Halloween Salad with Rice and Veggies

If you’re looking for a healthy, savory option to celebrate Halloween with this year, you’ve got to make my Halloween Salad with Rice and Veggies. It’s made using Halloween-colored ingredients and tossed with a fall-flavored apple cider vinegar dressing. Serve as a side dish at your Halloween party or bring for healthy and filling work lunches throughout the week.

I loved Halloween as a kid and didn’t care for it much when I got older, but now that I’m a mom, it’s come back into my life full force. I love cute Halloween-themed treats, but I’m more of a savory girl, so I decided to make a Halloween Salad for you today. I hope that doesn’t make me a buzzkill. This Halloween Salad with Rice and Veggies is great for a side dish at a Halloween party or a meal prep work lunch.

Why You’ll Love This Healthy Halloween Salad

• It’s made with Halloween-colored foods – This salad uses ingredients that are white, orange, green, purple, and black. You can make it anytime of year, but it’s perfect for Halloween!
• It’s healthy and festive – Halloween is a candy-centered holiday, so it’s nice to have something festive but also healthy to serve.
• It’s great as a side dish but filling enough for lunch – This rice salad can be brought to a Halloween party and served potluck style, or it can be meal-prepped on Sunday and enjoyed for lunch throughout the week.

Halloween Salad with Rice and Veggies Recipe Ingredients

• Rice – I used white rice because I had it on hand. You could also use quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, or another grain of choice.
• Black Beans – I chose the black beans because of their color, but they also happen to go great with the other ingredients. You could use any kind of bean you like, though.
• Sweet Potato – I used roasted sweet potato to make this salad more fall-like and cozy. Carrot can also be used if you want something quicker to prepare.
• Spinach – I like spinach for this rice salad because it’s a nice dark green and stands up well to the rice and dressing. You can also use kale or another green of choice.
• Purple Cabbage – Purple cabbage adds a lovely color and crunch to this salad. If this dish sits for a couple of days, the cabbage may dye the other ingredients, especially the rice, slightly purple, but everything will still taste good.

• Red Onion – I love adding raw red onion to my salads, and it just happens to match the color scheme. However, any color onion can be used.
• Pepitas – Pepitas are not only green but also a fall food staple, so they fit perfectly in this salad. However, any kind of nut or seed can be used.
• Feta Cheese – I added feta cheese to make this recipe a bit heartier, and I love how it complements the salad. It can be omitted if desired, though; a dairy-free feta cheese can also be used in its place.
• Dried Cranberries – I love the combination of dried cranberries and sweet potatoes, and they went with the color scheme, so I added them in.
• Dressing – You can use any kind of homemade or store-bought dressing for this salad. I used a homemade dressing of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. The apple cider vinegar is nice for fall, but any kind of vinegar can be used.

How To Make This Fun Halloween-Themed Salad

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel your sweet potato (optional) and dice into small pieces. Place the sweet potato on a large baking sheet and add the olive oil, spices, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to toss everything together until the sweet potato pieces are coated and arranged in a single layer. Roast the sweet potato until fork tender and starting to brown, 25-30 mins, tossing once.
2. Rinse your rice well and cook according to package directions. Once the rice is finished cooking, allow it to sit with the lid on for a bit, then fluff it with a fork and let it cool.
3. Add all dressing ingredients to a jar or medium-sized bowl and whisk together until completely combined. Taste the dressing and adjust any ingredients as needed.
4. Add the rice, sweet potato, spinach, black beans, cabbage, red onion, feta cheese, dried cranberries, and pepitas to a large serving bowl. Pour the dressing over and mix until the salad is combined. Season with extra salt and pepper, if desired. The salad can be enjoyed immediately or chilled until ready to serve.

Rice, Sweet Potato, and Black Bean Salad Frequently Asked Questions

• Is this recipe gluten-free? Yes, just make sure to use a gluten-free grain as the base.
• Can this salad be made vegan?  Yes, either use a vegan feta cheese substitute or omit the cheese.
• Can this salad be prepped ahead of time? Yes, it’s a hearty salad that can be prepped a day or so ahead of time. Just remember that the purple cabbage may start turning the other ingredients purple over time.
• Is this rice salad a side dish? It can be used as a side dish or a lunch. You can add an extra can of black beans to the recipe to make it more filling, but the rice and sweet potato also make it hearty.
• How long do leftovers last in the refrigerator? If stored in an airtight container, leftovers will last about 4-5 days.

Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below, and I will get back to you ASAP.

Looking For More Hearty Fall Salad Recipes?

Quinoa and Edamame Salad with Ginger Tahini Dressing

Fall Pasta Salad with Butternut Squash

Holiday Salad with Cabbage and Kale

Chipotle Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Fall Harvest Salad

Halloween Salad with Rice and Veggies

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• Author: She Likes Food
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

If you’re looking for a healthy, savory option to celebrate Halloween with this year, you’ve got to make my Halloween Salad with Rice and Veggies! It’s made using Halloween colored ingredients and tossed with a fall flavored apple cider vinegar dressing. Serve as a side dish at your halloween party or bring for healthy and filling work lunches throughout the week.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup rice, uncooked
• 5–6 cups small diced sweet potato, about 2 small sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2–3 cups chopped baby spinach, I like to chop mine into pretty small pieces
• 2 cups chopped purple cabbage, I like to also chop my cabbage small
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 cup feta cheese
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup roasted and salted pepitas, or more if desired

Dressing

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more if you like
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1–2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
• Salt and black pepper, to taste (about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper)

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Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Peel your sweet potato (optional) and dice into small pieces.  Place sweet potato on a large baking sheet and add the olive oil, spices, salt and pepper.  Use your hands to toss everything together until sweet potato pieces are coated  and arranged in a single layer.  Roast sweet potato until fork tender and starting to brown, 25-30 mins, tossing once.
2. Rinse your rice well and cook according to package directions.  Once rice is finished cooking, allow it to sit with the lid on for a bit, then fluff with a fork and let cool.
3. Add all dressing ingredients to a jar, or medium sized bowl, and whisk together until completely combined.  Give the dressing a taste and adjust any ingredients, as needed.
4. To a large serving bowl, add in the rice, sweet potato, spinach, black beans, cabbage, red onion, feta cheese, dried cranberries and pepitas.  Pour dressing over and mix until salad is combined.  Season with extra salt and pepper, if desired.  Salad can be enjoyed immediately or chilled until ready to serve.

Notes

If you want the salad to be more veggie heavy, you can use a little bit less rice.

• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Vegetarian, Salad
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: American