I’m SO EXCITED to share this recipe with you! One of my good friends was in town last night and came over for dinner. He said that he’s not typically a fan of kale but absolutely loved this salad and the way the kale mixed in with the other ingredients.
Anytime I am making a salad I want everyone to enjoy, I add a lot of different ingredients. It just makes the dish so much more interesting and fun. This salad has a lot of components and will take a little prep time but it is SO worth it. It’s one of my favorite salads I’ve ever made! The flavors just compliment each other so nicely!
This salad is gorgeous too, don’t you think?! I’m sure I’ll be making it again for Thanksgiving and Christmas since the pomegranate makes it so festive!
This salad takes a few more steps than most of my other recipes but boy is it worth it!! The combo of Garlic Expressions with Sriracha is one of my favorites and my go-to combination for salads. I highly recommend that you try it but if you don’t like spicy food, simply omit the sriracha.
The baked butternut squash is amazing on it’s own and out-of-this-world when combined with the other flavors of this salad. All the flavors and textures are represented here: sweet, savory, spicy, tart, creamy, crunchy; it’s like a party in your mouth. It’s just so good!
Enjoy it on it’s own or with cooked protein like grilled chicken or salmon. I highly encourage you to share this with family and friends. This recipe as it’s written makes a very large portion and can serve up to 6 as an entree so you’ll have plenty to share!
1. Info for Kale Salad with Butternut Squash, Quinoa, Avocado, Pomegranate and Garlic Sriracha Vinaigrette
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Servings: 6
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Kale Salad with Butternut Squash, Quinoa, Avocado, Pomegranate and Garlic Sriracha Vinaigrette
- 1 head kale, stems removed and leaves torn into small pieces.
- seeds of 1 pomegranate (Trader Joes & Costco sell them already de-seeded)
- 2 cups quinoa
- 4 cups peeled & diced butternut squash – about 1 large squash (Trader Joes & Costco sell them already peeled and diced)
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 1 large avocado, diced
- chili lime seasoning – I actually found mine at Home Goods but they also carry it on Amazon. A must try, it’s amazing!!
- Garlic Expressions salad dressing
- Sriracha
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
3. Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- First prepare your butternut squash. If you are using a whole squash, peel your squash, remove inner seeds with a spoon, and cut it into cubes. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, a little sea salt and 1 Tbs chili lime seasoning (I always use a ziplock bag for this step). Place on a large baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and bake, tossing occasionally, until edges begin to brown, about 30-40 mins. I sometimes broil them for a few minutes right at the end to get them nice and crispy but that is purely optional!
- While your squash is cooking, cook your quinoa. In a large saucepan over medium high heat add 2 cups of quinoa to 4 cups of water. Cover and let cook until all the water is absorbed, about 20 mins.
- While your quinoa is cooking, prepare your carmelized onions. In a medium sized saute pan over medium high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and let it begin to simmer. Then add diced onions and a dash of salt and pepper. Stir to coat and let cook down, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Once your quinoa is done cooking, toss it in a large bowl with kale pieces, caramelized onions, and a generous drizzle of Garlic Expressions and Sriracha to taste. Taste and adjust dressings according to taste.
- Top with cooked butternut squash, avocado slices, and fresh pomegranate seeds.