I’m beyond obsessed with this Roasted Butternut Squash Kale Salad topped with honey roasted cranberries and crispy seasoned chickpeas. It’s healthy and delicious!
This is one of those recipes that checks all the boxes for me.
In addition to being deliciously healthy and loaded with superfoods, this roasted butternut squash kale salad is filling, flavorful, and totally crave-worthy! I’m completely obsessed with it!
As many of you already know, I’ve been known to devour an entire tray of roasted chickpeas in a sitting, so using them as a salad topper here was a total no-brainer. I’m loving the crispy spiced chickpeas alongside the leafy kale, tender butternut squash, and sweet yet deliciously tart cranberries.
Factor in the fresh orange dressing into the mix and I am SOLD!
For those of you who may need to make a few dietary swaps, here are some tips! If you need further tweaking feel free to leave me a comment below. xoxo
special diets and swaps
Rocking paleo or whole30 eats currently? I’ve got you! Instead of using chickpeas, you can add this seasoning blend to some roasted nuts of your choice (cashews would be great!) and simply skip the feta.
The optional feta here is absolutely amazing though, so if you’re not vegan/paleo I highly recommend it! Paired with the juicy tart and sweet honey roasted cranberries it’s pure magic.
Goat cheese makes an excellent stand in as well if you’d like to give it a try! Oh man… you could even top this salad with my cripsy Baked Goat Cheese Balls if you’d like. Holy cow I’m putting that on the menu for next week!
No fresh cranberries? Dried cranberries will work in a pinch. Simply skip roasting and toss them with the salad before adding dressing.
Feel free to buy pre-chopped butternut if preferred.
Freshly peeled and chopped sweet potato will also work for this tasty recipe!
Roasted Butternut Squash Kale Salad with Chickpeas and Cranberries
I cannot wait for you guys to try this salad!
It’s a crazy fun combo of textures and flavors that together make something truly magical.
Roasted Butternut Squash Kale Salad with Chickpeas and Cranberries
Ingredients
- 2 lb butternut squash
- 1-2 tsp avocado oil or olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4-5 cups chopped curly kale
- 15 oz canned chickpeas
- 2 tsp avocado oil or olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- honey for drizzling
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional but delicious)
CRISPY CHICKPEA SEASONING BLEND
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
- ⅛ tsp ground cumin
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
ZESTY ORANGE DRESSING
- 2 TBSP avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 TBSP orange juice (I juiced a mandarin orange)
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Peel and cube your squash (or snag it pre-cut from the store) and toss with 1-2 tsp oil. Season with salt and pepper (I add about 1/8 tsp of each) and place in a single layer on a greased or lined baking sheet. Set timer for 15 minutes.
- Next wash and dry your chopped kale. Add to a large bowl and drizzle kale with 1 tsp of your favorite healthy oil and a pinch of salt. Massage with your fingers until kale darkens in color and takes on a velvety texture. This little rubdown turns dry kale into a tender and delicious salad green! Set aside.
- Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.
- Now let's prep our chickpeas! Drain, rinse, and blot dry with a few paper towels. Toss with 2 tsp oil and season with 1/4 tsp salt. Place on a small baking sheet and spread them out a bit. Drizzle cranberries with a teeny bit of oil and place on the opposite side of the chickpeas.
- After the squash has been roasting for about 15 minutes (cue the timer!) add your cranberries and chickpeas to the oven and set timer for additional 20 minutes. The squash will continue roasting away as the chickpeas crisp up and the cranberries lightly roast and burst.
- Once everything is ready, pull your goodies from the oven and drizzle some fresh raw honey over the cranberries (SO GOOD!)
- Next sprinkle the seasoning blend over the hot chickpeas and mix it all up to coat.
- Top your kale with fresh from the oven squash, cranberries, and chickpeas and optional feta cheese. Serve with dressing for drizzling (whisk again before serving) and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this roasted butternut squash kale salad, let me know! Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation! I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
hungry for more?
- Cranberry Kale Salad with Candied Pecans and Feta
- Crispy Roasted Shawarma Chickpeas
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Absolutely fantastic! I’ve been eating this salad almost all week long and it’s been so flavorful and filling each time. It is the perfect salad for meal prepping. I didn’t realize the recipe called for fresh cranberries and used the dried ones I had one hand, still great but looking forward to trying the fresh next time!
Awesome thank you Soraya! It’s great with fresh and dried — I love how versatile the recipe has been for so many. 😃
Looking forward to trying this recipe! Do you think I could use Hubbard squash in this?
Hi Amber! You can absolutely use Hubbard squash here. Hope you adore the recipe! xoxo
I want to make this and portion it out to bring to work all week for lunch. Can I put it all together and keep in the fridge for the week?
Hi Lisa! I personally love this one fresh the best so I’d try it that way first and then see how you like the leftovers. The chickpeas will soften as will he squash so it’s 100% a matter of preference. Some of my friends adore roasted veggies the next day straight from the fridge (my husband does as well!) so if you’re already a fan of cold roasted veg and do that as part of your lunch meal prep you should be a-okay!
Yum! Due to the shortage on EVERYTHING… I used pomegranate in place of cranberries but otherwise I followed the recipe. I’m going to eat this all week. Thank you!
That cranberry shortage hit hard this year. I searched everywhere for them! I’m so glad you were able to sub pomegranate seeds — I’m excited to try that swap yum! Thanks Kristin!
I never review internet recipes – but this salad was exceptional! It was a hit with the kids, with the grownups, with the surprise gluten-free vegan guest, and just a wonderful addition to our meal. Thnks for such a tasty idea!
We had this without the chickpeas, as the main course was roasted tri tip. I only had dried blueberries, they were beautiful in taste and appearance. And feta cheese, it’s a must have in this salad. Thank you for a great recipe!
HI! can I use dried cranberries (craisins) instead of fresh?
Yes absolutely! Simply add them to the salad straight from the bag (skip the roast for these since they’re dried) along with all the veggie goodness!
Can you make this earlier in the day and serve at dinner?
Hi Michele! This salad is truly it’s best enjoyed fresh. The kale can 100% be prepped ahead of time, cleaned/chopped/massaged and kept in an airtight container in the fridge, and the dressing can be made in advance too! I just really thing the freshly roasted squash and veggies are just so good you’ve got to try it when they’re fresh from the oven at some point, ya know? The crisp texture of the chickpeas is best right off the tray. That being said, all the veggies could also be prepped in advance so all you have to do is throw them in to roast before dinner, set a timer, and then toss your prepped kale and dressing along with it. Hoping this helps! xoxo
This is great! I added the spices to the chick peas before they went in the oven, added pomegranate molasses to the dressing (and used as drizzle) and roasted unsalted sunflower seeds. Didn’t have feta but goat cheese is also good! Thank you.
Hi! Thank you so much for the awesome recipes! Any suggestions for substitutes for the cranberries? My store didn’t have any fresh ones. Thanks so much!
Hi Aspen! Super excited you’l be trying the recipe! Cherries are starting to be in season where I am right now so you could try roasting some fresh cherries for the salad if those are available near you. I’ve had a few readers use dried cranberries in a pinch too. You can plump up the dried ones by soaking them in a little warm water for a few minutes before adding them to the salad.
This salad was delicious!!! I made Cajun chicken and laid over it. Didn’t have the chickpeas, so I’ll try them next time
Cajun chicken sounds so good with this salad ohmygosh!
My wife and I had this tonight along with grilled pork chops and I must say Jenn this is very good. Great gentle spicing of the dressing which matches the crunch of the kale and the sweetness of the roasted squash. The seasoning blend on the chick peas added the soft heat that is needed. Excellent blend of ingredients. I followed the recipe to the letter and this is definitely in my recipe box. Thanks.
hey Jenn! I wanted to know how well this salad keeps for a week in the fridge?
Hey Monica! I’m not sure from personal experience yet b/c we’ve eaten it in a sitting both times, lol.
I do like to advance-prep massaged kale and keep it in a baggie in the fridge all week long and I know that you can keep roasted veggies in an airtight container already roasted and prepped so… my gut reaction would be to keep both separate, heat your roasted veggies when ready to eat, and then combine it all together before serving. The chickpeas won’t stay crispy long term since we’re just roasting them vs. dehydrating them but I still like the leftovers even when they’re chewy! Hope this helps! xoxo
Jenn, I LOVE this salad! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
One more delicious veggie-rrific gem to feed to my big and small dudes.. and the bonus is that I get to sneak extra ‘test’ portions to my plate! Really lads, it’s quality control.?
This salad is packed with so many flavors and textures, I love it! A super salad for sure!
This salad is absolutely gorgeous! I love all the squash mixed with the cranberries and oranges and would def try some nuts in there too. And that dressing, sound awesome! Can’t wait to go to the store and grab some kale and give this a try.
So so excited for you to try it Linda! The flavors are out of this world! <3 xo