This delicious Fall Harvest Kale Salad is a must-have for your Thanksgiving table, filled with textures and flavors. It's topped with roasted butternut squash, crumbled bacon, dried cranberries, goat cheese, and candied pumpkin seeds, all drizzled with a flavorful Maple Dijon Vinaigrette.
1: Preheat oven to 375°F.
2: On a greased baking sheet, toss the butternut squash chunks together with the olive oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper.
3: Bake at 375°F for one hour, until the butternut squash is fork tender and the sides have caramelized a bit.
4: Set to the side to cool.
5: For the candied pumpkin seeds, preheat oven to 300°F.
6: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7: In a small bowl, toss together the pumpkin seeds with the egg white, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
8: Bake at 300°F for 20-25 minutes.
9: Let cool completely, and then break apart into chunks.
10: For the Maple Dijon Vinaigrette, whisk shallot, apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, maple syrup, dijon mustard, kosher salt, and black pepper together in a bowl.
11: Store the vinaigrette in a mason jar in the fridge, shaking to recombine before serving.
12: To assemble the salad, put all of the finely chopped kale in a serving dish.
13: Pour in a few tablespoons of the Maple Dijon Vinaigrette and massage it into the kale.
14: Add the roasted butternut squash, dried cranberries, crumbled bacon, and candied pumpkin seeds on top of the dressed kale.
15: Finish with crumbled goat cheese and toss with the rest of the dressing before serving.
