Butternut & Kale Salad with Maple Roasted Chickpeas
I can’t wait for Thanksgiving to come rolling around so I can whip up this salad for my entire family. The autumn harvest continues to inspire such simple dishes and this salad is another winner.
Lovely butternut pairs nicely with fresh kale and maple roasted chickpeas. Farm fresh at its best!
This is the kind of salad that makes you want to sit outside on a breezy evening with a sweater, a cup of hot tea and some good company.
The sweetness of the squash pairs nicely with the strong bite of the kale and the maple roasted chickpeas are icing on the cake (or salad!) This side dish is a breeze to whip up but I advise you to plan ahead and cook your own chickpeas instead of using canned. I find when I make chickpea “croutons” they are always quite a bit crunchier if I cook them myself. With that being said, you can still used canned, (I’ve done that many times) just remember to dry them really well before roasting. Regardless of how you prepare your croutons I hope you enjoy the sweet and savory flavors in this seasonal salad. Grab a fork and dig in!
Butternut & Kale Salad with Maple Roasted Chickpea Croutons
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30-40 minutes Serves: 4
For the salad:- 1 large bunch of kale (about 6 cups), tough stems removed and torn into bite size pieces
- 1/4 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1 medium-small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas, patted dry
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon style mustard
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- pinch of fine sea salt and dash of ground pepper
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss chopped butternut squash with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Place on a prepared baking sheet. On a seperate baking sheet toss chickpeas with olive oil (not the syrup yet) and salt. Place both trays in the oven and bake until squash is fork tender and chickpeas are lightly browned on all sides. About 25-35 minutes. Toss squash and chickpeas every 10-15 minutes keeping a close eye to make sure nothing burns.
- Once chickpeas are beginning to brown up a bit remove from the oven. Drizzle with the maple syrup, toss until well combine and place back in the oven for an addition 5-10 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy.
- While veggies cook prepare your dressing. Whisk all the ingredients together until well combine. Taste test and adjust seasonings as necessary. This works well with an immersion blender or food processor for an extremely smooth dressing.
- Place kale in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with half of the dressing and lightly massage it into the leaves until they turn bright green and feel tender. Toss in cooked squash, chickpeas, pecans and raisins. Drizzle with more dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
*Use this recipe as a guide. *The chickpeas don't stay crunchy overnight so make them the day of. *Cooking times will vary depending on the size of your veggies, type of chickpeas and personal oven. *Adjust measurements and ingredients to suite your taste and serving size. *Have fun in the kitchen and don't be afraid to try something new.
Looks fabulous. Should the Kale be parboiled?
No need to parboil the kale. This is a raw salad. Massaging the dressing helps the leaves tender up a bit. Enjoy!
Thanks for your advice on the chickpea croutons! Despite my best intentions, I always find myself using canned chickpeas. This is some extra motivation to cook up all the pounds of dried beans I have in my cabinets!
The combination of maple roasted chickpeas and pecans sound so delicious and very Thanksgiving-ish! I’m so jealous of all of your fall kale recipes. We just don’t get kale here except for maybe a few lucky weeks in the fall. But I can sub with Swiss Chard in the meantime.
Another great recipe, Andrea! How do you do it? I did substitute pomegranate seeds for the raisins which are in season now. This was really delicious.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this!!! Love your addition of pomegranate seeds!
This looks absolutely amazing! Bookmarking it to make the next time I get kale.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
This salad was great! I substituted pomegranate seeds for the raisins and it was lovely!
How do I store the chickpeas for 3-4 hours before serving?
How do I store the prepared chickpeas before serving within 3-4 hours of serving?