This warm kale salad is a healthy and hearty salad. It is made with roasted butternut squash, wilted kale goat cheese, walnuts, and a tangy vinaigrette. This winter salad makes for a wonderful appetizer or a great meal on its own.
When you are looking for a great winter salad you cannot go wrong with a warm kale salad. Taking advantage of the roasted butternut squash that is plentiful in the winter, this is a fantastic way to get your greens that taste amazing. It is a wonderfully healthy vegetarian meal that can easily be made vegan by swapping the feta for a vegan alternative. This is a wonderful salad for lunch but if you need it to be a little heartier you can add some sliced chicken or steak.
In this recipe
There isn’t a lot going on here but that is what makes it wonderful. It is easy to make, simple and packed with flavor. Its simplicity makes sure you get to taste all of the wonderful parts of this salad.
Kale: you will want to get nice firm kale. Ideally you don’t want to get it pre-chopped as it will still contain the stems and require more time to prepare. (No one has time for that)
Butternut squash: a perfect winter squash that is perfect for this recipe. If you aren’t a fan, you can swap it for another squash or even sweet potatoes.
Feta cheese: adds some creaminess and saltiness to the salad and is a perfect complement to the kale.
Roasting the butternut squash
This is the most time-consuming part of this dish. The first thing you will want to do is peel the squash and then cut it in half. Depending on the size of the squash you will only need the dense top portion and not the bottom. You will want to make cubes about a centimeter in length and width. This will make sure they cook quickly and evenly. I like to roast the whole thing because I can toss it in a salad or make a breakfast hash with it even though I will only use 2 cups.
Easiest way to prepare kale.
One of the things you have to get rid of for this salad is the highly fibrous stem. While the stem is edible the amount of time that the kale spends cooking is not enough to make it soft. Even when completely cooked I don’t like eating the stem. It the very chewy and highly fibrous. The best way to get around that is to make a very small “okay” sign with your index finger and thumb around the widest part of the stem. Quickly pull the stem through a small hole in your finger and the leaf will tear away from the stem. Now all you need to do is slice the leaves into smaller pieces.
Sauteing the kale
There are some great health benefits when it comes to kale but there is a little trick to making kale even better. That is to sauté it. When you sauté kale it will help reduce the bitterness, make it easier to digest and the oil helps with vitamin absorption. When you wilt kale, you don’t lose much of the vitamins and minerals you would get if you cooked them thoroughly, the but heat makes kale even better for you. A warm kale salad is just the trick to taking advantage of all of the health benefits and still tastes great.
Looking for other kale recipes?
Warm Kale Salad with Butternut Squash
Equipment
- Lined sheet pan
- Mason jar
- Mixing Bowl
- Sauté pan
- Potato peeler
Ingredients
- 1 pound kale stems removed and chopped
- 2 cups butternut squash peeled and cubed (small)
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup walnuts chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic chopped
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
Dressing
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F, 200°C, or gas mark 6. Line a sheet pan with foil.
- In a mixing bowl combine the butternut squash, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, cinnamon, paprika, and salt. Toss to combine and then place on the sheet pan. Roast for 30 minutes stirring after 15 minutes.
Making the dressing
- While the squash is cooking combine all of the dressing ingredients into a mason jar, close and shake vigorously.
Making the salad
- In a pan heat the remaining olive oil with the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the kale and cook until it has wilted, about 3-5 minutes. You might have to do this in batches. In this case cut the oil and garlic in half and repeat the steps with the second half of the kale.
- Top the wilted kale with the walnuts, roasted butternut squash, and feta cheese. Drizzle the dressing on top and gently toss to combine.
Nutrition
