Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Salad

This roasted butternut squash and kale salad features all of the best produce and ingredients for Fall. Fluffy quinoa, tangy pomegranate, crisp pumpkin seeds, and a light and fresh vinaigrette you will drown everything in. Serve this as a side dish for your next party!

I love salads, but there is nothing worse than a salad with no substance or flavor. I mean, if I’m going to eat a pile of greens I want it to actually taste good!

There is a special place in my heart for arugula salads, but nothing beats my vegan kale caesar salad or Mediterranean chickpea salad.

I’ve found the key to a good salad is less about what goes in the salad and more about what goes ON it. Dressing!!

Dressings are the key to getting salads to taste good, and this butternut squash and kale salad has a simple and tangy vinaigrette that you’re going to love.

How To Cube Squash

Butternut squash is much easier to cube than you may think. You are welcome to buy pre-cubed squash if you are low on time, but I’m going to make it really easy for you.

The first step is to cut the ends of the squash off. You will need a very sharp knife for this so just be sure you are on a flat service in case anything slips.

Once the ends are off, use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin off of the squash.

Because the skin of butternut squash is somewhat thick, you may need to do 2-3 passes on each section to ensure you get it all off. Discard the skin since we won’t be needing it.

Next, once the squash is peeled, cut it widthwise into 1 inch pieces (see middle picture below).

Finally, cut each strip into 1 inch cubes. Depending on the size of squash used and what part of it was cut, you may need to cut each strip into 2 additional strips before cutting into cubes.

Once the squash is all cubed, add it to a large mixing bowl (we need 3 cups of squash for this recipe) and toss with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. For a little spice, feel free to add a small pinch of cayenne.

We all know by now that I am a spice wuss, so I almost always leave it out 🙂

Once the squash is seasoned, spread it onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and roast at 400 for 25-35 minutes. You will know it’s done when it can easily be stabbed with a fork and some edges look a little crispy.

How to make kale taste good!

Don’t tell me you hate kale until you try my kale. Ok, it’s not “my” kale, you paid for it, but I think you catch my drift. I have three essential (but easy) tips to make kale much more enjoyable to eat.

REMOVE THE KALE STEMS: The stems of kale (especially the curly varieties) are incredibly tough and hard to chew. Most bagged kale will not have the stems removed so it’s great for things like smoothies, but less enjoyable for salads.

To remove the stems, grab the end of the stem and quickly glide your fingers all the way down the leaf, until all you are left with is a stem in your hand. If you’re confused by what I mean, check out this tutorial.

MASSAGE IT WELL: This is especially important for curly kale, which is what I recommend for this salad. Massaging kale is less important when using dinosaur kale, but curly kale is tough and you want to break down the cell wall.

I suggest adding the de-stemmed kale to a colander and running it under warm water for about 1-2 minutes, massaging it as it rinses.

Not only will this wash any dirt off the kale, but your hands plus the warm/hot water will really work to break down the cell wall. This will make it much easier (and more pleasant) to chew.

CHOP IT VERY SMALL: Once the kale is washed and massaged, dry it off slightly and either add it to a cutting board and chop it into tiny pieces using a sharp knife.

Alternatively, you can add to a large mixing bowl and use kitchen shears (fancy scissors) to cut it very finely.

How to store

Once prepared, this kale salad will keep in the fridge for about 5 days. I suggest storing the dressing and salad separately for best results.

Ingredients & add-ins

You can use either tri-color, red or white quinoa. I personally like tri-color as it makes the salad look more interesting!

The great thing about salads is that they are very customizable. You can leave out or add in whatever ingredients you want. If you do not have slivered almonds, whole walnuts work really well.

There is no one type of kale that is best for salads, but for this particular recipe I like to use traditional green curly kale. You can use dinosaur/lacinato kale, but I recommend curly for this one!

Need more Fall recipes? Try these!

• Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
• Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta
• Sweet Potato Pancakes
• Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto

Finally, if you make this butternut squash salad, don’t forget to tag me on instagram so I can see your creation! Leave a comment below and let us know how it turns out!