Kale and Squash Salad With Almond-Butter Vinaigrette
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 1½pounds winter squash, such as butternut or delicata, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced crosswise ½ inch thick (no need to peel)
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 2crisp eating apples such as Honeycrisp or Pink Lady
- 1shallot, thinly sliced
- 1teaspoon lemon zest plus ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- 1large bunch Tuscan kale or collard greens (about 1 pound), ribs removed and leaves sliced about ¼ inch thick
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 1teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
245 calories; 15 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 509 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Place a rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a sheet pan, toss the squash with the olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt. Spread into an even layer and roast on the bottom rack until tender and browned underneath, 15 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, core the apples and slice them ¼ inch thick. In a large bowl, toss together the apples, shallot and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Add the kale leaves, season generously with salt, then toss. (There is no need to squeeze, as the leaves will soften with time.)
- Step 3
In a small bowl, stir together the lemon zest and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice with the almond butter, Dijon mustard and black pepper. Stir in enough water until it’s pourable (about ¼ cup, depending on the almond butter; the mixture will thicken at first, but when enough water is added, it will loosen). Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
- Step 4
When the squash is cool enough to handle, add it to the kale mixture. Drizzle with most of the dressing. Toss until coated, adding more dressing as needed. Taste and adjust seasonings with more salt and pepper. (To make ahead, refrigerate the dressing and salad separately for up to 3 days. Adjust thickness and flavor of dressing with salt, pepper and lemon juice, then toss.)
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Stella Luna
I was surprised you could make vinaigrette without oil, but even more surprised you could make it without vinegar ;-) I also discovered that I could make almond butter just by whipping up almond flour. It was a very nice dressing, though I confess I put herbes de provence in just about everything, and I added it here. I guess mustard has a bit of vinegar...
jennysorel
I was not originally drawn to this recipe since I tend not to like raw apples in my salad, and i couldn’t imagine Dijon mustard mixed with almond butter. But it worked. Made as written except that I peeled the butternut squash. If i were to make it again, i would add the roasted squash to the kale as soon as it came out of the oven to wilt the kale. The combination of raw apples raw kale is a lot to digest, and it would be nice as a warm salad.
Robbin
This is delicious. The other night we made the delicata squash with Dukkah recipe, and had lots of leftovers. I threw those into this salad rather than roasting fresh squash. The sesame Dukkah blended beautifully with this salad and dressing and made for a tasty lunch!
Francoise
Made as directed but subbed thick winter spinach and arugula for collards. Was delicious!
ariel
i am going to try this with tahini instead of almond butter, since the two are similar in texture and sesame loves lemon
Rachel
The dressing is delicious. In my opinion the salad works better with the apple cut smaller, into a dice.
Des
This was sensational. I added grilled chicken and feta cheese on top for some saltiness.
Lisa
TIP: some grocery stores in the baby food or peanut butter section have little single-serving packages of almond butter. For those that have no use for an entire jar. Tahini would work here too.
doc
This was good. Added some Braggs to the dressing for depth/umami and would top with roasted almonds next time. Hoping it keeps for another couple meals.
Flopsy
Very delicious but some notes: added a teaspoon or so of tamari to the dressing, felt it was lacking some depth. Depending on the size of the apples and how thinly you slice them, two apples is too much apple proportionally to the other ingredients. I stopped at 1 and a quarter apples and that was plenty.
moniqueleana
Whoa, this dressing good. Will slather on all roast veg, sandwiches, grain bowls, soba?! I can think of a hundred uses. Use a blender if the almond butter is rock hard and hello vegan delight.
Natalie
This was easy and delicious. Peeled the butternut squash and cut the 1/4 inch apple slices in half to make it easier to eat. Tossed cubes of tofu with the left over dressing and roasted and added to the salad. Tip: don’t “stir” the dressing as the recipe suggests, whisk and it’ll come together faster, very creamy and good.
Vaughan Meyer
The salad turned out pretty good. But I think the direction to NOT massage the kale is a mistake. The salad would be much improved with more tender kale. I make a lot of kale salads and it just needs to be massaged.
Eileen
Peel squash. One apple. Cut kale finely.
Skeays
I'd make this again. Perhaps add a little more lemon juice to the dressing.
Oly Pen
Made a few changes to make this a full meal and work with what we had on hand. Used swiss chard and tahini served it over bulgar. It was really good, I will make it again.
Paul Atreides
Very good. We will make this again. I massaged the (lacinato) kale a bit before adding the other ingredients, which made for a nice texture. And we used kabocha squash as the squash, in place of delicata, which had nice firmness to it. Added all the dressing and it was just right. I added some cooked chicken to boost the protein.
A.A.
Nothing about this salad worked for us. The dressing was overly creamy and the apple and squash felt redundant. I think I would have been better served by making this salad with a lemon vinaigrette and toasted almonds. The creamy dressing with the squash and apple was too much.
Bessie the Bovine
Dressing is delicious, but as far the textures of the salad.... definitely peel the squash, definitely massage the kale, and even peel the apples if you'd like. Otherwise you end up chewing each bite for about 5 minutes like a cow. It's not pleasant at all.
Johanna
I used tahini instead of almond butter (we have a nut allergy in our house)—it was yummy. I also tossed the hot squash with the kale to soften the greens a bit.
Lo.
This dressing is wonderful. I made with cashew butter but achieved same result. Recommend roasting squash ahead of time and having ready in fridge- that way you don’t have to waste time waiting to cook. Delicious, thanks Ali!
Bruno B.
Very good, and could easily be adapted. The dressing really takes this to another level.
Elizabeth K
The ratio of apples is too high to the kale and the squash. For future, I would reduce the apple quantity by half. Dressing is delicious. Be generous with your cheese, because the apples and shallots overpower the flavor.
Amy
Tasty! Unfortunately, my Dijon was expired, so I had to improvise by adding powdered mustard and garlic to my almond butter. (Signal boosting a tip from another reviewer: buy a small single-serve packet of almond butter if you don’t want to buy an entire jar!) I would make this again, but I would massage the kale, as mine didn’t soften to my liking. I’d also make a big pile of farro to go with it!
LaurenE
fantastic. great for dinner parties! Delicious and the kale can hold the dressing so well without getting soggy, so can be made ahead.
JO
I make this salad all the time and it is always a hit. I skip the squash — it doesn’t add much in my opinion — and I add golden raisins and Parmesan cheese. I make my dressing in a nutribullet and usually add a little bit of water.
Bren
I make a version of this salad with sliced Fuyu persimmons instead of apples. I also add cooked Farro, a sprinkle of feta and a simple lemon vinaigrette. It is a full meal and looks gorgeous on a platter
AC
Made this (almost) as written. Subbed creamy peanut butter for the almond butter since that's what I had on hand. It was DELICIOUS. My partner declared that this goes into the winter rotation and he's looking forward to eating it in the depths of January. It's creamy and lush, with a fabulous citrus bitterness and sweetness from the apple. A big 10.
Jenny
First off, the almond butter dressing is spectacular - I will be using this super simple dressing again & again & again!! The salad is a fantastic mix of textures (creamy, crunchy), flavors (sweet, savory, tanginess, pepperiness), and this will be in our steady rotation of hearty salads!
chris
Add walnuts, add blue cheese, add farro, cut kale in bite size pieces and cube apples
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