Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

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Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

This roasted butternut squash salad is nutty, a little bit crunchy and full of savory and sweet flavors with chopped kale, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, red onions, parmesan and fresh herbs.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Salads

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Paige Adams

Ingredients

For butternut squash

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

For breadcrumbs

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

For vinaigrette

1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil

For salad

5 cups chopped kale
1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup grated parmesan plus more for serving
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
On a sheet pan, toss the butternut squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Spread into a single layer. Roast the squash until it is tender and lightly browned at the edges, about 25-30 minutes. (You don’t need to line the pan.)
Stir the breadcrumbs, pecans, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl.
Spread the breadcrumb mixture across a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Bake in the oven it is golden brown and toasted, about 7-8 minutes.
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, lemon juice and 1/4 cup olive oil.
In a large bowl, toss the kale with the vinaigrette. You can massage it into the greens with your hands if you want. Then stir in the roasted squash, breadcrumbs, red onions, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, parmesan and parsley.
Transfer the salad to a serving bowl or onto plates and top with additional parmesan as desired.

Notes

You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 days. The breadcrumbs will lose some of their crunch and the kale leaves will soften.

You can roast the squash up to 2 days in advance. Store it in an container in the fridge.

You can make the squash, breadcrumbs and vinaigrette up to 3 days in advance. Store them in separate airtight containers with the breadcrumbs at room temperature and the vinaigrette and squash in the fridge. Let them sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before assembling the salad.

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