Name: Butternut Squash Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 medium butternut squash (sliced into small-medium sized chunks); 3-4 cups kale leaves; 2 cups arugula or baby spinach; 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds aka peptides; 2-3 tbsp olive oil; salt + black pepper (to taste); 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa; 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper powder; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar; 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 – 1 tbsp pure maple syrup; 1 tbsp dijon mustard; 2 garlic cloves (grated); chili flakes (optional); salt + black pepper (to taste)

Keeping it healthy today with my roasted butternut squash salad with apple cider vinaigrette. Roasted butternut squash, toasted pumpkin seeds, massaged kale, with rocket leaves, and fluffy quinoa, tossed together with my delicious dressing made with apple cider vinegar. And if you’re not a kale salad lover, this recipe will change your mind. This fall-inspired vegan salad is the perfect addition to accompany all your cozy main dishes this holiday season. It’s an easy sheet pan recipe everyone will love!

This fall harvest salad is…

naturally vegan and gluten-free!
a delicious and healthy salad to make for Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner.
a crowd-pleasing butternut squash recipe.

Roasted butternut squash salad ingredients

Butternut squash: Duh! You’ll need a medium-sized squash.
Greens: I like to use a mixture of kale leaves and arugula for this recipe. Baby spinach or any other kind of greens would work well in this recipe.
Pumpkin seeds: Aka pepitas! Sunflower seeds or even raw pecans would work as a substitute.
Quinoa: To make this recipe a little more wholesome. Plus, it’s also a great source of plant-based protein. You can cook your own from scratch, or buy a pre-cooked one to save time.
Apple cider vinegar: This is the key to this salad’s vinaigrette. I use Braggs, but any brand will work great. Give the bottle a good shake before using too!
Garlic cloves: Which need to be grated!
Olive oil: From a bottle of good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Spices: Ground cinnamon, cayenne pepper powder, salt, black pepper, and for an extra kick, chili flakes.
Dijon mustard: It’ll gift this fall salad with a little tang, sharpness and spice. Make sure you use dijon mustard and not the kinda mustard you get out of a squeezy bottle!
Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup will work best in this recipe as it’s not overly sweet, plus it’s a natural sweetener which makes this a healthy fall salad.

All about the roasted butternut squash & toasted pumpkin seeds…

Cutting into a butternut squash or any winter squash can be a little hard. To make it a little easier, I like to pop the whole butternut squash into the microwave and cook it for only around 1-2 minutes. Cut the squash in half, and then peel off all the skin with a vegetable peeler. I like to slice the butternut squash into medium-sized chunks, but cubes work too! Place onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pour a little olive oil over the sliced squash, and sprinkle over a little ground cinnamon, salt and black pepper.

Give everything a good mix together, and then place the seasoned squash in a singer layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the butternut squash becomes tender and a little crispy.

Add pumpkin seeds onto another baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle a little olive oil, and sprinkle with a little salt and cayenne pepper powder. Bake for 2-3 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them as they can burn pretty easily.

How to make the apple cider vinaigrette…

This is probably the easiest part of this salad recipe, and it can even be made a couple of days before! Simply add the apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, maple syrup, dijon mustard, grated garlic, chili flakes, salt and black pepper into a jar and give it a good shake until everything is well combined.

The secret to making kale taste good…

You could really use any kind of fresh greens, but to make this recipe feel more fall-like, I like to use kale! If you’re not a fan of kale, give my little secret a try before you say you hate it! The secret to taste tasting delicious is simple, massage it! You can either massage the kale while it’s still a little damp after washing, however, I prefer to massage it with a couple of tablespoons of the apple cider vinaigrette. Massaging the kale with any kind of vinaigrette gifts the salad with leaves that have been perfectly infused with all those yummy flavors. The kale will not only taste 1000x better, but it’ll also be easier to chew and digest.

Final touches…

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To serve this delicious butternut squash salad, place all the massaged kale and other greens of your choice into a large salad bowl. Gently place the warm roasted butternut squash, lightly roasted pumpkin seeds, and quinoa over the salad greens. Drizzle over the remaining apple cider vinaigrette, toss and serve while warm. This is a great winter salad, made with winter squash, that can be enjoyed throughout this holiday season.

Once you try this simple salad recipe, please leave a star rating and review below! I try my best to respond to you all. Oh, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram – I can’t wait to see your images!!

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