Roasted Root Vegetables and Kale Salad with Maple-Pecan Vinaigrette

With jewel-toned beets, caramelized carrots, bright kale, and creamy goat cheese, this Roasted Root Vegetable Salad with Maple Pecan Vinaigrette is everything I want in a fall dish. It’s beautiful enough to merit a double-take when it hits the table, and it tastes just as vibrant as it looks. It’s easy enough to make on a weeknight for a light dinner, but it also feels right at home between the mashed potatoes and stuffing of a Thanksgiving spread, where its tangy, nutty bite cuts through all that buttery richness.

Roasting the vegetables is the first step to enhancing the flavor of this salad. Beets and carrots caramelize beautifully in a hot oven, but their different densities mean they cook at slightly different rates. I wanted them to roast together on the same sheet pan without any mixing halfway through cooking, so I cut the carrots into half-inch slices and the beets a little thinner, about a quarter-inch. This slight adjustment allows them to finish cooking at the same rate, becoming tender in the center and lightly browned around the edges. I like to use red and golden beets for a colorful contrast (mix and season them separately before arranging them on the baking sheet if you want to keep the colors distinct). The result is a blend of sweet, earthy, and balanced vegetables, the perfect complement to the robust kale and tangy vinaigrette.

For greens, I prefer lacinato kale, also called Tuscan or dinosaur kale, to the curly type. Its dark, flat leaves are a little less fibrous and soften more easily when massaged with the dressing. Kale will work if that’s what you have, but you’ll need to work it for another minute or two to get it just as tender. Either way, this quick massaging step isn’t optional: It breaks down the toughness of the kale and makes it more palatable to eat, transforming it from raw forage into something soft and seasoned.

The dressing is perhaps my favorite part of this salad. Instead of just sprinkling toasted pecans, I toss them directly into the dressing, tossing them with apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and whole-grain mustard until the nuts are just chopped and the dressing is creamy. This creates a thick, slightly chunky texture, so the dressing sticks to the kale without sliding around. The flavor harmoniously combines nutty, spicy and sweet notes.

Once everything is mixed, the salad achieves a balance that is both hearty and bright. The roasted vegetables add sweetness and weight, the kale provides chew and structure, and the maple pecan vinaigrette ties it all together. A final crumble of goat cheese adds creamy, tangy bursts, while a few extra tablespoons of chopped pecans add crunch. It’s perfect for gatherings and potlucks, or as a Thanksgiving side dish that brings color, freshness, and a little tartness to the table when everything else is brown and rich.