This Fall Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash is a little sweet, a little savory, warm, and hearty. It's a simply delicious addition to your next dinner spread or holiday meal.
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all the fall flavors in one hearty salad
I've been making this Fall Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash for Thanksgiving for a very long time. It's full of fall flavors thanks to a seasonal fruits and vegetables including avocado, squash, kale, apples, and pomegranates. They're all hearty, healthy, and immune-boosting, too!
This warm salad is a little sweet, a little savory, and has great crunch. It's simply delicious and a great addition to your next family dinner spread or holiday meal. You can also enjoy it as a hearty lunch! It'll fill you up with all the good stuff! Plus, it holds up great as leftovers.
Ingredients for this Fall Kale Salad
Butternut Squash: I love how sweet and hearty this winter squash is. The flavor isn't overwhelming, making it easy to pair with other ingredients. We'll use about half a large butternut squash for this salad. Use the rest in this Harvest Chicken Casserole!
Olive Oil: You can use another neutral oil you prefer as well.
Salt + Pepper: To taste.
Kale: This green is PACKED with healthy nutrients and is a great salad base.
Quinoa: Adds such wonderful warmth and fluffiness to this salad. It's also full of amazing health benefits.
Fuji Apple Dressing: This is an incredible Panera Bread dressing you can buy bottled at the grocery store. It truly brings this salad together!
Pomegranate Seeds: Tart and sweet, these add great flavor dimension.
Apple: I used a Honeycrisp apple. They're a little on the sweeter side.
Cranberries: I used dried cranberries.
Pumpkin Seeds: Not only do these add a nice crunch, but they're great for you.
Avocado: For some nice, creamy texture.
Tools & Equipment Needed
To bring this Kale Fall Salad together, you will need a cutting board, knife, serving bowl, measuring cups, sheet pan, vegetable peeler, salad tongs, and parchment paper.
How to make this Fall Kale Salad
The first thing we'll want to do is roast the butternut squash. It's the most time consuming part of making this salad. Follow these steps for perfectly roasted butternut squash:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove the skin on the squash with a vegetable peeler. Then, using a knife, slice the squash in half horizontally like a hot dog.
- Remove the seeds with a spoon. Then, chop into ¼”-¾” slices. Cut those slices into cubes.
- Add cubed squash to a sheet pan and toss with salt, pepper, and olive oil. You could even toss with a little Italian seasoning for some more flavor.
- Roast for 25-30 minutes until the cubes are nice and caramelized. Toss 2-3 times while cooking to ensure cubes are cooked equally.
While the butternut squash roasts, you can prepare the rest of the fall kale salad: - Cook 1 cup of quinoa according to package instructions. You can also use a 90-second precooked quinoa packet. It's time efficient and still delicious!
- Dice your apple into cubes (or thin slices if you prefer) and slice your avocado.
- Chop kale and place in a bowl. Massage it for 2-3 minutes with the Fuji Apple Dressing. This will soften the kale to take away any of its bitterness and infuse it with flavor.
- Add apple, avocado, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, and dried cranberries to the bowl.
- When butternut squash is complete, remove from pan and add to the salad. You can add the squash while it's warm to slightly wilt the kale for a softer salad texture.
- Toss and enjoy!
Perfectly roasting butternut squash
Customize your fall kale salad
While this salad is delicious on it's own, there are plenty of ways to mix and match ingredients and bulk it up. Here are some of my recommendations:
- Add a protein. You could add grilled shrimp, pork, or shredded chicken. Check out my Ninja Foodi Grilled Chicken Recipe for step by step instructions of perfectly prepared chicken.
- Change up the dressing. You could use a homemade lemon vinaigrette, Italian, or a creamy bleu cheese dressing.
- Throw in some cheese. This salad is dairy free as it is, but that doesn't mean a creamy gouda, feta or crumbled goat cheese wouldn't taste amazing.
- Swap out the greens. I know kale isn't everyone's first choice. You could make this salad with a spring mix, spinach blend, or keep it simple with a cabbage slaw.
- Introduce new fruits. Use a different apple flavor or get wild with some pears. Berries, peaches, or plums would also taste delicious!
Step by step: building Kale Fall Salad With Butternut Squash
Storing your fall kale salad
This salad is best stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The heartiness from the kale will keep it from getting soggy too quickly as compared to a more delicate green like arugula or butter lettuce.
Fall Kale Salad Tips for Success:
Seasoned ingredients are better! Massaging and infusing the kale with the flavor from the dressing and removing its bitterness as well as seasoning the squash properly are key.
Don't undercook your squash. We want the butternut squash browned and caramelized. This brings out its sweetness and gives it the best texture.
Check out these other delicious salad recipes
Kale Fall Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash
Equipment
- sheet pan
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Measuring Cups
- Serving bowl
- Vegetable peeler
- Salad tongs
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- ½ large butternut squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 cup quinoa
- 5 oz kale, chopped
- ½ cup Panera Bread Fuji Apple Dressing
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup honeycrisp apple, chopped
- ½ avocado
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
To roast the butternut squash
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove the skin on the squash with a vegetable peeler. Then, using a knife, slice the squash in half horizontally like a hot dog.
- Remove the seeds with a spoon. Then, chop into ¼”-¾” slices. Cut those slices into cubes.
- Add cubed squash to a sheet pan and toss with salt, pepper, and olive oil. You could even toss with a little Italian seasoning for some more flavor.
- Roast for 25-30 minutes. You may need more or less time depending on the size of the squash you used. Toss 2-3 times while cooking to ensure cubes are cooked equally.
For the salad:
- Cook 1 cup of quinoa according to package instructions. You can also use a 90-second precooked quinoa packet. It's time efficient and still delicious!
- Dice your apple into cubes (or thin slices if you prefer) and slice your avocado.
- Chop kale and place in a bowl. Massage it for 2-3 minutes with the Fuji Apple Dressing. This will soften the kale to take away some of its bitterness and infuse it with flavor.
- Add apple, avocado, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, and dried cranberries to the bowl.
- When butternut squash is complete, remove from pan and add to the salad.
- Toss and enjoy!
Notes
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved, something that you think it might need, or just say hi!
looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you're using MyFitnessPal, search 'A Paige Of Positivity' and find Kale and Butternut Squash Salad
1 serving (with dressing): 65 grams Carbs | 23 grams Fat | 12 grams Protein
**Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
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