45-50 minutes to ensure the sweet potatoes get nice and tender.
Step Four
Once the mixture is done baking, then you can serve it right out of the dish.
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- Store any leftovers in a tightly-sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Don’t have coconut oil? Try avocado or olive oil.
- Some fresh thyme sprigs will give you the perfect presentation.
- This recipe is very versatile. Feel free to add additional ingredients such as maple syrup, red pepper flakes, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, white beans, pumpkin seeds, or even goat cheese. Serve the leftovers cold as a roasted sweet potato kale salad recipe. Or, fry up some eggs and make a kale hash in a large skillet or sheet pan.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Try drizzling it with this Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce just before serving.
Yes, try cooking it at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, shaking the basket every once in awhile so the sweet potatoes cook evenly. You may need to cut the recipe in half to ensure you don’t over crowd the air fryer basket, though.
More Sweet Potato Recipes You Might Like
- Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bread
- Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Muffins
- Sweet Potato Coconut Chicken Curry
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges
- Sweet Potato Apple Breakfast Hash
- How to Freeze Sweet Potatoes
Don’t Miss These Healthy Casseroles
Baked Sweet Potato and Kale
This simple recipe for Baked Sweet Potato and Kale can be served as a healthy main dish or side dish. It’s an easy recipe with just a few ingredients that is surprisingly hearty and delicious. Serve it as a side dish or even as a vegetarian main dish.
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 3 cups chopped kale (from about 1/2 of a bunch)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
- Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, kale, onion, cinnamon, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the melted coconut oil over the ingredients and stir to combine.
- Pour ingredients into the casserole dish and cook for 45-50 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Store any leftovers in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 128
- Sugar: 4.6 g
- Sodium: 439.1 mg
- Fat: 4.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.4 g
- Fiber: 3.5 g
- Protein: 1.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: vegan casserole using sweet potatoes and kale, kale and sweet potatoes, baked kale and sweet potatoes
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About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition. She is a top wellness and food blogger with over 10 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.
Hi! Looks amazing! Will using frozen kale make the dish too watery or ruin it in some other way?
that’s a great question! I haven’t tried it with frozen kale. I think it would work, but I’m not sure how it will change the dish. Please LMK if you try it! 🙂
My family requests this for Thanksgiving every year!
★★★★★
This recipe is definitely on my repeat list as well as your blog. So easy, healthy & best of all so delicious. I added some cooked wild rice I had on hand I needed to use up and it went very well with the dish. Even my very food selective husband commented on the tastiness of the dish. Thank you for sharing!!
★★★★★
Oh that makes me so happy! Thanks for sharing your review, Marlene!
Hi there,
So you do not need to put the coconut oil in the recipe?
Thanks,
Renee
You can leave it out if you are on an oil-free diet. Just be careful the kale doesn’t burn.
I love this recepe and have made it several times – this time I have coconut butter and not oil? Will it work the same? or can I sub olive oil? Just curious
★★★★★
Hi Julie, I would use olive oil, not coconut butter. You can also use avocado oil. Enjoy!
Such a delicious and healthy side dish! It’s going on regular rotation at our house!
★★★★★
I love kale and sweet potato together and this looks delicious.