A Spiced Up Kale & Squash Salad

One of my favorite fall and winter salads, made with roasted butternut squash, massaged kale, spiced pecans, chewy cranberries and crunchy pomegranate seeds. It’s sweet, spicy, tart, and provides some much-desired nourishing Holiday flair on the table – healthy style!

Why this Recipe Works

• Keeps superbly well in fridge! Kale is robust enough to keep its crunch even after sitting dressed in the fridge for a few days.
• Massaging the kale transforms it from fibrous and chewy to tender and crispy.
• The sweetness in the butternut squash is balanced by the spice in the pecans, the tartness of the pomegranate seeds and cranberries, and the acidity in the vinaigrette.

It’s a hearty and healthy salad that keeps on giving! Make it once and enjoy it over a few days, it only gets better and better!

This recipe is inspired from this Make Ahead Roasted Squash & Kale Salad. I changed very little other massaging my kale instead of roasting it cause I desperately crave raw greens on a daily basis, and all the more so during Holiday season! I also added some pomegranate seeds for that fun Holiday touch and tart crunch. Cheers to all sorts of flavors and textures going on in here!

How to Make this Kale & Squash Salad Recipe

Please see my (quasi) step-by-step guide with the corresponding pics below.

Cooks Tips

• To de-stem kale: Use your hands! Grab the stalk of kale, hold it by the stem with one hand, and place the pointer or middle finger and thumb of your other hand around the stem just above the leaves. Pull your fingers along the stem, easily tearing off the leaves.
• Any kind of kale works!
• To peel & cut butternut squash: If you have a heavy-duty peeler, now is the time to use it. Otherwise, use a knife. And def don’t worry about making all the cubes symmetrical. We’re going for quasi the same size.
• Roast squash even longer than ya think you should! A little char around the edges is what we want.
• Make extra pecans for your snacking pleasure!
• Best tool for tossing the finished salad is your hands! The squash will be very tender so gently get your hands in there.
• The dressed salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let it come to room temp before serving.

Have ya tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with #wavesinthekitchen. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!

Let’s get our Holiday flair salad style game on and let’s make waves in the kitchen!

A Spiced Up Fall Kale & Squash Salad

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

One of my favorite fall and winter salads, made with roasted butternut squash, massaged kale, spiced pecans, chewy cranberries and crunchy pomegranate seeds. It’s sweet,spicy,tart, and provides some much-desired nourishing Holiday flair on the table – healthy style!

• Author: Daniela
• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 75 min
• Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x
• Category: Salads
• Method: Roasting
• Cuisine: Californian

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 ½ pounds butternut squash (about 1 large or 2 medium), peeled an cut in ½ inch pieces
• 1 large bunch of kale
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup pomegranate arils, from 1 pomegranate
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 ½ cups pecans
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• pinch of cloves
• pinch of cayenne
• 1 small shallot, finely minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• kosher salt
• pepper

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 400 F. Toss squash pieces with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until squash is tender and well browned around the edges, 45 min – 1 hr. Remove from oven and let cool. Reduce heat to 350 F (for the pecans).

2) While the squash roasts, whisk together shallot, maple syrup, mustard and vinegar, Whisking constantly, drizzle ¼ cup of olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3) De-stem and chop the kale. Either chop with a knife or tear it with your hands. Place kale in a large bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the dressing and massage until tender, 3-5 min. Really get your hands in there and massage!

4) Combine cinnamon, paprika, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the pecans and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 min. Remove from oven and let cool.

5) Assemble all! Add squash to large bowl with kale, followed by pecans, cranberries, and pomegranate seeds. Add more dressing if desired. Toss very gently with your hands. Enjoy!

Notes

• To de-stem kale: Use your hands! Grab the stalk of kale, hold it by the stem with one hand, and place the pointer or middle finger and thumb of your other hand around the stem just above the leaves. Pull your fingers along the stem, easily tearing off the leaves.
• Any kind of kale works!
• To peel & cut butternut squash: If you have a heavy-duty peeler, now is the time to use it. Otherwise, use a knife. And def don’t worry about making all the cubes symmetrical. We’re going for quasi the same size.
• Roast squash even longer than ya think you should! A little char around the edges is what we want.
• Make extra pecans for your snacking pleasure!
• Best tool for tossing the finished salad is your hands! The squash will be very tender so gently get your hands in there.
• The dressed salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let it come to room temp before serving.

Keywords: Salads, Holidays Salads, Squash & Kale Salad