A beautiful kale salad topped with roasted acorn squash, pecans, pomegranate seeds, and a sweet and tangy champagne vinaigrette.
You’re holiday spread needs to include this gorgeous Acorn Squash Kale salad! It’s a perfect side dish for a roasted Turkey, Chicken, Prime Rib, or any meat. And if you need a vegetarian option it’s hearty enough to be a main meal as well.
How to Roast Acorn Squash
Start by washing the squash really well. If you plan on eating the skin, then I recommend using an organic acorn squash.
Slice the acorn squash in half and remove the seeds. Using an ice cream scoop makes this easy.
You can either discard the seeds or save them to roast.
Once the seeds have been remove, place the squash cut side down on a cutting board and cut off the ends. Then cut 1 inch slices.
Place on an oiled baking sheet drizzle the tops with oil and season, with salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and coconut or brown sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until tender.
Kale Salad
The most important tip for any kale salad…Massage the Kale! This will make the kale leaves tender and take away some bitterness. Get in there and start massaging!
I love using kale because it can hold up and be ‘dressed’ ahead of time and not get all mushy. After the kale has softened from it’s massage go ahead and pour all the dressing over it.
The Dressing
The Dressing consists of 3 ingredients, Trader Joes’ Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar, Olive Oil, Maple Syrup, and a pinch of salt. If you don’t have the Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar, then mix fresh orange juice with apple cider or champagne vinegar.
Now you can check on the roasted acorn squash. You want it be tender enough to stick a fork in it.
Assembling the Salad
Plate the dressed kale on the bottom, then place the roasted acorn squash, either with or without the skin.
Then top with roasted pecans and fresh pomegranate seeds. To remove the pomegranate seeds, cut a square at the top of the stem and remove, then cut 4 slits down the sides of the pomegranate to make 4 segments, and remove the seeds.
I just absolutely love how gorgeous this salad looks!
For more delicious Salads, check these out:
Kale Salad with Peanut Dressing
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad
Be sure to tag me on IG @ThaiCaliente if you make any of my recipes and follow me on Pinterest to save them to your boards.
Roasted Acorn Squash Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz Chopped Kale
- 1 Acorn Squash Halved, sliced, and seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg, brown or coconut sugar, and salt.
- 1 Pomegranate Seeds removed
- Chopped Pecans or Walnuts
Dressing
- ¼ Cup Trader Joe's Orange Champagne Vinegar
- ¼ Cup Olive or Avocado Oil
- 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- Pinch of Salt
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 400 degrees
- Cut Acorn squash in half, remove seeds, and slice into 1 in pieces. Season with cinnamon, nutmeg, brown or coconut sugar, and salt. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until fork tender. (Skin is edible once cooked, but you can also remove it after cooking.)
- Massage Chopped Kale leaves until they soften.
- Combine ingredients for dressing, whisk it well, and pour dressing over kale. Toss to combine and add extra salt if needed.
- Place roasted Acorn squash on top of kale salad and top with toasted pecans and pomegranate seeds.
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