Roasted Butternut Squash Kale Salad
A hearty salad featuring caramelized butternut squash, tender massaged cabbage, creamy tahini dressing, and crunchy pepitas with tart cranberries.
Ingredients
Squash Roasting
- 1 small butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 0.5 teaspoon sea salt
Salad & Dressing
- 1 small head green cabbage shredded
- 0.25 cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons water or as needed to thin dressing
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 0.5 teaspoon maple syrup
- 0.25 teaspoon garlic powder
- 0.25 teaspoon sea salt
- black pepper to taste
Garnish
- 0.25 cup pepitas
- 0.25 cup dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or cilantro chopped
Instructions
Squash Roasting
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, toss the butternut squash cubes with olive oil and sea salt.
- Spread in a single layer and roast for 20 minutes; stir and roast 10–15 more until golden and tender.
- Let the roasted squash rest for 5 minutes.
Salad & Dressing
- Place shredded cabbage in a large bowl.
- Whisk tahini, water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, garlic powder, salt and pepper until smooth.
- Pour dressing over cabbage and massage for about 2 minutes until leaves soften.
Garnish
- Add roasted squash to the dressed cabbage and toss to combine.
- Sprinkle pepitas, dried cranberries, and chopped parsley, tossing gently before serving.
Notes
In my fourth test, swapping half the tahini for sunflower seed butter added a subtle sweetness I hadn't expected.
Rotating the squash halfway through roasting produced more evenly crisp edges.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator within 2 hours of cooking and enjoy within 3 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 250gCalories: 280kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 6gFat: 18g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!