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)
- 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!!
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Maple-Roasted Squash & Kale Salad
- 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.
Ingredients
- 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
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 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.
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
- 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.
Nutrition
- 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
So tasty.
Cooked the kale first though as when I tried it, before mixing everything together, and found it too tough. After cooking dried it and let it cool before mixing with the dressing. Perfect accompaniment to mac n cheese
I never leave a comment but this salad is AMAZING!!! So many flavors that complement each other. I did not change a single thing. My kitchen smelled so good when making this! My only problem is how to limit myself to only one serving This would be great as a side dish for the holidays! Thanks again!
I’m so happy to read that you loved this! I was debating even putting it on my website since it’s not really baking at all (though you are roasting that squash!). We couldn’t stop eating it. It’s a new favorite!
I’ve never used kale before. Should I chop it? Tear it? Take the center rib out and just use leaves? Thank you.
Hi Christi, discard the stems. Tear the leaves into pieces, or chop. You’ll need about 5 cups/320g chopped.
Oh my goodness, this salad made THE BEST lunch! I love how the flavors all go so well together. Really worth the minimal effort to
roast the squash !
I made this for dinner tonight and couldn’t stop eating it! So delicious!
Soooo good, Sally!!!
Made this for dinner tonight! Soooooo,(!!!!!!!) good! I was sure to roast the nuts. Made sure the squash caramelized a bit. 100% will make for the holidays… and def in the next few weeks! Delicious!!! Yum
What can I use instead of Kale?
Hi Ann, you can use any greens you would like, but skip the massaging step if you don’t use kale. Kale is nice here because it is quite sturdy and hearty with the heavier toppings.
Yes! Totally making this right now! Will report back tonight! (Smells amazing in oven right now!)
How thick do you slice the squash? I usually cube mine to roast
Hi Lisa, I meant to include that. Between 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch thick. You can cube it.
This looks like a winner. I tried several ways to print it out but it defaults to 5” x 7” size paper no matter what I do. Couldn’t print two of the pages using your print function. Tried copying and pasting into a new document, prints out so tiny and there was no way to edit it. Could be something to do with trying to print the version you make available on mobile devices versus desktop computers? I’m really not sure why. I may have to rewrite the entire recipe into a new document in order to print it correctly. Darn!
Love your recipes, though. I recommend your website all the time.
Hi Carol, thank you so much for recommending my website to others!
I just tested this from my phone and desktop. It seems to be working normally as intended. You can change the text size on the print page. See “Text Size” options at the top of the print page. On your printer options, be sure to select Portrait layout and standard letter-size paper. If the problem persists, send me an email and I can get in touch with my tech support. sally(at)sallysbakingaddiction.com
I haven’t made this yet, but will this week sometime. This salad looks and sounds delicious, every recipe I have made from you turns out fantastic. When you come up on my phone I always click on it immediately, thank you, thank you ❣️
Thank you for trusting my recipes, Charlotte!
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it, but I am allergic to chickpeas — is there another bean that will roast just as well? Thank you!
Any white bean would be fabulous, or even black beans.
Can you substitute spinach instead of kale for this receipt? Family is not a big fan of kale.
Absolutely! See recipe Note.
Sally, I have followed you for years and own your cookbooks. Love your recipes.
On this recipe is there any substitute for Dijon mustard? I don’t care for it. Thank you
Hi jk, thank you so much for the support. I have another book coming out next September. It’s my favorite one so far. I cannot wait! For the mustard here, you can just leave it out.
That’s a bowl of Yum and Healthy! I’m making asap! Thank You for all your outstanding recipes!!
The maple roasted squash kale salad sounds amazing but kale does not agree with my stomach! Can I substitute some other greens? Would it change the recipe that much?
Hi Betty, spring greens or spinach would be excellent substitutes!