this post is in collaboration with Heinen’s Grocery. As a Heinen’s Contributor I am honored to bring you all recipes to enjoy all year round!
If there is one salad to pick to be the featured salad for your Thanksgiving table this year, it is this one. Not only is visually stunning to set out amongst your holiday spread, but the flavors are phenomenal! Sweet caramelized roasted butternut squash, layered with smoky crispy bacon, sweet dried cranberries and candied pumpkin seeds packs this salad with so much texture and zing. Serve with crumbled goat cheese and the house-made maple dijon vinaigrette, a vinaigrette so good I may have to jar it and sell it! This salad is so over-the-top you’ll see the bottom of the bowl as guests race to fill their plate up!
Fall Harvest Kale Salad
- 2 bunches of organic kale, washed and finely chopped
- 1.5lb butternut squash chunks, roasted (recipe below)
- 1lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 8oz goat cheese, crumbled
- Candied pumpkin seeds (recipe below)
- Maple Dijon Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Roasted Butternut Squash
- 1.5lb butternut squash, peeled and cut into one inch cubes
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- Good pinch of kosher salt and black pepper
- Preheat oven to 375*
- On a greased baking sheet, toss the butternut squash chunks together with the olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper.
- Bake at 375* for one hour, until the butternut squash is fork tender and the sides have caramelized a bit.
- Set to the side to cool
Candied Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 egg white
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Preheat oven to 300*
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a small bowl, toss together the pumpkin seeds with the egg white, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt
- Bake at 300* for 20-25 minutes
- Let cool completely, and then break apart into chunks
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- 3 Tbsp shallot, minced
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients together until well incorporated. Store in a mason jar in the fridge, and when ready to serve give it a good shake to re-combine.
Salad Assembly:
Put all of the finely chopped kale in the bottom of a serving dish. Pour in a few tablespoons of the maple dijon vinaigrette and using clean hands, massage the dressing into the kale. This tenderizes the kale best!
Next, add the roasted butternut squash, dried cranberries, crumbled bacon and candied pumpkin seeds on top of the dressed kale and finish with crumbled goat cheese. Right before serving, pour the rest of the dressing onto the salad and toss to combine.
