Kale Salad with Cranberries

Kale salad with cranberries, butternut squash, pomegranate, pumpkin seeds, and feta, tossed in a simple balsamic dressing. This kale salad is festive, delicious, and healthy.

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The best way to brighten your holiday table is with this big bowl of kale salad. Pair it with our Herb Roasted Turkey Breast or Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken.

This salad is made with roasted butternut squash, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, feta, and balsamic dressing. It has the perfect blend of crunch, sweetness, and acidity. Basically, everything you want in a good kale salad recipe.

Plus you can easily prepare the butternut squash and the salad dressing few days in advance and have the salad ready in no time!

Ingredients for Kale Salad Recipe

• Butternut squash
• Kale
• Pomegranate seeds
• Dried cranberries
• Pumpkin seeds
• Feta cheese
• Balsamic vinegar
• Honey
• Dijon mustard
• Olive oil

How to Make Kale Salad with Cranberries

First, roast your butternut squash by pre-heating the oven to 450 degrees F. Toss the butternut squash with few generous tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spread onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and roast for 25-30 minutes or until golden tender. Cool slightly.

While the butternut squash is roasting, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and Dijon mustard.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Next, you’ll want to prepare the kale for the salad.

How to Prepare Kale for a Salad

In a large bowl, toss kale with half of the dressing. You want just enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves. Using your hands massage the dressing evenly into the kale. It helps break down the toughness of the leaves.

Last step of the salad is to transfer the kale to a serving bowl and combine with butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and feta cheese.

Drizzle with more dressing as needed. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Extra Tips for Making Kale Salad

• Chop the butternut squash into even pieces and do not crowd the baking sheet, to ensure that the squash evenly roasts.
• Take your time massaging the kale with the dressing. It helps break down the toughness of the kale leaves, resulting in a more tender-tasting salad.
• To save on prep time, there are few things you can do. First look for pre-chopped butternut squash, pre-chopped kale, and separated pomegranate seeds. All of those can be found in the produce section of a grocery store. Also, roasted pumpkin seeds is something you can purchase instead of roasting them yourself.
• To make ahead: roast the butternut squash, cool, transfer to a container with a lid and refrigerate up to 1 day in advance. The salad dressing can also be prepared few days in advance and stored refrigerated.

More Kale Salad Recipes:

• Kale Caesar Salad
• Chopped Kale Salad with Peanut-Chili Vinaigrette
• Kale, Avocado, and Grapefruit Salad
• Kale Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
• Parmesan Arugula Kale Salad with Pine Nuts

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