Let me introduce you to one of my favorite sorghum recipes: Sweet Potato Sorghum Salad with Feta! This is a delicious side dish you can serve year-round, but it’s especially delicious on your holiday tables. Keep scrolling to learn more about this naturally gluten-free ancient grain!
You might have seen from my other sorghum recipes that I’m a pretty big fan of the stuff. This time, I wanted to combine my seasonal favorites and test out something that might work as a hearty side for holiday meals. After all, they’re just around the corner and only getting closer! Sweet potatoes, dried cranberries, feta crumbles, and pumpkin seeds (pepitas) all make an appearance in this sweet and savory salad.
While on the hunt for some recipe inspiration I stumbled upon this mix from Savory Simple and made a few tweaks to it. Check out the original to see what it looks like with butternut squash and dates! This would be perfect to prep a day ahead of your family’s feast. It’s just as good served warm, at room temperature, or even slightly chilled, so work smarter (not harder) in your kitchen this holiday season!
[Tweet “Prep this Sweet Potato Sorghum Salad ahead of time to make holiday meals easier!”]
If that holiday stress starts getting to you this might be the cure: peel the skin off a few sweet potatoes, then slice a thin layer off of one of the sides. This gives you a flat surface to put against your cutting board. It’s much safer to cut vs. trying to balance a wobbly, unstable sweet potato as you cut. Hack the sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Continue until you have the 2 1/2 cups this sorghum recipe calls for or until your stress starts to melt away…who doesn’t feel better after aggressively chopping some veggies?
But in all seriousness, this recipe is flexible enough it should be low stress for everyone. Don’t have pecans? No big deal, add walnuts instead. Don’t like pumpkin seeds? How about sunflower seeds instead…cool. No feta on the shelf after the holiday shopping rush? Snag some goat cheese instead. Really, I mean it. Take this recipe and do what you will with it, I’ll never know and I can almost guarantee you that the next time I make it myself it’s going to look different.
Sorghum is a grain that can be easily prepped ahead of time and stored in the fridge or freezer until needed. Its texture is hearty and dense, so it will stand up to thawing and reheating better than some other grains that are either smaller or softer. No one’s gonna be happy with soggy sorghum recipes. So I skipped any kind of dressing and let the sweet/salty combo of dried fruit + feta do its thing instead. Flavor party ensued.
[Tweet “This Sweet Potato Sorghum Salad is plant-based and packed with nutrition, fiber, and FLAVOR!”]
For many sorghum recipes, the sorghum isn’t the only thing that can be prepped ahead of time. If you plan on pre-roasting the sweet potatoes, just take them out a few minutes earlier than you normally would. This can help you avoid over-roasting, which will cause the sweet potatoes to break apart or get mashed when you combine them into the finished recipe.
When you’re ready to serve, simply fold all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl like I did here. That’s it! Just a few simple cooking steps, some colorful ingredients, and you’re all set.
Here is the recipe for Sweet Potato Sorghum Salad with Feta:
Sweet Potato Sorghum Salad with Feta
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pearled sorghum, uncooked
- 3 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2″ cubes
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- Fine sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup pecans, halves or pieces
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup crumbled feta
Instructions
- Combine the water and low-sodium vegetable broth in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pearled sorghum and stir. Reduce heat to a simmer, then cover and cook 40-45 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
- While the sorghum is cooking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and peel the sweet potatoes, then roughly chop into 3/4″-1" cubes. In a large mixing bowl, combine sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper and gently toss to combine. Spread evenly in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until edges begin to slightly brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
- In a separate bowl, add the cooked sorghum, sweet potatoes, dried cranberries, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and feta. Gently fold together until combined. Serve warm or at room temperature, or store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Questions & Reviews
Congrats on your wedding! I’m sure it was the most beautiful day despite the struggles of wedding logistics- dang rental companies! This salad looks incredible! Can’t wait to try it!
It’s always gotta be something right? At the end of the day we still got married, which was the main goal anyways! Thanks for stopping by to check it out!
This looks so tasty!!!
Thanks Liz!
Congrats on becoming a married woman!! This looks soo incredibly delicious!
Thank you Sarah!
This is such a pretty and healthy recipe!
Thanks Amy!
I NEED to try this! It looks like Thanksgiving in a bowl 🙂
Mission accomplished! Enjoy!
Yum! Clearly I’m a sorghum fan and would love this recipe!! 🙂
Thanks Lauren! It’s a staple in my kitchen now, I love it!
Sorghum wins again! Congrats on your wedding Cara, now the real fun begins.
So much fun! Thank you 🙂
Beautiful! Love all the color and mix-ins of this sorghum and sweet potato dish!
Thank you Lauren!
That absolutely looks amazing!
Thank you!
Happy wedding!! This is a powerhouse of a bowl!! LOVE it!!
Thank you, much appreciated!
Congrats on your recent wedding- so exciting!! This salad is gorgeous. I love all the flavor and texture contrasts you have going on here. I still haven’t made sorghum at home, I need to fix this ASAP 🙂
Thanks Sonali! We had such a great time, but it’s also so nice to settle back into normal…AKA cooking and eating at home!
I just made this for a party tomorrow night. Delicious, but seems dry to us. Any recommendations as to what we could add at the last minute as a dressing?
Stephanie, glad to hear you gave it a try! It is meant to be on the drier side (no dressing included in the recipe) so I would recommend something like a sweet vinaigrette if you want to add one. Something like 2 parts olive oil, 1 part apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar is a good place to start, then adjust for your tastes with salt/pepper/spices. I have also done a light honey mustard with a similar recipe to add a little tartness without being too much. Thank you!
Cara, thank you. Found a recipe for cranberry vinegrette and added just enough for a little tartness. Husband and I both could not stop tasting this even before I did so. Yum.
Glad to hear it, thank you!