Celebrate fall with this delicious and beautiful butternut squash salad! Made with roasted butternut squash, kale, pomegranate seeds, candied pecans, feta cheese in a delicious apple cider vinegar dressing this recipe makes the perfect fall salad or Thanksgiving side!

The Best Fall Salad!

Honestly, I feel like fall salads get overlooked in favor of soup. And listen, I totally understand it. After the abundance of produce in summer, we’re all looking for a comforting bowl of soup as the temperatures cool, but don’t forget to toss some of your favorite fall ingredients into a delicious salad.

This butternut squash salad is no exception! It pairs the classic flavors of fall like butternut squash, kale, pomegranate, cranberries and pecans with a zesty and fresh apple cider vinegar vinaigrette. It makes for a filling weeknight main, flavorful side dish or even better, a salad for Thanksgiving.

Don’t sleep on this fall recipe – trust me you’ll love it!

How To Roast Butternut Squash

Roasting butternut squash is fairly easy once you get through the hard part of actually chopping it up. If you’ve never handled a butternut squash before, here’s how you’ll do it for this recipe:

1) Peel your butternut squash to remove all the skin.

2) Chop off top and bottom of butternut squash and slice in half. Slice the bottom bulbous portion in half and use a spoon to remove the seeds.

3) Chop inner flesh into cubes and spread out on a sheet pan or baking sheet topped with parchment paper.

4) Drizzle butternut squash with olive oil and salt and roast in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. You’ll know your butternut squash is ready when the outside is lightly browned and the inside is tender.

Ingredients in Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

• Roasted butternut squash – see instructions above for prepping your butternut squash
• Kale – you’ll want to massage your kale in a large salad bowl to break down the texture of your kale and make it easier to digest. Alternatively you could use a different salad green like spinach or arugula
• Pomegranate seeds – you can seed your pomegranate yourself or pirchase pre-seeded.
• Dried cranberries – You could use any dried fruit you prefer.
• Candied pecans – I like to purchase pre-candied pecans but you can make them yourself. alternatively you can also use a different nut or seed like pumpkin seeds.
• Feta cheese – or another soft cheese like goat cheese.
• Olive oil – for roasting butternut squash and for dressing
• Apple cider vinegar – or red or white wine vinegar if you don’t have any for a similar taste.
• Dijon Mustard – to add some tanginess to your salad dressing
• Shallot -finely minced or blended into dressing.
• Lemon juice – for acidity.
• Maple syrup – to balance out the sweetness of your dressing.

How to Make Fall Butternut Squash Salad

STEP 1: ROAST BUTTERNUT SQUASH

See instructions above.

STEP 2: MASSAGE KALE

In a large bowl message your kale with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Just dig your hands right in and massage for 3-5 minutes.

STEP 3: PREP DRESSING

In a medium bowl whisk together all dressing ingredients.

STEP 4: PREP SALAD

In a large salad bowl combine kale, butternut squash and all remaining salad ingredients. Top with desired amount of dressing and serve.

How to Store

You can store this butternut squash salad recipe in the fridge (undressed!) for up to 3 days. Just dress right before serving. Keep in a sealed bowl or airtight container.

More Fall Salads:

More Butternut Squash Recipes:

Print