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.
One reader, Pat, commented: “I don’t often comment on recipes that I’ve tried, but this one was so delicious that I wanted to say something! What a perfect fall salad… it was the most delicious part of a lovely dinner! I will be making it again and happily serving it to guests. ★★★★★“
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.
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!!
Print
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: serves 6
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
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.
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups (about 550g) peeled and sliced butternut squash (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick)
- 1 (15-ounce/425g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 to 2 bunches curly kale, stems discarded and torn into pieces (about 5 cups/320g chopped)
- 1 apple, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup (120g) chopped pecans (toasted if desired)
- 1/3 cup (50g) dried cherries or dried cranberries
- 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) crumbled goat cheese
Maple Cider Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 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 the 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.
- 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
- What Can I Use Instead of Kale? Spinach or spring greens are a great substitute. In step 6, pour most of the dressing on top of the greens and instead of massaging into the greens, just toss together. Then continue with the rest of the step, including adding the remaining ingredients and drizzling the remaining dressing on top.
- 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.
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 341
- Sugar: 14.9 g
- Sodium: 574.1 mg
- Fat: 19.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 38.2 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 4.4 mg
Can you use Acorn squash instead of Butternut Squash?
Definitely!
I love this salad! I used a little Feta instead of goat cheese and substituted kale with Spring Mix. Really delicious
This salad is incredible, and does indeed make you feel good after eating it! So many ways to customize it as well. Highly recommended as a beautiful fall salad.
It was absolutely beautiful! Made it with vegan feta cheese and dried cranberries, other than that followed recipe to the letter. I highly recommend toasting pecans. It should be called “Feel good salad” as it has left me in high spirits. Looking forward for leftovers tomorrow.
P.S. For those who never made salad with kale, please don’t skip massaging it with dressing as it turns into loveliness that way.
Is this salad a little bit of work? Yes. BUT OH MY GOODNESS this is one of the best salads I have ever eaten in my life! My husband was pleasantly surprised and couldn’t believe he actually ate kale. I highly recommend this salad and definitely see making this again and again.
Fresh kale and butternut squash from the backyard in Illinois combined with these ingredients made a delicious, wholesome dinner. What a treat. I highly recommend this flavorful, filling salad. Thank you!
Easy and delicious. Perfect fall salad.
Just made last night…it’s now in my rotations and may just top with fried egg and crumbled bacon as a brunch entree for November at our boutique B&B <3 Yes it was that good! As a chef I like flexible recipes that provide countless variations for diet and preferences. This on is a winner! As a part time vegan I omitted the cheese and made it exactly as recipe noted except subbed out the vinegar for cranberry pear balsamic. Well done Sally!! Thanks for the Autumn Inso
This recipe looks very delicious! You mentioned the squash and chickpeas could be baked 1-3 days ahead of time. If we make the salad on the day it will be eaten, then the chickpeas will be crunchy, correct? Will they be soft and lose crunchiness/flavor by sitting for 1-3 days in the fridge? I’m new to baking chickpeas, so I’m unsure of the outcome.
Hi Kathy, they may lose a bit of crunch over time, but you could pop them back in the oven for a few minutes to help warm them up and bring back some of that crunchiness.