Overhead photo of a salad without dressing, toppings including pickled onions, apple slices, dried cranberries and pepitas.

Why you’ll love this butternut squash and kale salad

  • Roasting the squash adds a delicate caramelized flavor to the sweet butternut squash. It can be done in the oven or sped up with an air fryer.
  • This butternut squash kale salad is a meal prep dream. It holds up to the dressing, doesn’t wilt and it packs a flavorful punch. Plus, you can roast the squash in advance so you’re ready to assemble whenever you want. You can’t go wrong.
  • The balance of flavors in this salad is perfect. The savory pickled onions with the sweetness of apple and tartness of cranberries contrasts the earthiness of the hearty kale and delicate squash. You’re going to love it.

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Ideas

Ingredients:

Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.

  • Butternut squash – You can buy this whole or pre-cut. Either will work, but buying it whole will probably be cheaper. Keep in mind that you really only need 1/2 a squash for this recipe.
  • Pickled onions – I love making pickled onions for salads, but if I’m in a pinch and don’t have time, I will thinly slice and rinse my red onion in cold water to take some of their bite away. It makes a huge difference.
  • Sweetened, dried cranberries – If you don’t have cranberries, you could also substitute golden raisins, but I really recommend the tartness that cranberries bring to the salad.
  • Tahini – Tahini is a sesame paste that is usually found in the international or organic aisle of your grocery store. If you want to substitute this, you could use almond or cashew butter.
  • Lemon juice
  • Maple syrup – You want the real deal maple syrup here, not pancake syrup.
Hands holding a bowl of butternut squash and kale salad, with serving spoons resting in the bowl.

Melissa’s tips for recipe success:

  • Save some time with an air fryer. You can also cook your squash in the air fryer if you don’t want to heat up your whole oven. I do this a lot, and it turns out great.
  • Make the dressing in advance. It stays good for up to 1 week in the fridge.
  • Buy bagged kale. I love to buy pre-washed kale to save myself time.
Close up of kale salad with apple sliced, cranberries, pepitas and roasted butternut squash - tossed in a creamy tahini dressing.

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Butternut Squash and Kale Salad

By: Melissa Belanger
This butternut squash and kale salad is a delicious way to enjoy the winter produce in a hearty salad that’s still light and refreshing. It’s packed with healthy ingredients like squash, apples and toasted pepitas, and tossed with a creamy maple tahini dressing.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
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Ingredients 

For the salad:

  • ½ butternut squash, peeled, cored and chopped (about 3 cups)
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • salt & pepper
  • 6 ounce kale, about 1 head
  • ¼ cup pickled onions
  • ⅓ cup dried cranberries
  • ⅓ cup pepitas
  • 2 medium, 3 small apples, thinly sliced

For the dressing:

  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1/4 lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions 

  • Roast the squash. Preheat your oven to 400˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle the squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast it on the baking sheet for about 25 minutes, or until the squash is tender with golden edges.
  • Make the dressing. In a small bowl or mason jar, whisk the dressing ingredients (tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, olive oil and salt & pepper) together until smooth. Set the dressing aside for later.
  • Massage the kale. Place the kale in a big bowl and add 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt. Use your hands to massage the kale. This softens the kale and takes away bitterness. It can make a huge difference in the texture and flavor. Don't skip this step!
  • Assemble the salad. When the squash has cooled, add it to the kale along with the rest of the salad ingredients. Before serving, add the dressing and toss to evenly coat the salad.

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 17g, Trans Fat: 0.002g, Sodium: 411mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin C: 44mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Hi! I'm Melissa.

I create easy, dairy free recipes because I know how hard living without milk can be. I believe you can live a completely satisfying life without dairy, and I want to teach you how.

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1 Comment

  1. Alphabet says:

    Maple tahini dressing!!! **all the heart eyes** I absolutely love tahini anything. This is genius. Making it for my lunch salads next week!!

    Reply