The salad below celebrates the colors and flavors of fall, adding a hint of sweet raisins to contrast the slightly bitter kale greens. If you can’t source delicata squash, a small butternut squash can work in its place. Be sure to peel the butternut squash before roasting.
Ingredients
Serves 4–6
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Trim about 1 inch off the head of the garlic, exposing the cloves. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the olive oil on the garlic skins and rub it in. Wrap the garlic in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet in the oven. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the individual cloves are completely soft. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Step 2
At the same time as you roast the garlic, roast the squash. Place the squash pieces in a small bowl and coat with 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper. Spread out the squash on a large baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the pieces are browned and cooked through. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Step 3
In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 4 tablespoons oil, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and the cayenne (if using). Squeeze out the roasted garlic into the dressing. Stir well, breaking up the garlic. Set aside.
Step 4
Wash and dry the kale thoroughly and slice it into thin strips. Place it in a large bowl and add the dressing a bit at a time, using your hands to massage the kale leaves gently until the volume is reduced and they look softened and shiny. You may have leftover dressing. Add the raisins, nuts, and squash pieces and toss.
Step 5
Serve the salad at room temperature. Top with shaved Parmesan, if desired
Leave a Review
Reviews (9)
Back to TopWhat can I replace the honey with to make this for a vegan guest?
Beth Handa
9/19/2022
Easy to make but flavour a little bland. I might have used the wrong kind of kale because it did not wilt down as well as I expected. Used cranberries instead of raisins and walnuts for a Thanksgiving side dish.
Peggyanne5
Toronto Ontario Canada
10/10/2021
So easy to make and really tasty
Anonymous
Portland, OR
9/11/2021
My daughter-in-law, Conner, made this salad for our 2019 Thanksgiving feast and my daughter and I both begged for the recipe. Next to the turkey, her Autumn Kale Salad was the star of the event. I "stole" more than my share of the leftovers, and can't wait to make it myself. I always plant kale for my chickens (makes the yolks orange instead of pale yellow, and delicious), but next year, all the extra kale will go into salad for me and my family. YUM!
edie42
Washington
11/30/2019
Love this salad!! It's fabulous and super easy. The dressing is delicious!
kunjan
Portland, OR
10/21/2019
Delicious! Loved the roasted squash and roasted garlic in the dressing. Forgot the shaved Parmesan at the end and it was still fabulous
CathyVee
Montreal Quebec
10/18/2019
This was amazing! I've never dared to make kale salad before, worried it would be tough. But the instructions were perfect, definitely "massage" the dressing in as they describe. The kale wilts down a bit when you do that so, unless you have a huge bowl, you might need to do it in batches. I made the dressing exactly as written (definitely roast the garlic... yummy!) You'll have lots of leftover dressing FYI. I used sweet potato instead of squash and cranberries instead of raisins. No parmesan for us. Can't wait to go home tonight to have the leftover! (I never save leftover salad but this one I did!)
karenede
Brooklyn, NY
10/2/2019
O My! What a treat this salad is! It's seasonal, it's luscious and the ingredients all sing! I did not change a thing.
dottie60
波士顿
10/19/2016
This recipe was a hit with the whole family. Lovely colour and balanced flavours. Substituted kuri squash (a variety that also has a thin edible skin) and russian red kale as that is what was in the garden. My step mom suggested craisins as an alternative to raisins for next time. Highly recommend this yummy fall salad!
zeta
Victoria, BC Canada
10/7/2016
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