Roasted Sweet Potato, Corn, and Black Bean Salad with Spicy Miso Dressing

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As a Californian, both Japanese and Mexican ingredients have a huge influence on my menus. And this dish is no exception.

Closely cropped vertical image of a white dinner plate of spinach, black beans, grilled corn, roasted sweet potatoes, and small red and yellow tomatoes, with a small glass pitcher of miso dressing, whole red grape tomatoes, and a corn husk in the background, on a surface topped with a large piece of brown paper.

I would compare this to a taco salad, but it really has little to do with your typical taco. You won’t find any meat or crema in this vegan recipe!

However, putting black beans and corn together in a dish with some tortilla chips crumbled on top, the comparison is clear. But the shining stars here are, in fact, roasted sweet potato and homemade miso dressing.

Vertical image of a bed of spinach on a plate on top of a folded white cloth napkin, topped with halved red and yellow cherry tomatoes, black beans, and roasted sweet potatoes, with a beige-colored miso dressing being poured from a pitcher at the top right of the frame, and scattered tomatoes, a plate of blue corn chips, and an ear of grilled corn in the background.

You’ve got it all: sweet and salty, crunchy and leafy, spicy, hearty, and fresh. In the warm weather, I love serving dishes like this for dinner, slow roasting the veggies on the grill after the sun has gone down and the heat of the day has begun to dissipate. But you could really make this at any time of year, on the stove or even in the oven.

Closeup of a spinach salad with red and yellow cherry tomatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, grilled corn, and crumbled blue corn chips, on a white plate on top of a folded white cloth napkin.

The combination of fresh and roasted ingredients in a salad is key, to get that perfect mixture of flavors and textures. And don’t forget all of the awesome vitamins!

For a touch of added visual interest, I love the combination here of red and yellow cherry tomatoes that I found at the farmers market. These were very similar in flavor, but they add a bright pop of color. We eat with our eyes first, after all!

Vertical image of a square plastic basket of red grape tomatoes and yellow pear-shaped tomatoes, on a crumpled piece of brown butcher paper.

Here’s the plan:

Cut your sweet potato into small pieces, either scrubbed well or peeled. Cook ’em up on the stove (or on a griddle pan on the grill) until they’re almost blackened on all sides.

A pile of diced, raw orange sweet potato with brown skin, on a wrinkled piece of brown butcher craft paper.

The natural sugars in the root vegetables make them caramelize and darken quickly on the outside, but you don’t want them to burn. Cutting them small will help to ensure that they cook all the way through.

Vertical image of a cast iron pan of browned pieces of orange sweet potato, on a crumpled brown paper background.

Toss with cherry tomatoes, pile on top of a bed of greens, and drizzle some spicy and umami-rich miso dressing on top. Ta-da!

Vertical top-down shot of a white plate of roasted corn, black bean, sweet potato, tomato, and spinach salad, on top of a folded white cloth napkin, with a serving spoon on the edge of the plate, with a grilled ear of corn in the blackened husk, a small white plate of blue corn chips, and a glass pitcher of miso dressing, on a surface topped with a crumpled piece of brown butcher paper.

Oh yeah. Don’t forget the chips. Really, don’t.

The blue corn ones are my favorite in terms of color and texture, but whatever variety you choose, they’re the perfect topping for a bit of added crunch. If you won’t be serving your salad right away, wait to put all of the elements together until the last minute, so the leaves won’t wilt and the chips won’t become soggy.

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A large white plate topped with a base layer of spinach, topped with black beans, red and yellow halved grape tomatoes, grilled corn kernels, and chopped roasted orange sweet potato, with a round serving spoon, on a white folded napkin, on top of a table spread with a large brown piece of craft paper.

Roasted Sweet Potato, Corn, and Black Bean Salad with Spicy Miso Dressing

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  • Author: Raquel Smith
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
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Description

A delicious vegan, veggie-packed recipe that’s reminiscent of a taco salad. The roasted sweet potato and spicy miso dressing are the stars of this dish! This is the perfect dinner for a warm summer night.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Salad:

  • 1 ear corn, cooked (see note)
  • 2 small sweet potatoes
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 15-oz can black beans
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 2 cups lightly packed spinach
  • 1/4 cup crumbled tortilla chips

For the Dressing:

Instructions

  1. Cook the corn using your favorite method. See the note below for ours.
  2. Peel (if desired) and cut the sweet potatoes into a small 1-centimeter dice. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan placed over medium heat. Add the potatoes and cook, stiffing often, until browned on all sides and soft throughout, about 25 minutes. Turn the heat down if necessary, to avoid burning on the outside before they are cooked through.
  3. While the sweet potatoes cook, make the dressing. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl and stir with a whisk until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Drain and rinse the black beans in a colander, and add them to the pan. Cut the corn kernels off the cob and add them as well. Stir occasionally over medium heat for a few minutes, to heat through. Remove from the heat, and fold in the halved tomatoes.
  5. Divide the spinach equally between two salad plates (or four, if using as a side dish) and divide the potato mixture equally on top. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and sprinkle with crumbled tortilla chips.

Notes

Fill a pot with enough water to fully submerge the corn, and soak in the husk (i.e. not shucked) for 15-20 minutes. Grill over high heat for 20 minutes, turning occasionally. Let cool before shucking.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes

Whether you’re looking for a meal to serve your friends on Cinco de Mayo or a vegetarian side to add to a potluck barbecue, this dish is a winner. And part of the beauty of it is, once you’ve got the technique down, you can switch things up with whatever beans or veggies you have on hand.

A large white plate topped with a base layer of spinach, topped with black beans, red and yellow halved grape tomatoes, grilled corn kernels, and chopped roasted orange sweet potato, with a round serving spoon, on a white folded napkin, on top of a table spread with a large brown piece of craft paper.

Where will you serve this delicious summer salad? It’s a fun alternative to more traditional potato salads, like our oil and vinegar recipe. Share with us in the comments below, and don’t forget to give this recipe a rating while you’re there.

And for even more deliciousness featuring seasonal produce, try our recipes for Sweet Corn Pancakes and Summertime Corn Chowder.

If you’re looking for a stash of sweet potato recipes, we’ve got you:

Don’t forget to Pin It!

A collage of photos showing a salad made with roasted sweet potatoes, corn, black beans, leaf lettuce, spinach and a miso-based dressing.

Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on July 18th, 2014. Last updated: July 29, 2021 at 13:24 pm. With additional writing and editing by Allison Sidhu.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Raquel Smith

Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).

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4 thoughts on “Roasted Sweet Potato, Corn, and Black Bean Salad with Spicy Miso Dressing”

  2. I LOVE all the flavors you combined in this, and the dressing looks so fantastic 🙂 I can just about taste it through your pictures! So excited to make!!

    Reply

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