Butternut Squash Salad with Kale, Apples and Goat Cheese

5 from 2 votes

Butternut Squash Salad with Kale, Apples and Goat Cheese

An easy butternut squash recipe featuring a power greens salad with roasted butternut squash, apples, bacon, pecans, goat cheese with a warm bacon-raspberry vinaigrette.

Prep Time15

Cook Time16

Total Time31

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Butternut Squash Salad

Servings:

Calories: 381kcal

Author: Kelly Anthony

Ingredients

For the Butternut Squash Salad:

1 (10 ounce) package diced butternut squash see notes for alternative measurements
2 teaspoons canola oil
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
1 (10 ounce) package pre-washed baby kale, baby arugula, or mixed power greens
1 tart, crisp red apple, thinly sliced such as Honeycrisp, Jazz, or Pink Lady
2 ounces crumbled goat cheese
¾ cup pecan halves

For the Dressing:

4 teaspoons bacon drippings
1 tablespoon grade-A pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon raspberry jam
Generous pinch Kosher salt
Scant pinch black pepper
3 tablespoons canola oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400° and have ready a rimmed baking sheet lined with nonstick aluminum foil.
Add the squash to the pan, drizzle with canola oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine, and spread out the squash evenly across the baking sheet.
Bake for 16 minutes, tossing the squash about half-way through the cooking process.
While the squash is roasting, cook the bacon. Add the bacon to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sauté for 5-6 minutes, or until crisp.
With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside until ready to use. Do not discard the grease.
To assemble the salad, add greens, roasted squash, bacon, apple slices, goat cheese, and pecans to a large bowl, and set aside while you make the dressing.

For the Warm Bacon-Raspberry Vinaigrette:

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the bacon drippings, maple syrup, vinegar, raspberry jam, salt, and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the canola oil, whisking all the while.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

If you cannot find pre-diced butternut squash in the produce section of your grocery store, or just prefer to do it yourself, use 1 ½ - 2 cups of butternut squash, diced into ½" cubes.

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