Full of fall and winter’s best produce and tossed with a maple vinaigrette, this maple-roasted squash kale salad will be your new favorite. It’s packed with tasty add-ins including generously seasoned toasted chickpeas, apples, goat cheese, pecans, and dried cherries. This colorful, healthful salad is make-ahead friendly, and makes for a lovely lighter Thanksgiving side dish.
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)
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.
Make-Ahead Suggestions
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.
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!!
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Maple-Roasted Squash Kale Salad
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Author: Sally
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:35 minutes
Total Time:50 minutes
Yield:serves 6
Category:Dinner
Method:Roasting
Cuisine:American
Description
Full of fall and winter’s best produce, seasoned toasted chickpeas, and tossed with a maple cider vinaigrette, this maple-roasted squash kale salad will be your new favorite salad in the cooler months. See Notes for make-ahead options and substitution suggestions.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Line 1 or 2 large baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or silicone baking mat(s). Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together cumin, coriander, garlic powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
In a large bowl, toss the squash and chickpeas with the seasoning mix. Drizzle maple syrup and olive oil over top, then stir everything together until the squash and chickpeas are coated. Spread squash and chickpeas in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet(s).
Roast for 20 minutes, then flip the squash slices over and stir the chickpeas around. If you are using 2 baking sheets, rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom/bottom to top. Roast for another 10–15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes.
Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients.
Assemble the salad: Place the kale in a large bowl. Pour most of dressing on top (reserve about 2 Tablespoons), and use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale leaves until completely coated. Top with roasted squash and chickpeas, apple slices, pecans, dried cherries, and crumbled goat cheese. Drizzle remaining dressing on top, and gently toss to combine. Serve the salad room temperature or cold.
Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions: 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. You can prepare the squash and chickpeas through step 4 and after they cool completely, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can 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. When you’re ready to serve the salad, continue with step 6.
Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Silicone Spatula | Baking Sheet | Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mats | Whisk
Substitutions: 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; or slice up a pear instead of an apple. You could also add around 1 cup of a cooked grain, such as quinoa, farro, or wheatberries, for some added heartiness and chewy texture.
