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Home » Recipes » Salads

Kale Salad Recipe with Butternut Squash and Cranberries

November 7, 2018 By Katya 5 Comments

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Long image of a kale salad in white bowl
kale salad with pomegranate

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

https://www.littlebroken.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Kale-Salad-with-Butternut-Squash-and-Cranberries-19.jpgThis post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Best way to brighten your holiday table is with this big bowl of kale salad recipe. It’s 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. See extra tips below.

Ingredients for kale salad

Ingredients for Kale Salad Recipe

  • Butternut squash
  • Kale
  • Pomegranate seeds
  • Cranberries – dried
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Feta cheese
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Honey
  • Dijon mustard
  • Olive oil

How to Make Kale Salad – Step by Step

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.

Chopped butternut squash in a bowl and a tray

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.

Balsamic dressing in white bowl

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.

Chopped kale in a large bowl with dressing

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.

Close up of kale salad with dressing being poured

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.

Close up side view of kale salad in white bowl

More Kale Salad Recipes You Might Like

Kale Caesar Salad

Chopped Kale Salad with Peanut-Chili Vinaigrette

Kale, Avocado, and Grapefruit Salad

If you try Kale Salad with Butternut Squash, don’t forget to leave feedback and a rating.

 

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Close up of kale salad in white bowl

Kale Salad Recipe with Butternut Squash and Cranberries

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Chop
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

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


Scale

Ingredients

For the Salad

  • 4 cups butternut squash, chopped into about 1-inch pieces
  • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 10 cups chopped curly kale, leafy parts only, no stems
  • 1 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • 4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Balsamic Dressing

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. honey or pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss butternut squash with two 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.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  3. In a large bowl, toss kale with half of the dressing. Using your hands massage the dressing evenly into the kale. It helps break down the toughness of the leaves.
  4. 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.

Notes

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

Keywords: kale salad recipe, kale salad with cranberries, kale salad dressing

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @littlebrokenblog on Instagram and hashtag it #littlebrokenblog

Filed Under: Recipes, Salads Tagged With: balsamic, butternut squash, cranberries, feta, kale, pomegranate, pumpkin seeds

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Comments

  1. Karen says

    November 24, 2020 at 1:59 PM

    Love this salad. Made for Thanksgiving 2019 and will make it again. So good!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Katya says

      November 24, 2020 at 5:56 PM

      So happy you’re coming back for it. Thank you Karen.

      Reply
  2. Lewis Johnson says

    February 13, 2019 at 3:14 PM

    Delicious salad.

    Reply
    • Katya says

      February 14, 2019 at 7:47 AM

      Thank you! I appreciate it.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Chopped Autumn Salad with Honey Apple Cider Dressing - Little Broken says:
    November 13, 2018 at 8:16 PM

    […] Kale Salad with Butternut Squash and Cranberries […]

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