Salad tends to be included on the menu of big holiday meals like Thanksgiving just to provide a little balance, but ends up being a background dish no one really cares about. Next to the turkey, herbed stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and homemade rolls, salad is white noise. (Or is that green noise?) But if the host asked you to “bring a salad,” you’re about to have the last laugh. Because this maple-roasted squash kale salad can stand up to any other side dish. My kitchen assistant, Beth, and I dreamed this up, played around with different seasonings, add-ins, and dressings, and decided it was good… no… FANTASTIC enough to publish on my baking website. Get ready to hear what you never thought you would: “Can you send me the recipe for that salad?”
Here’s Why This Will Be Your New Favorite Salad
Tastes great cold, room temp, or even warm Still tastes fabulous the next day! Can make everything ahead and then simply assemble before serving Colorful and nutritious A healthy side dish, or a vegetarian main Can make it vegan by simply omitting the cheese Customizable—see below for suggested swaps
Here’s What You’ll Taste in This Butternut Squash Kale Salad
Maple-roasted butternut squash Seasoned, toasted chickpeas Hearty, healthy curly kale Crisp, sweet apple (choose a good eating variety, such as Honeycrisp or Fuji) Nutty pecans Chewy, sweet-tart dried cherries (or dried cranberries) Creamy goat cheese Quick and easy maple cider vinaigrette dressing
You need the following:
Start by Roasting the Squash & Chickpeas
Begin by mixing a few seasonings together. Cumin, coriander, garlic powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. If you’ve made this 1-pan apple cider chicken before, you already have most of these spices in your kitchen! Next, slice a peeled and deseeded butternut squash into thin half-moons. Place them, along with some drained and rinsed chickpeas, in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the seasoning mix, then drizzle everything with maple syrup and olive oil. Stir/toss everything together until the squash and chickpeas are nicely coated. Spread out in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. After roasting, the squash will be soft with caramelized edges, and the chickpeas will be toasted and have an almost nutty texture.
Simple Maple Cider Vinaigrette
For this you need olive oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. (Most of which you used for the roasted squash.) Massage the dressing into the kale with your hands. Yes, massage the kale leaves—it tenderizes the raw kale, making it infinitely more pleasant to chew. Once the squash and chickpeas have cooled for a bit, gently toss with the kale and the remaining ingredients.
Suggested Substitutions
Customize it: Try pepitas instead of pecans; dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots instead of cherries; blue cheese instead of goat cheese (or leave the cheese out to make it vegan). Use delicata squash instead of butternut (bonus: no need to peel!); or slice up a pear instead of an apple. You could also add a cooked grain, such as quinoa, farro, or wheatberries, for some added heartiness and chewy texture. My team and I cannot stop eating this salad. With all the taste testing we do here at Sally’s Baking HQ, we have learned to limit ourselves… but then came along this delicious and nutritious dish. Good thing this recipe makes a giant bowl, and that it still tastes great the next day!! There are a few ways to get ahead with this salad, so you simply have to assemble it in the serving dish the day you plan to serve it—very helpful for big holiday meals!
You can roast the squash and chickpeas and store them (once cooled) in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also make the dressing in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Give it a good whisk again before using.
