Roasted Sweet Potato & Tuna Salad Recipe

If you're a fan of canned tuna but default to using it for mayo-based tuna salad sandwiches time and time again, this fall-inspired salad is for you. Canned albacore tuna teams up with roasted sweet potato for a salad that's a powerhouse of flavor and texture, guaranteed to wake up your palate. 

Toasted pecans add crunch, red onion livens up the party with a little zing, dried cranberries swoop in with some sweetness, and ripe avocado lends a creamy bite that brings this salad together. It's all set over a bed of greens tossed with a lemon, maple, and Dijon mustard vinaigrette for a bright and balanced main course great for lunch or dinner.

Recipe developer Katie Rosenhouse is a big fan. "Not only does this salad offer a great way to utilize canned tuna in a new way, it also gave me the opportunity to shake up my dinner routine. I get so tired of reverting back to the same chicken or fish dishes for dinner night after night. This salad was a revelation — nutty, tender, and light, with a touch of sweetness and acidity. It's beautifully balanced and a great way to change things up." 

You might already have most of the ingredients for this salad on hand. Mixed greens, red onion, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard are certainly nothing out of the ordinary. If needed, you can even swap the lemon juice for apple cider vinegar, the maple syrup for agave or honey, and the Dijon mustard for any variety you have on hand. 

We went with albacore tuna packed in water for this recipe, but feel free to go with a variety you prefer. A ripe avocado adds a creaminess to the salad you won't want to skip, but if you have any trouble procuring a ripe one in time, skipping it isn't a dealbreaker. Toasted pecans add a nutty crunch. Feel free to swap with another type you prefer, like walnuts, or try your hand at candied pecans for a decadent touch. Dried cranberries add a little sweetness, but fresh grapes or other dried fruits can also do the trick. 

For a shortcut option, frozen sweet potato is already diced and ready. Just roast as directed on the package, and this salad will become even easier to pull together. 

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Peel and dice sweet potatoes into ½-inch thick pieces.

Transfer the diced sweet potatoes to the prepared pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring halfway through baking, until tender. Once done, set the sweet potatoes aside to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Prepare the dressing: Shake all ingredients in a mason jar until emulsified. Season to taste.

In a large bowl, toss to combine mixed greens with ⅓ of the dressing.

Transfer mixed greens to a serving platter. Top with tuna, avocado, sweet potatoes, red onion, pecans, and cranberries.

Drizzle evenly with dressing and serve immediately.

There's nothing better than knowing you can have a main course thrown together in no time at all, especially when it's a unique salad your guests will rave about. When preparing salads in advance, it's always a good idea to pre-measure and portion any toppings ahead of time. Nuts can be toasted in advance, vegetables can be sliced, and meats can be cooked and sliced. Refrigerate if needed, and you're ready to throw it all together at the last moment.

In that vein, parts of this roasted sweet potato and tuna salad can be prepped up to two days ahead, needing only a few minutes to throw it all together before serving. Up to two days in advance, roast the sweet potatoes as directed. Cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use. Prepare the dressing as directed and refrigerate.

On the day of serving, bring the potatoes to room temperature. Toss the greens and assemble the salad right before serving. Using canned tuna means it all comes together incredibly quickly. 

Store leftover sweet potato and tuna salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Once dressed, this salad will remain fresh for an additional day. Past that point, it will begin to wilt and lose its luster.

"The beauty of salads is that they're ripe for customization," Rosenhouse says. "I'll swap out ingredients with similar flavor profiles based on what I have on hand, including any leftover nuts, dried fruits, or fresh vegetables."

When it comes to this salad, acorn squash, butternut squash, or roasted carrots all make great substitutes for the sweet potatoes, if needed. The tuna can be swapped with rotisserie or leftover roasted chicken, seared salmon, or steak. Dried cranberries can be replaced with dried apricots, figs, or cherries, and the toasted pecans can be substituted with toasted walnuts or pumpkin seeds for a similar crunch.

Rosenhouse notes, "I love this dressing for its balance of flavors and the way it complements each ingredient in the salad. The maple syrup brings out the sweetness of the sweet potato, the mustard balances the tuna, and the lemon brightens it all up." But she notes, "If you don't have lemon juice on hand, apple cider vinegar or another type of acid will do, as well as agave or honey in the place of the maple syrup."