Say HELLO to your new favorite butternut squash salad with hearty kale, farro, feta and dried cranberries. Tossed with a sweet onion vinaigrette – you will LOVE this recipe, and probably surprise your friends and family too.
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The Perfect Flavorful Salad
This is going to be one of those kale salad recipes that your friends and family may be reluctant to put on their plates, but I’m betting it will surprise them!
I know this firsthand because Mr. FMK always grimaces at anything with the word “kale” in it. Or if he sees there is kale involved he is very skeptical.
But when I put out leftovers from this day’s shoot and he filled up his plate, he said something along the lines of, “I was surprised but that salad was pretty good.”
There ya have it, folks.
Salad Ingredients
- kale – You can use curly kale, purple kale or lacinato kale. For this kind of kale salad recipe, I prefer curly kale. TIP: Massage the kale leaves with extra-virgin olive oil before you add to your large mixing bowl.
- butternut squash – Can’t make a butternut squash salad without a butternut squash! Though you could sub another squash if you prefer.
- farro – I love farro for it’s nutty flavor and chewy texture, but you could also use freekeh, or if you’re looking for a gluten free option quinoa would also work.
- feta – One of my favorite cheeses to add to salads! You could also sub goat cheese, or omit if you need a vegan friendly recipe.
- dried cranberries – Adds another layer of texture and sweetness to this salad. You could also sub dried cherries.
- pumpkin seeds (pepitas) – Seeds or nuts are always a great addition to a tossed salad. I like pumpkin seeds here (because it’s fall ya’ll) but sunflower seeds could work, as well as walnuts, pecans or slivered almonds. Nuts and seeds add a great crunch that are a must in my book.
Sweet Onion Dressing
This is a truly delicious dressing! All of these ingredients come together for the best roasted butternut squash salad that offers savory soft bites of squash, a little sweetness from the dressing and cranberries, the perfect amount of saltiness from the feta and a little crunch from pepitas.
For the dressing you will need:
- vidalia onion
- olive oil
- apple cider vinegar
- honey
- maple syrup
- stone ground mustard
- salt & pepper
If you’re not a fan of onion dressings, my Almond Butter Balsamic Dressing is amazing! It is always a hit with friends and family.
How to Make This Salad
This butternut squash salad is really easy and comes together in just a few steps.
Here’s a quick rundown of how to make the recipe, step-by-step, with some extra notes.
Keep scrolling for the full recipe card and printing options.
Step 1 – Peel & Roast the Squash
If you haven’t worked with hard winter squash before, follow my step-by-step tutorial here, on how to roast butternut squash.
If you’re looking for a quick version, check out this Air Fryer Butternut Squash post from It Is a Keeper.
First use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin – go around twice. Then cut the squash in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds.
Use a large sharp knife to cut the squash into about 1.5″ cubes. You should get about 4 cups from a medium butternut squash.
Add a little olive oil to a rimmed baking sheet and toss the squash, making sure it’s placed in a single layer. (Feel free to use parchment paper for easier clean-up). Sprinkle with a little fine sea salt and black pepper, and roast for about 20 minutes at 375ºF.
Let the squash cool or place in fridge to chill while you move on to the next steps.
Step 2 – Prepare the Farro
You can prepare the farro a day in advance if you’d like, or prep while the squash is roasting. Just follow the package instructions for how to cook.
I used my Instant Pot and loved that it was hands off so I could focus on other pieces of recipe while the farro was cooking.
NOTE: This kale salad recipe only requires 1/2 cup uncooked farro, which will equal about 1.5 cups cooked. You can prep a full cup (which is what most package directions will give you) and use some of the farro for this salad, and save the rest for a side, OR have more farro in this salad recipe than what is called for.
Step 3 – Massage the Kale
While the butternut squash is roasting and farro is cooking, the next step is to prepare the kale. Cut away the kale stems and chop the leaves into small pieces – I find it’s easier to enjoy this way as well!
Once you’ve sliced or ripped your kale into pieces, it’s time to MASSAGE!
If haven’t worked with kale much before, trust me when I say this step is necessary.
Massaging the kale releases the bitterness and because you’ll be massaging with oil, helps with the flavor as well.
Step 4 – Make the dressing
In a small blender or food processor, combine dressing ingredients until smooth.
This dressing can also be made 1-2 days in advance.
Step 5 – Toss the salad
Once the rest of the ingredients are prepped, add the chopped kale, farro, and butternut squash to a large bowl. Then add on dried cranberries, feta, and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle on the sweet onion dressing and you have yourself a delicious kale butternut squash salad ready for any occasion!
Ways to Serve
This can be served as a warm salad, room temperature or cold! If serving warm, make sure to plan your timing.
Serving this salad cold works great for meal prep.
If serving room temperature, just be sure the cheese is added last.
Make Ahead Options
You can prepare this salad recipe up to 1 day in advance, covering the container with a lid and storing in the refrigerator. It’s okay to pour on the dressing here as well because the flavors will intensify through the kale and squash.
You can also prep the ingredients separately ahead of time, chill, then combine the morning of if you prefer.
More Squash Recipes to Try
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing from you and it helps others learn about the recipe too. Xx Ashley
Kale Butternut Squash Salad with Farro
Ingredients
Kale Salad
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
- ½ cup uncooked farro, or 1 ½ cups cooked farro
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 4 cups)
- 6 ounces feta, crumbled
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
Sweet Onion Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup diced Vidalia onion
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF and line medium baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat; set aside.
- Roast the Butternut Squash: Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin, going around twice. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Use a large sharp knife to cut the squash into about 1.5" cubes. You should get about 4 cups from a medium butternut squash. Oil a medium baking sheet and toss the squash. Sprinkle with a little salt and roast for about 20 minutes at 375ºF. Let the squash cool or place in fridge to chill while you move on to the next steps.
- Prepare the Farro: Prepare farro according to package instructions. You only need 1/2 cup uncooked farro for this recipe, or 1.5 cups cooked.
- Massage the kale: While the squash and farro are cooking, remove and discard the stems of the kale, chop the leaves, rinse and dry in salad spinner. Add kale to large bowl, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and start massaging oil into kale. This helps release the bitterness.
- Make the dressing: In a small food processor or small blender, combine all onion vinaigrette ingredients until smooth.
- Assemble the salad: Add about half of the dressing to bottom of large bowl, then add massaged kale, chilled roasted butternut squash, chilled cooked farro, crumbled feta, cranberries and pepitas. Drizzle the remaining dressing and toss to coat.
- Serve salad immediately or store in fridge up to 1 day in advance.
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