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Kale Butternut Squash Salad with Cranberries & Feta

butternut squash kale salad in bowl
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This Kale Butternut Squash Salad is the perfect holiday side salad, but also great all season long for meal prep too. Massaged kale, roasted butternut squash, cranberries and farro pair wonderfully with a sweet onion vinaigrette. This salad recipe will be one to remember.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Kale Salad

  • 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
  • 1/2 cup uncooked farro
  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 4 cups)
  • 6 ounces feta, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

Sweet Onion Vinaigrette 

  • 1/4 cup diced vidalia onion
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF and line medium baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat; set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Make the dressing: In a small food processor or small blender, combine all onion vinaigrette ingredients until smooth. 
  6. 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. 
  7. Serve salad immediately or store in fridge up to 1 day in advance. 

Notes

Recipe can be prepped a day in advance.

Omit feta if you need a vegan friendly recipe, or substitute with vegan feta.

Nutrition

Keywords: butternut squash salad, farro salad recipes, kale salad

Find it online: https://www.fitmittenkitchen.com/kale-butternut-squash-salad/