Fall Harvest Salad

4.84 from 12 votes

With roasted butternut squash, apples, dried cranberries, pecans, pumpkin seeds, kale and romaine, this harvest salad is perfect for fall meals including Thanksgiving.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Salads

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Ingredients

For butternut squash

1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced (about 1-3/4 to 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For vinaigrette

1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

For salad

4 cups chopped curly kale
1 romaine heart, chopped
2 Honeycrisp apples or Pink Lady apples, diced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
1-2 cups cornbread croutons

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Toss the butternut squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper on a sheet pan. Spread it in a single layer. Roast the squash until it is tender in the middle and lightly browned at the edges, about 25-30 minutes.
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, apple cider vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil in a small bowl.
To assemble the salad, combine the kale, romaine, butternut squash, apples, red onions, pecans, pumpkin seeds, cranberries and goat cheese in a large bowl.
Drizzle the dressing into the salad. Toss to combine.
Plate the salad and top with cornbread croutons.

Video

Notes

You can use peeled and diced sweet potatoes instead of butternut squash.

If you want fresher sweetness, you can substitute pomegranate seeds for dried cranberries.

For saltier and stronger cheese, use feta instead of goat cheese.

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. If you are planning to save part of the salad to eat at another time, do not toss it in the vinaigrette and store the dressing in a separate container from the salad. You will need to let the vinaigrette sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before you toss it into the salad, because the oil will harden in the cold temperature of the fridge.

Nutrition