Butternut Squash Salad with Cranberries and Feta

Rich autumn flavours and rustic warm colours make this Butternut Squash Salad a favourite choice for fall or winter!

One of the best parts of this Butternut Squash Salad may be the smallest.

No–it’s not the little pieces of tenderized kale. It’s not the feta crumbles. It’s not even the sweet little cranberries.

It’s the crispy edges on those tiny cubes of oven-roasted butternut squash!

Caramelizing squash brings out its mellow flavour and natural sweetness and it creates tasty, crusty bits to search out and savour! Nestled in a bed of tenderized kale, and topped with sweetened cranberries and salty feta cheese, this is an ideal kale salad for a fall or winter dinner. Leftovers? Perfect for lunch the following day!

But there’s more! Tucked in among all that deliciousness are Caramel Spiced Pecans adding the final special touches to this fall salad. And tossing it all together and then drizzling it with my favourite Honey-Lemon Dijon Dressing enhances the hearty flavour of this comforting Butternut squash salad even more.

We’ve finally accepted that summer has ended.  Today we dug up the last of the leeks and carrots from the garden, trimmed back leggy annuals and started to get the garden and yard ready for winter. Winterizing will have to start earlier this year, as we’re heading for Spain and Mediterranean sunshine soon and we sure don’t want to come home to frost-bitten annuals and dead hanging flower baskets.

But today, we’re basking in the warmth of a sunny fall day here on the West Coast and we’re toasting the beginning of a new season with a glass of Cranberry Apple Cider Sangria and this wholesome Butternut squash salad!

Adapt this Butternut squash salad for your family.

• serve with spinach or romaine instead of kale
• substitute goat cheese for the feta
• keep it vegan by omitting the cheese
• add Maple-Glazed Walnuts  or Low-Carb Roasted Pumpkin Spice Pecans instead of 20-Minute Caramel Spiced Pecans

How to Massage Kale

Do you avoid kale salads because kale is tough to chew? Even Lacinato Kale (sometimes called Tuscan Kale, Italian Kale or Dinosaur Kale) can be chewy, but it’s easy to improve its texture. First, remove the center stem, either with a sharp knife or by stripping the leaves from the stem. Next, chop the leaves into small pieces or ribbons. Transfer to a bowl, and drizzle with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Work the olive oil into the leaves by gently rubbing them between your fingers. Massaging kale in this way helps to break down the tough fibers and makes it tender and easy to chew and digest.

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Butternut Squash Salad with Cranberries and Feta

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Rich autumn flavours and rustic warm colours make this Butternut Squash Salad a favourite choice for fall or winter!

Course: Salads and Dressings

Cuisine: Canadian, American

Servings: 4

Calories per serving: 306 kcal

Author: Flavour & Savour

Ingredients

• 2 cups cubed Butternut squash
• 4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
• 1 bunch Lacinato (Tuscan) kale
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup Caramel Spiced Pecans

Honey-Lemon Dijon Dressing

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar or Champagne vinegar
• 1 small shallot, finely minced
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Whisk the dressing ingredients first, then set aside to allow flavours to blend while you make the salad.

2. Heat oven to 400°F. 

3. Cut Butternut squash into small bite-sized cubes. Place in a medium bowl and toss with 2 tsp of the olive oil and salt and pepper until well-coated. Heat a baking sheet in the oven, brush or spray lightly with oil, then arrange squash cubes so they are spaced apart. Roast for 15 minutes or more, turning half way through, or until squash is beginning to brown, and is fork-tender. Remove from oven.

4. Meanwhile, remove inner ribs from kale leaves and finely chop. Transfer to a bowl and massage with the remaining 2 tsp olive oil. Arrange in a serving bowl, top with roasted squash, cranberries, feta and caramel spiced pecans. Drizzle or toss with Honey-Lemon Dijon dressing and serve.

Recipe Notes

This salad is equally good with warm butternut squash, or with cold!

This recipe will make more dressing than you will need for this salad. Save for another day. Calorie count does not include dressing.

If you love wholesome salads for fall and winter days, you might like these ones, too.

Fennel Apple Chicken Salad with Pumpkin Spice Pecans

Pear and Cranberry Chopped Salad

Cauliflower Lemon Basil Salad with Toasted Capers

or one of these 6 Tasty Healthy Winter Salads
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