Roasted Butternut Squash Winter Salad with Kale, Farro and Cranberry Dressing
This warm Roasted Butternut Squash Winter Salad with Kale, Farro and Cranberry Dressing is a wholesome and comforting dish – perfect with Thanksgiving turkey, as a side for a delicious winter meal, or as a wholesome lunch on its own.
This warm Roasted Butternut Squash Winter Salad with Kale, Farro and Cranberry Dressing is a wholesome and comforting dish – perfect with Thanksgiving turkey, as a side for a delicious winter meal, or as a wholesome lunch on its own.
I overheard my children in the middle of a discussion. For once, they were in agreement.
“My favorite months are from October to January.”
“Yeah.”
I can totally see why. It all starts with my son’s birthday in early October, launching us into what is three months of festivity and food. And presents. Halloween brought us bucketfuls of sweets (which, amazingly, is nearly all gone), and in a few days we will be brining the turkey and making the pies for Thanksgiving.
‘Tis the season.
I love this time of year for slightly different reasons. Oven-roasted anything, for one. Pumpkins. Cranberries. Butternut squash. All those wintery flavors that make you want to stay in a cook all day.
These last several weeks, I’ve been a little obsessed with butternut squash and farro. I blame – or thank – a dish I tried when I met some wonderful ladies for dinner at Davanti Enoteca while I was in Chicago not too long ago. We ordered tons of dishes to share, but it was a warm insalata that was my favorite of the evening: Roasted Squash with Farro Whipped Goat Cheese, Hazelnuts and Watercress. I knew I had to make something similar when I came back home.
Many batches of roasted butternut squash and farro later, and I couldn’t wait to share this Roasted Butternut Squash Winter Salad with Kale, Farro and Cranberry Dressing with you. It’s my idea of a perfect fall dish – whether as a side for Thanksgiving turkey, or a simple weeknight meal, next to thick pork chops, or even all by itself for a wholesome lunch. Roasted Butternut Squash Winter Salad is meant to be served warm, to take you through these cold winter months.
As for this my kids and this season of festivity, we’re just getting started. Thanksgiving will bring us my sister and her husband, then we will dive right into readying the house for Christmas, New Years, and soon after, my daughter’s birthday. When I write it all out, it sounds a little daunting, but I just need to remember: take it one dish at a time.
MORE THANKSGIVING SIDE DISHES TO ENJOY
Savory Herb Stuffing Bread
Roasted Acorn Squash and Kale Salad
Pumpkin Sage Polenta
Cranberry Pomegranate Baked Brie
Pumpkin Cheddar Biscuits
Cranberry Wine Sauce
Roasted Butternut Squash Winter Salad with Kale, Farro and Cranberry Dressing
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 butternut squash peeled, seeds removed and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 cups farro
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 3 cups kale finely shredded
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
For the Cranberry Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cranberry juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Placed the butternut squash and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with about 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss well, using your hands to evenly coat the squash. Roast the squash in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until fork tender.
- While the butternut squash and garlic roasts, place the farro and about 4-5 cups of cold water in a saucepan, season generously with kosher salt, and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once the farro comes to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover, and let the farro cook for up to 40 minutes, or until the farro has bloomed. Check your farro package for instructions, as some farro may cook faster/longer.
- When the butternut squash is tender, remove from the oven and set aside. Squeeze the garlic out of the peel into a small bowl, mash with a fork, and set aside. Discard garlic peel.
- In a deep sided saute pan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the shallots and roasted garlic and cook for a minute or two, or until the shallots are translucent. Stir in the kale, butternut squash, and farro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let it sit while you make the cranberry dressing.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, cranberry juice, salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Stir in about half of the dressing into the warm salad. Stir in the feta cheese.
- Transfer the salad to a serving dish and serve warm, with additional dressing on the side.
- Roasting the butternut squash and garlic, as well as cooking the farro can be done in advance. I like to keep cooked farro in the refrigerator, which makes this dish come together faster.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Comments
COOKBOOK
Absolutely one of our favorites. Even the baby is into it. I sub orange juice for the cranberry since I don’t usually have the cranberry juice around.
I’m so glad this recipe is a family favorite, Kristyn, even for the baby! Substituting orange juice for the cranberry is a great idea :)
Hi! This looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing it. Do you think I could substitute barley for the farro (I have some barley on hand that I want to use up)? Thanks for your help.
Hi, Marcy! Yes, your barley will work nicely! Enjoy the recipe!
This is absolutely delicious! Clarification, however- the recipe calls for 2 cups of farro. Is that cooked or uncooked? If you start with 2 cups of uncooked farro, and then use all of it once it has cooked, it makes a huge amount- which I mean, is great, as far as I’m concerned! But if it’s only 2 cups of cooked farro for the recipe, would make a difference in quantity. Thanks so much!
Hi Lauren! Thank you for your question! The recipe for calls for uncooked farro, and it definitely makes a lot (I like it to be grain-heavy and for there to be enough for leftovers), however, feel free to cut back and add 2 cups of cooked farro into the salad! I hope this helps!
I make this recipe quite often and I love it. And it was a big hit on Thanksgiving! Since time is usually a big factor, I keep cooked farro on hand in the freezer. I also often use frozen squash cubes and frozen chopped kale. They’re not as good as fresh, but save a ton of time, and the salad still turns out super-yummy!
What great time-saving tips, Sarah!! Thank you! I’m so glad you love the salad, too!
Hi. I’m not a huge fan of kale; will spinach work? Or do you recommend something else to substitute for the kale? Thanks.
Hi Joan, totally understand. Spinach is a great substitute – I would just toss it in at the end because it will wilt very quickly. Swiss chard would be another good swap, and you can cook it just as you would with the kale. Enjoy!
Could this be serve cold or does it need to be warmed up?
Hi Ruth, it’s best served warm, or at room temperature. But warm is ideal!
Can’t wait to make this! Can you tell me if the 777 calories is per serving or total? Seems high per serving?
Hi Jennifer, the calorie count is based on a very generous serving size — the recipe is written to serve 4, however, it can easily serve 6 (or even 8, depending on if it’s an appetizer or a whole meal). You can also adjust the amount of dressing if you wish, but that is where lots of the flavor comes from. I hope that helps!
This recipe looks great! If you pre-cook the faro and butternut squash, do you heat it prior to serving (to serve warm as directed)? Thank you so much in advance!
Hi Danielle! Yes, if you pre-cook the farro and butternut squash, I would just give it a little extra time when you add it to the pan with the rest of the ingredients!
If you’re doing the whole salad in advance, I would make the salad and dressing separately. Then reheat the salad, add the dressing, and garnish with the feta cheese before serving.
Hope this helps!
try this
Hi Dann, I believe you meant to email this recipe to share rather than leaving a comment! Hope you get to enjoy the recipe!
This was delicious! A nice simple recipe with a bit of a twist on the vinagrette. This will make a fine skeleton for other combinations of flavors and dressings.
Just what I needed for a cold day. Thanks for sharing!
What is the white element in all the photos? Feta? If so, shy not in the recipe?
Hi Suzanne, yes, that is feta cheese, and I do include it in the list of ingredients in the recipe card above.
Just made this for Thanksgiving 2018 and it was a complete fail. Way too mushy – butternut squash broke apart, farro was soft and kale when added to recipe also soft. Flavor was eh.
Feta cheese helped but didn’t rescue this dish
Hi, E A, nothing makes me more upset than to hear that a recipe didn’t work, especially on a holiday, and more so when a recipe is usually foolproof for myself and other readers. It is possible that your oven runs hot or your butternut squash more on the tender side, or that it cooked a little too long. Farro can vary, and I do recommend in the recipe that you refer to the cooking instructions on the packaging – I’ve had some 10-minute farro (like the Trader Joe’s one) and of course, the 40-minute ones. So sorry it didn’t work out for you.
Hmmm… I have some pomegranate juice. I think that would be great in the dressing, too. Going to a Thanksgiving potluck and this seems like just the thing.
Pomegranate juice is a perfect substitute, Rena! I hope you love it and have a great Thanksgiving!
I haven’t gotten a chance to thank you- this recipe is legit AWESOME. I made it last minute for Christmas last year with the gamble that is would either be a great big win or a great, big fail. Well, it was a gigantic win. Everybody LOVES it. The flavor combinations are on point. Thank you so much for sharing so that I can share it with my family and friends.
Oh my gosh, you are SO welcome! This makes me so happy – I’m glad that it was a delicious part of your Christmas last year, it’s definitely one of my favorite salads to make this time of year!! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
Excellent – made for a women’s group last night, and it was the hit of the evening! I added dried cranberries and pistachios, and used a sherry vinegar/balsamic vinegar/olive vinaigrette instead that I use for other farro salads. I also used my complete bunch of kale, which turned into more like 4 cups instead of 3, and 3 lbs of butternut squash. Outstanding.
Hi Lennet! I’m SO glad, love the addition of the pistachios, too! Thanks for coming back to let me know :)
Sounds yummy
Try it
Hi Nancy, I’m pleased that you are interested in trying this recipe! I believe your comment was intended as an email to share and not as a blog comment. If you ever want to share recipes from my site, you can use the “email this” button from the share menu. I hope that helps!
Hi! This looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing it. Do you think I could substitute barley for the farro (I have some barley on hand that I want to use up)? Thanks for your help.
Hi Nancy, I’m pleased that you are interested in trying this recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash Winter Salad – it’s one of my favorites! I believe your comment was intended as an email to share and not as a blog comment. If you ever want to share recipes from my site, you can use the “email this” button from the share menu. I hope that helps!
Hi Ashley,
Here is the recipe you wanted. So glad you and Andrew were able to come over for Christmas. Was really nice to meet you. Hope to see the two of you again soon. Have a happy new year!
Dee
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Ashley, I believe this was meant as an email to you and not a comment; I will follow up by sending you the recipe, too!
Love this salad!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Thanks, Jocelyn! Hope you get to try it!
Oh, yeah! I adore farro and your salad is perfect for a week of delicious lunches!! Can’t wait to give it a try!
I definitely make a big batch just so I have enough to last me for a week of lunches :)
Try this
This salad is amazing!!!! I made it for dinner last night…I o n ly had one cup of farrow, notime to head to the food store, I was super disappointed so I subbed a cup of sprouted rice. I made everything else as the recipe called for. Delish!!! Thanks for an awesome recipe! I will definitely add this to the rotation!
Hi Lori Anne,
Great save! The sprouted rice was a brilliant idea and addition to the farro :) I’m SO happy you love the salad as much as I do – it’s one of my winter favorites!
Yummm
Does the recipe call for 2 cups of cooked farro, or should I start with 2 cups uncooked? If I recall correctly, farro expands a bit during cooking.
Hi Cathy, start with uncooked farro! The recipe includes directions on how to cook the farro. Hope this helps :)
Made this tonight! delicious, and added acorn squash since I had it on hand. It seems like lemon or lime juice could replace the cranberry juice if you want to prevent the purchase of something you might not normally buy (it’s expensive where I live).
I’m so glad you liked it! Love the idea of using lemon or lime juice in place of cranberry juice — balsamic vinegar also comes to mind as a good substitute!
Liren, this salad looks so delicious and healthy! I have been looking for ways to try butternut squash and this sounds amazing!
Thanks, Ashlyn!! I’m always looking for more ways to enjoy butternut squash, too. This one is definitely a favorite :)
Liren, this is such a lovely – and healthy – salad. I have been looking for a good recipe for a kale and butternut squash salad. Now, I have to look no further. Can’t wait to make this!
Oh yum, this looks like just the sort of cozy roasted veggie/grain bowl I want to eat all fall/winter long. Oven roasted vegetables + the holidays, this is my favorite time of year too! :)
That’s exactly what I love about this dish, Laura! It’s so satisfying all season long!