Roasted Butternut Squash Salad Recipe with Kale

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Celebrate autumn in all its glory with this delicious roasted butternut squash salad.

It’s got a beautiful blend of flavors and textures, including leafy kale, sweet-tart cranberries, salty pepitas, creamy goat cheese and crunchy pine nuts.

But the best part of this delicious salad? The creamy, smoky ranch dressing.

While most fall salads have dressings made with apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and Dijon mustard – and I’m not knocking those kinds of dressings – this one takes things in a totally different direction.

And let me tell you, it makes all the difference. 

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to create this hearty salad:

• Butternut squash. This time of year, many grocery stores offer butternut squash already cubed and packaged. It’s worth the convenience to grab this if you can find it. 
• Tuscan kale. It’s a bit milder and less fibrous than curly kale, making it much tastier in salads.
• Dried cranberries
• Pine nuts
• Pepitas. These are basically pumpkin seeds without their hulls. Pepitas are lighter and crunchier than regular pumpkin seeds. You can find them in most grocery stores. 
• Goat cheese. Buy that kind that is already crumbled so that it’s easy to sprinkle on top of the salad.

For the salad dressing, you’ll need the following:

• Buttermilk
• Mayonnaise
• Chipotle chili in adobo sauce. You can find this in little cans in the Latin aisle of the grocery store. 
• Garlic
• Honey
• Lime juice

How to Make this Salad

Roast the Butternut Squash

Start by tossing your cubed squash in a little bit of olive oil. Season it with sea salt and black pepper and roast it on a sheet pan in the oven. It’s super simple. 

Make the Salad Dressing

While your squash is roasting, make the chipotle ranch salad dressing. The easiest way to do this is to put all of the ingredients into a mason jar or other airtight container with a lid. Then, shake the jar vigorously to combine the ingredients.

Alternatively, whisk everything together in a small bowl. 

Toast the Pine Nuts

Place the pine nuts in a dry frying pan and heat them over medium-low heat. Be sure to move them around the pan constantly until they turn brown and give off a nutty aroma. Then, set them aside. 

Assemble the Salad

Place the kale into a large salad bowl and top it with roasted squash, goat cheese, toasted pine nuts, pepitas and dried cranberries. 

Variations on this Salad Recipe

1. The salad greens: If kale isn’t your thing, try spring mix greens, baby spinach or Swiss chard. 

2. The mix-ins: Experiment with pomegranate seeds, sunflower seeds and pecans for flavor and textural variations.

3. The cheese: Try crumbled feta cheese or blue cheese as alternatives to goat cheese. 

Serving Suggestions

1. As an entrée: This recipe makes enough for 4 entrée-size salads. Serve it along with a loaf of crusty bread for a simple, rustic meal. 

2. As a side dish: This is a great recipe to serve alongside roast turkey or chicken. You’ll get 8 side dish portions out of this recipe. 

3. At a holiday dinner: This colorful salad makes a beautiful addition to a Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving or Christmas table. 

Make Ahead/Storage

If you’d like to meal prep or store leftovers of this salad, you’ll get the best results from storing the components individually.

Store the pepitas, cranberries and pine nuts in airtight containers at room temperature. Roast the squash and refrigerate it in a sealed container, and do the same with the dressing. Wash the kale and store it in the refrigerator. 

When you want to enjoy your salad, reheat the squash in the oven (a microwave might make it soggy), assemble the rest of the ingredients and enjoy! 

If your salad is already dressed, I would not recommend storing it, as the kale will become wilted and soggy.

Is Butternut Squash healthy?

Yes indeed! Butternut squash is rich in fiber, potassium and vitamin C. It’s also low in fat and calories, but because it’s high in fiber, it will make you feel fuller for longer. A total win-win. 

​Combine butternut squash with kale, a nutritional powerhouse in its own right, and you’ve got a super healthy salad right here. 

When you make this roasted butternut squash salad, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy! 

For more salad recipes, try these:

• Autumn Harvest Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing
• Brussels Sprouts Salad with Cornbread Croutons
• Classic Caesar Salad with Sourdough Croutons

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

A seasonal blend of creamy squash, crisp kale, tart cranberries & salty pepitas

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

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The Salad

• 1 1/2 lbs. butternut squash cubed
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 8 cups Tuscan kale rinsed and chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup salted pepitas

The Dressing

• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 tsp. honey
• 1 tsp. minced chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cubed squash with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer onto a baking sheet. Roast squash for 30 minutes.
• While the squash is roasting, toast the pine nuts: Heat the pine nuts in a small, dry frying pan over medium heat. Continue to move them around the pan until they start to brown and become fragrant. Remove onto a paper towel.
• To make the dressing, place all ingredients in a glass jar or plastic container with a lid. Seal tightly and shake vigorously until all ingredients are combined.
• Assemble the salad ingredients in a large bowl, place roasted squash on top and dress generously.

Keyword entree salad, gluten free, low fat, vegetarian

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