Meet your new favorite fall salad. With tender kale, roasted delicata squash, crisp apples, and a zingy mustard vinaigrette, this hearty dish balances sweet, salty, and crunchy in the best way. Easy to throw together on a weeknight and guaranteed to wow at Thanksgiving.
This autumn salad is failsafe and so easy! Everything can be made and dressed right there in the pan. This majorly saves on dishes (hallelujah) and with a sheet pan salad nothing gets lost in the bottom of the large bowl! Double win.
If you haven’t tried a sheet pan salad yet what are you waiting for? Perfect for entertaining, this kale and squash salad is great for balancing out a heavy or rich meal. Which in my book also makes it perfect for the Thanksgiving or Christmas table too.
An added timesaving bonus - you don't even need to peel delicata squash - the skin is edible and delicious!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Fall Kale Salad Recipe
- Delicata Squash and Kale Salad Ingredients
- How to make Sheet Pan Kale & Apple Salad
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Variations & Substitutions
- Tips & Tricks
- How to Serve
- How to Make Ahead
- Pin This Fall Salad with Delicata Squash, Kale & Apple Recipe For Later
- What Do You Think?!
- More Easy Recipe Ideas
- Printable Recipe
- Fall Kale Sheet Pan Salad Recipe
- Reader Comments & Ratings
Why You'll Love This Fall Kale Salad Recipe
- Despite appearances, this sheet pan fall harvest salad is speedy - like all my recipes - just 15 minutes to prepare then a half hour roast in the oven.
- This delicious kale salad can be served any time of year, as a hearty side salad alongside a main meal, or is substantial enough to have for dinner on its own.
- With this healthy kale salad you can swap in other veggies and salad ingredients depending on what you have in your fridge at home.
- Try some of my favourite salad recipes:
Delicata Squash and Kale Salad Ingredients
Find the full list and quantities in the recipe card below.
Delicata Squash - A long time favorite squash of mine for both its delicate flavour and the fact that the skin is edible - which means no peeling (a huge bonus!)
Baby Kale - perfect for this low maintenance salad since it doesn't require any cutting and is sweeter and less bitter than regular kale. You could also use curly kale or lacinato kale.
Cheese - A robust mature cheddar works wonders here, adding a salty sharpness which contrasts nicely with the sweet cranberries and squash. I like to grate the cheese finely on microplane so it doesn’t overpower the other flavors.
Pomegranate Seeds - They add a lovely sweetness here as well as color.
Pumpkin Seeds - These are here to give some crunch and texture. You don’t have to toast them but if you do it brings out their flavor.
Apple - Crunchy tart apples add freshness and flavor. The other bonus of apple slices is visual - they’re just so pretty on top of a salad, especially if sliced thin with their skin still on. I have used honeycrisp apples here- but feel free to use your favorite (pink lady work brilliantly here too.)
How to make Sheet Pan Kale & Apple Salad
Find the full printable recipe card below.
- Roast the delicata squash
- Make the dressing, by combining extra virgin olive oil with Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and a little maple syrup for sweetness.
- Core and slice the apples, sprinkle them with vinegar to prevent browning.
- Add the kale to the sheet pan, dress generously and mix well.
- Top the salad with apple, cheddar, pomegranate seeds and pumpkin seeds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is delicata squash the same as butternut squash?
Although similar, they are different varieties of squash. Butternut has a slightly stronger, sweeter taste than delicata squash.
Do you eat the skin on a delicata squash?
Yes you do! There is no need to peel the skin on a delicata squash, leave the skin on then you can enjoy the soft flesh and slightly chewy skin when you roast it.
How healthy is delicata squash?
Delicata squash is a great source of fiber, vitamin A, potassium and folate, so it makes a healthy addition to any diet.
Variations & Substitutions
This salad is already hearty and filling! But if you'd like to increase the protein you could easily add grilled chicken breast.
Swap the delicata for other squash like butternut or acorn squash, you could even use sweet potatoes in this fall kale salad.
I've used cheddar cheese in this recipe but you can use other sharp flavored cheese like Parmesan, feta cheese or tangy goat cheese.
Not a fan of raw kale? You can switch it out for spinach, salad greens or shredded Brussels Sprouts.
To add even more flavor you could add in some finely chopped red onion.
For extra crunch try adding some sunflower seeds along with the pumpkin. You could also add crunchy nut, try almonds, walnuts or pecans.
To make this salad suitable for dairy free and vegan dinners, swap the cheddar cheese for a plant based alternative.
Tips & Tricks
- When roasting squash ensure the slices are well spaced out on the large baking sheet. If the pieces are too close together they will steam and go soggy.
- If you don’t already massage kale, now is honestly the time to start! Kale leaves are so much better and easier to digest if you really mix the dressing really well into the leaves.
- Unlike ordinary salads - kale leaves do better if you toss them a few minutes before eating to give the leaves time to tenderize and take on the flavor of the dressing.
- Don’t underdress this salad but don’t overdress either. For the perfect balance, add dressing gradually as you toss and remember you can always add more but you can’t remove dressing if you drown it.
- Check the salad for seasoning as a pinch of salt and some black pepper really does make all the difference.
- Make sure you squeeze some lemon juice over the apples so they keep their gorgeous bright color right up until you serve the salad.
How to Serve
This salad is great as a stand alone dinner. Equally it's ideal as part of a larger family dinner, or holiday meal and I think it makes the perfect Thanksgiving salad. Try serving it with the weekend roast, try my Roast Chicken, or Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin.
It's also great for the Thanksgiving table alongside some other easy veggie sides like my British Roast Potatoes, shortcut Kitchenaid Mashed Potatoes, Honey Butter Roasted Carrots, or Honey Roasted Parsnips.
How to Make Ahead
The squash can be roasted up to 2 days in advance. The homemade dressing can also be made up to 2 days in advance and the cheese can be grated up to 2 days in advance.
Make sure you keep everything separately in the fridge in an airtight container. The salad can be tossed together, covered and kept at room temperature up to an hour in advance. I always advise a quick re-toss just before serving, to freshen the salad up.
Pin This Fall Salad with Delicata Squash, Kale & Apple Recipe For Later
What Do You Think?!
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More Easy Recipe Ideas
Printable Recipe
Fall Kale Sheet Pan Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Delicata Squash
- 5 oz Baby Kale
- 2 Red Apples - cored and cut into thin slices
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- ¾ cup Pomegranate Seeds
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese - grated/shredded
- ½ cup Pumpkin Seeds
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper
For the Dressing
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- ⅓ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Maple Syrup
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 420ºF/210ºC
- Scrub the squash and cut straight through the middle. Scoop out the seeds and slice each half into thin half moons.
- Toss the squash slices in olive oil and season generously. Arrange in a single layer on a parchment paper lined large baking sheet.
- Roast for around 20-30 minutes until the squash is soft and starting to go golden brown.
- Remove it from oven and let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile make the dressing by whisking the mustard, vinegar, olive oil and maple syrup together and season well. Set aside.
- Core the apples and cut into thin slices. Sprinkle with the lemon juice to stop the slices browning.
- Add the kale to the sheet pan with the squash and dress generously, mixing the dressing well into the leaves.
- Top with apple, cheddar, pomegranate seeds and pumpkin seeds.
- Serve!
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