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Close up of fall kale salad.
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4.84 from 6 votes

Fall Kale Salad with Butternut Squash

Roasted butternut squash is paired with this fall kale salad with cranberries, apples, and pecans for a colorful autumnal plate that can stand alone as a main dish or a side at your Thanksgiving or Christmas meal.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 6
Calories: 181kcal
Author: Alison Corey

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 4 cups chopped kale
  • 4 cups fresh spinach
  • 1 medium butternut squash
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 Honeycrisp Apples thinly sliced
  • ½ cup dried cranberries sugar free
  • ¼ cup pecans

Maple Dijon Dressing

  • 3 tablespoon vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon thyme

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 F. Chop butternut squash into one inch pieces.
  • Evenly spread the squash on a sheet pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in preheated oven and roast for 25-30 minutes, flipping once.
  • Wash, de-stem, and finely chop 1 bunch of kale while butternut squash is roasting.
  • Whisk together vegetable broth, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, maple syrup, thyme, and pepper.
  • Pour dressing over the kale. Massage the kale by squeezing and rubbing the kale for 2-5 minutes or until the kale darkens and softens. Add spinach and toss.
  • Thinly slice apples.
  • Place greens on the bottom of a serving tray or salad bowl. Top with roasted butternut squash, cranberries, apple slices, and walnuts. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

How to Chop a Butternut Squash:
  1. Pierce the butternut squash a few times with a fork and microwave for two minutes to help soften it.
  2. Cut the bottom and the top off the butternut squash.
  3. Cut the squash in half at the place where the squash begins to widen.
  4. Set one-half of the squash on your cutting board so that it lays flat. Using a sharp knife or peeler starting at the top and cutting downward remove the peel of the squash.
  5. Remove all the peel and the green lines that appear as these are places on the squash that are tough to eat.
  6. After you've peeled both halves, cut the wide half in half and remove the seeds with a spoon.
  7. Cut the peeled and seeded squash into one-inch pieces.
Tips for Making Fall Kale Salad
  • Add the dressing to the kale first so that you can massage the kale to make it less tough. Then add the spinach and gently toss. Spinach can easily bruise, so you want to add it to the kale after it's been massaged.
  • If you use whole butternut squash you will either have some extra leftovers, or a lot of butternut squash for your salad.
  • You can buy sweetened cranberries or unsweetened ones. The unsweetened is quite tart. So what you use is based on your preference.
  • Top with pumpkin seeds for more crunch.
  • Dress the salad just before you're ready to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 288mg | Potassium: 813mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 19687IU | Vitamin C: 77mg | Calcium: 211mg | Iron: 2mg