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Butternut squash kale salad in a copper serving bowl.
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5 from 2 votes

Butternut Squash Kale Salad With Cinnamon Vinaigrette

This delicious butternut squash kale salad has it all! Nutritious greens, roasted butternut squash, tart cranberries, crunchy pecans, creamy crumbled goat cheese and a homemade, sweet cinnamon vinaigrette dressing to die for!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Autumn Salad, Butternut Squash Kale Salad
Servings: 6
Author: Stacey Adams

Equipment

  • Large baking sheet *Mine is 11x17 inches

Ingredients

Autumn Harvest Salad

  • 1 small butternut squash *peeled & cubed *see notes below
  • 1 large bunch of kale *chopped *around 4 cups
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups spinach *chopped
  • Salt *to taste
  • Fresh ground black pepper *to taste
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • ½ cup chopped pecans *roasted & salted *see note below
  • 1 4 oz goat cheese log *crumbled

Sweet Cinnamon Vinaigrette *see note below

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup grapeseed oil *see note below
  • cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar *dark or light *packed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Recipe notes:

Butternut squash: I like to buy a squash around 1.5 pounds in size. This will yield about 4 cups once cubed. You can use the little scales provided in the produce section at the grocery store!
Pre-cubed squash is usually available at the grocery store (especially when it's in season)! If you don't feel like dicing up a whole squash, or you're trying to save a little time, look for a package in the produce section.
Pecans: at the store, look for pecans that are already roasted/salted. Packaging should specify! Buy whole nuts and chop them up or look for pecan "pieces." These work nicely and save a little time since you won't need to cut them up by hand.
Grapeseed oil: this is a neutral oil that doesn't have a peppery flavor, like olive oil. Additional olive oil can be used as a substitute, but it will change the flavor a bit. Grapeseed oil is excellent for making homemade dressings, I definitely recommend adding a bottle to your pantry! It should be in the same area as the olive oil at your local grocery store.
Vinaigrette: you might also consider trying some Zesty Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing on this salad!

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Peel and cube your squash. Drizzle with approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss the cubes in the salt, pepper and oil. Spread them out on a large baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes. *Don't overcrowd your pan or the squash can become mushy.
  • While squash bakes, chop up your kale. Place it in a large mixing bowl and drizzle with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Massage the olive oil into the kale leaves for 2-3 minutes. By the time you finish massaging the kale, it will have decreased significantly in size, this is normal.
  • Chop spinach leaves up and add them to the mixing bowl along with the kale. Add cranberries, chopped pecans and crumbled goat cheese.
  • Once squash is done, take it out and allow it to cool.
  • While squash cools, prepare your dressing. Simply combine all ingredients for the dressing in a small mixing bowl and whisk them together. *Tip: for a sweeter dressing you can add more brown sugar or some maple syrup to taste.
    ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup grapeseed oil, ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • Add roasted butternut squash cubes to the bowl and toss all ingredients together with two forks. This salad is delicious without any dressing at all, so I normally leave dressing to the side so that diners can add however much they prefer. Enjoy!