Fall Harvest Salad Recipe

This fall harvest salad recipe is made with massaged kale as the bottom and topped with roasted butternut squash, crumbled blue cheese, sliced honeycrisp apple, and crunchy spiced pecans. A maple and apple cider dressing brings all of it collectively.

This can be a fall harvest salad you’re going to need to dive into!

I really like the autumn flavors and seasonal produce of autumn. Warming spices, roasted greens, gourds, and hearty kale.

This fall harvest salad is a bit heartier than summery ones because of numerous satisfying fiber from chopped kale and roasted butternut squash. This salad just isn’t solely healthful and nutritious however filling and satisfying as nicely. The distinction in flavors between cinnamon-dusted squash, tart blue cheese, and crunchy candy pecans is heaven on earth.

The kale will get massaged in a easy maple syrup and apple cider vinegar salad dressing. Only a trace of garlic taste goes a good distance.

This harvest salad recipe makes a colourful addition in your vacation desk as nicely, whether or not its the principle course at a women lunch (add some grilled hen on high) or as a aspect dish to a Thanksgiving desk.

Components

Butternut Squash – both one giant entire squash or a bath of pre-cubed squash from the grocery retailer

Kale – a big head, 2 mediums, or a bag of pre-chopped to save lots of time

Honeycrisp Apple – my favourite however use no matter you want!

Spiced Pecans – you can even use plain and toast them. Or one other form of spiced nut.

Blue Cheese – Bleu d’auvergne is my favourite selection. Purchase it in a block and crumbled it your self. Pre-crumbled all the time tastes a little bit flat to me.

Cinnamon – Only a dusting for the squash to roast in.

Maple + Apple Cider French dressing

2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup further virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
Salt + pepper

Substitutions

Butternut is my favourite squash to roast! Acorn squash would work too. You can even use roasted candy potato and even roasted pumpkin (together with its pumpkin seeds, roasted and spiced) when you don’t love butternut squash.
You need to use combined greens when you’d favor and toss them with the dressing at serving time.
Blue cheese not your factor? Feta cheese or goat cheese would work too.
Sub pear for apple!

Directions

Step 1: Roast Squash

Preheat the oven to 400 levels. If utilizing an entire butternut, wash the squash, peel off the pores and skin, slice it in half, de-seed, and chop into cubes.

Unfold cubes of butternut squash out on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle on cinnamon. Therapeutic massage butternut till nicely coated and bake for 30-35 minutes, till fork tender and browning on the edges.

Step 2: Prep Components

Whereas squash bakes, wash and dry kale and take away any stems. Chop the kale into small items. Slice the honeycrisp apple thinly. Crumble blue cheese.

Step 3: Make The Dressing

To make the dressing, grate or press garlic clove (use as little or as a lot as you want, relying in your palate) and mix all elements in a jar and whisk or shake.

Step 4: Therapeutic massage Kale and Marinate

Therapeutic massage kale with dressing utilizing clear fingers till kale is vivid inexperienced and softens. Enable to sit down and marinate no less than 20 minutes.

Step 5: Assemble Salad

Add massaged and dressed kale to a big bowl and toss with roasted butternut squash, apple, pecans, and blue cheese. Add any remaining dressing.

Step 6: Serve

Recipe Notes

Shortcuts: Save your self a bunch of steps if you could find pre-cubed for an excellent worth on the grocery retailer.

Add-ons: Add a grain like wheatberries or bulgur for further protein and fiber. Pomegranate arils or dried cranberries would add a bit extra sweetness.

Make-ahead: This can be a nice make-ahead salad as a result of massaged kale will get higher with time! If you realize you’ll be making it nicely prematurely, reserve a little bit dressing so as to add at serving time since a variety of it will get soaked into the kale within the fridge. Additionally, depart pecans out and add on the final minute to maintain them from getting soggy.

Serve: Function a aspect, a lightweight lunch or as a base for a meal salad with protein of your selection on high. Grilled hen or leftover vacation turkey could be supreme.

Retailer: Retailer in an air-tight container within the fridge for 2-3 days.