Gluten-Free and vegan, this simple massaged Kale Salad with Maple Roasted Delicata Squash, Cranberries, sliced Almonds and the YUMMIEST tangy Citrus Dressing is a fall favorite! Easy to prepare, festive and the most delicious mix of flavors and textures! Bonus: Learn how EASY it is to cut and roast Delicata Squash.
New! I added a cooking video to this page so you can see how EASY it is to cut and prepare Delicata Squash and make this delicious Harvest Salad!
As with all our recipes, there is a printable recipe with exact measurements and directions at the bottom of this page.
Hope you love it!
Original post…
Kale yeah!
This Harvest Salad with Roasted Maple-glazed Delicata Squash and the yummiest tangy Citrus Dressing is one of my Fall Favorites!
The recipe is from a friend, a private chef, who created this for us yearrrrrs ago! It was the first time I had ever tried Delicata Squash and I fell in love immediately!
The roasted maple-glazed squash was like candy, it was so good!
And it paired perfectly with the massaged kale, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, and the yummiest CITRUS Dressing.
So excited to share it with you!
All you need is…
Curly Kale
Delicata Squash
Dried cranberries
Sliced almonds
and the Easy Citrus Dressing. (details below)
Have you ever prepared Delicata squash?
In my experience, it is the easiest of all the squash to cut and one of the yummiest!
First, wash it well because you eat the skin of delicata squash.
Then you cut off the ends and scoop out the seeds.
Finally, cut into 1/4 inch slices. That’s it!
And the squash can be cut into circles of half moons depending on the size and preference.
Both work!
While it roasts, prepare the kale…
The key to the kale is massage it with olive oil and lemon juice.
It will get soft and turn bright green. And the kale will be super tender and tasty!
Not bitter at all!
Even non-kale lovers will love it!
pre-massaging kale
after massaging kale
Lastly, the dressing.
The dressing is actually my favorite part of the salad —
It’s made with:
lemon juice
maple syrup
extra virgin olive oil
shallots
Dijon mustard
and it’s SO yummy!
A little sweet, a little savory, a little tangy…. A lot delicious!
And best part? All you have to do is whisk the ingredients together!
And assemble!
It’s equally fabulous as part of a dinner or on a holiday table.
Pro tip: I like to serve this salad on a platter instead of a bowl because the squash are heavy and tend to sink to the bottom of a bowl.
On a platter you can see all the squash, cranberries and almonds for bursts of color. It’s super festive!
Hope you love it as much as we do!
Scroll down to see the recipe and leave a comment if you try.
Harvest Salad with Kale and Maple-Glazed Delicata Squash Salad
Gluten-Free and vegan, this salad has all the Fall vibes! Massaged kale, roasted maple glazed delicata squash, cranberries and almonds all tossed in a Citrus Dressing. A little sweet, a little savory, a little tangy, A LOT delicious!
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time50 minutesmins
Course: Salads, Veggies
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan
Servings: 4-6 servings
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family
Ingredients
Salad
1bunch curly Kale
1- 2Delicata squashdepending on size and how much you want in the salad (I always go with 2)
3/4cupdried cranberries
3/4cupsliced almonds
Olive oilapprox 2 tablespoons, divided
Maple syrup to tasteapprox 2-3 tablespoons
Lemon juiceapprox 1-2 tablespoons
Citrus Dressing
1/4cupExtra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice from 1 lemonapproximately 2 tablespoons
2tablespoonsmaple syrup
1teaspoonDijon mustard
2teaspoonsminced shallots
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Maple Glazed Squash
Preheat oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Clean squash thoroughly (leave skin on delicata, it's ok to eat)
Cut off the ends. Remove seeds. Slice into approx 1/4 inch slices. Option: leave as circles or cut into half moons.
Either on the baking sheet or in a small bowl, toss sliced squash with olive oil and maple syrup. I use approximately 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup depending on how much squash there is.
Place on baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, until softened and caramelized. Edges will get browned and crisp.
Set Aside and let cool.
Citrus Dressing
Whisk all ingredients together to combine. Taste and adjust to tastes as needed.
Massage Kale
Removed stems from kale and slice into ribbons or tear into pieces and place in a large bowl.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice and toss, then gently massage kale until softened. Kale will turn a bright great color. Massaging kale like this will make it more tender and a bit sweeter/ ie not bitter.
Assemble
To the bowl with kale, add roasted squash, cranberries and almonds and toss with desired amount of dressing.
Pro tip: If serving a crowd, I like to serve this salad on a platter rather than a bowl so you see more of the squash and cranberries -- looks super festive!
Hi! My name is Karen, and I’m the mom in our Healthy Gluten-Free Family. My posts and pictures here and on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are labors of love that allow me to share a very personal journey with you, one our family has taken together — learning, experimenting and sharing how to raise a healthy happy gluten-free family. Read more ...
This is absolutely delicious!!! I just love it! I added hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds because I didn’t have any almonds. yum!
Such great substitutions! Happy you loved it! Thank you!