Warm Winter Kale Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

A simple base of wilted kale and roasted delicata squash make this Warm Winter Kale Salad an easy, hearty side dish for colder months.

Toasted hazelnuts and a spicy-sweet maple vinaigrette bring the whole thing together for a nourishing gluten free salad that keeps well in the fridge.

This warm kale salad is a holiday side dish favorite in our house! If you're filling out your holiday table, check out Gluten Free Pecan Pie without Corn Syrup or Gluten Free Dinner Rolls.

Otherwise, serve this salad alongside Back to Basics: Spatchcocked Roast Chicken with Potatoes or Perfect Crispy Skillet Chicken Thighs to make cozy winter meal.

Why you'll love this warm kale salad recipe

Simple: Kale and delicata squash make the base of this salad, so it's anything but overcomplicated!

Slightly sweet: The touch of sweetness from roasted delicata squash, along with a basic maple vinaigrette, make this salad a savory-sweet marvel.

Stores well: Since the kale and delicata squash are both hardy, this salad keeps amazingly in the fridge! I've stored it up to 5 days while using as meal prep.

Ingredients of note

Kale: Use either curly or lacinato kale for this salad recipe, although I typically reach for curly kale! You'll use about 4 cups of packed kale - roughly 1 bunch.

Delicata Squash: Small, long, and stripey yellow, delicata squash doesn't get nearly enough love! With a delicate edible skin, it roasts up quickly with slightly sweet, nutty flesh that goes perfectly in this salad.

Hazelnuts: Toasted hazelnuts add crunch and a whole lot of cozy flavor to this salad!

Maple Syrup: Use pure maple syrup, not maple-flavored syrup, which is overly sweet and artificially flavored.

Dried Cranberries/Raisins: For more bursts of sweetness, I love tossing dried cranberries or raisins in my salads! That said, try to opt for unsweetened or apple juice sweetened varieties so they aren't TOO sweet and still a little tart.

Instructions

Most of the work here is hands-off, while the squash, kale, and hazelnuts roast!

You can prepare this salad in stages, as the recipe instructs - roasting first the squash, then kale, then hazelnuts, rotating through the same sheet pan.

Or, if you have the oven space, you can roast it all at once on different sheet pans/oven-safe skillets. Up to you!

• Roast the squash - Toss the sliced delicata squash in olive oil and roast in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Once done, transfer to a bowl.
• Prepare and roast kale - Massage 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil into the kale with your fingers. Spread out on the sheet pan and roast for about 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the squash.
• Roast hazelnuts - While kale is roasting, toss hazelnuts with olive oil, cinnamon, paprika, nutmeg, clove, and cayenne. Spread out on the baking sheet and roast for 5-7 minutes, until fragrant. Transfer to the bowl with the squash and kale.
• Prepare vinaigrette - Whisk together maple syrup, mustard, red wine vinegar, and olive oil until emulsified. Pour into the salad and toss to coat. Optionally, add cranberries or raisins.

Variations and Substitutions

This salad is very simple, without a lot of extras. That just means you can use it as a base for all sorts of variations!

Add grains - If you'd like a heartier salad, you can add up to 1 cup of cooked wild rice or quinoa.

More hearty veggies - Feel free to add a cup of roasted beets or a different squash to this salad!

Tahini vinaigrette - Maple and tahini are a great match - add 3-4 tablespoons of tahini to the viniagrette for a different spin on the flavor.

Add chickpeas - Up the fiber and protein content by adding 1 can of drained and rinsed chickpeas to this warm kale salad!

Swap nuts - Either omit the nuts for a nut-free salad (I'd recommend adding something with a bit of crunch to make up for it) or swap for pecans or walnuts.

Top Tips from Chelsea

• Massage the kale - Yes, it sounds silly, but massaging olive oil into the kale leaves with your hands helps tenderize the greens. It goes a long way towards taking this salad from good to great!
• Taste vinaigrette before dressing - Before tossing the salad with the vinaigrette, make sure to give it a taste and make sure it's not missing anything for you. You can add a little more vinegar or maple syrup to suit your tastes!
• No delicata? No problem - Don't be afraid to switch this salad up if you can't find delicata or have another squash on hand. Butternut or kabocha squash would work great here!

Serving Suggestions

This warm kale salad makes an epic Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish that serves up a little nutrition for a meal that's typically bogged down with heavy foods.

That said, it can work as a great side for other winter meals, too! Serve alongside Perfect Crispy Skillet Chicken Thighs or One Skillet Pork Chops with Apples & Onions.

This salad keeps well, storing for up to 5 days in the fridge. And since it's meant to be served warm, just give it a quick spin in the microwave before diving into leftovers!

More kale salad recipes

Let's not stop the winter salad love!

For more hearty salads, check out Wild Rice Salad with Chicken & Kale - a great meal prep recipe!

Otherwise, Fall Apple & Sweet Potato Salad with Kale makes another fantastic cold season salad with a surprising peanut butter dressing.