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With butternut squash, crispy chickpeas and cauliflower rice, this kale cauliflower salad is the perfect make-ahead lunch.
I love me some kale salad - from quinoa sweet potato salad to a couscous salad with kale to a kale crunch salad. I also love my cilantro lime vinaigrette and look for any chance to use it.
This recipe is a fusion of bright summer flavors like the vinaigrette and avocado paired with falls flavors like butternut squash, pepitas and cauliflower. And then you get some crispy chickpeas on top.
To be fair though, this salad is a year-round salad. You can easily divide it up and use for make-ahead lunches which is what I happened to do with it. My wife loved it so much, I let her take it more days though.
So if you are looking for a tasty and healthy salad, this kale cauliflower salad should be on your list.
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Ingredients Notes
- Butternut squash - adds a nutty/earthy flavor as well as making the salad more filling.
- Chickpeas - gives you that extra crunch that is always great in a salad and adds protein.
- Cauliflower - use already-made cauliflower rice or use a food processor to make your own.
- Kale - I use curly kale for this salad and chop it up finely.
- Vinaigrette - I like to use my homemade cilantro lime vinaigrette, but you can use a store-bought dressing as well.
Ingredient Swaps
The great thing about this salad is you can mix and match what you use.
- Butternut squash - replace with sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots or a combination.
- Kale - replace with spinach, arugula or baby kale.
- Pepitas - replace with sunflower seeds, pistachios or your favorite nut.
Step-by-Step Photos
Toss chickpeas with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on baking sheet. On another baking sheet, toss together the butternut squash, olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 425°F for 35-40 minutes. Flip everything halfway through.
Once done, add the cauliflower rice to another baking sheet and toss with oil, salt, black pepper and cumin. Bake for about 7-10 minutes or until tender. Now prepare the salad.
FAQs
No although it does help. Messaging kale is best if you’re eating it immediately. By massaging it, you make it softer, less course and less bitter. It's best to massage with a drizzle of olive oil.
But kale can also hold dressing for much longer unlike romaine or spinach. By dressing the salad and letting it sit for a few hours, you will soften the kale and remove the bitterness.
Yes. You get the nutrients of the butternut squash, chickpeas, cauliflower and kale and the vinaigrette is lighter and has less sugar than most salad dressings.
While you can prepare ahead of time, you don't want it to sit in the vinaigrette for longer than a couple hours at most.
You can keep the chopped up kale and veggies in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Then just mix in the vinaigrette and add the chickpeas when ready.
Benefits of Cauliflower
Like most vegetables, cauliflower is very healthy for you. Some of the benefits include:
- High in nutrients
- Helps with digestion
- Good source of antioxidants
- Low in carbs
How to Make Cauliflower Rice
If you can't find premade rice, you can make your own. You can either use a food processor or box grater. You need to cut the cauliflower into chunks before using either. If using a food processor, add in stages and pulse until rice-like consistency.
If using the grater, use the side commonly used to grate cheese and grate cauliflower into rice-like consistency.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Be consistent with your diced butternut squash. You want them to cook in the same amount of time. If you decide to dice the vegetables at 1 inch instead of ½ inch, just keep in mind they'll take longer to cook.
- Roast the vegetables and chickpeas long enough so the veggies are cooked and caramelized and the chickpeas are crispy.
- if using as a make-ahead lunch, keep the cilantro lime vinaigrette separate and toss right before eating.
- Serve the salad at room temperature. This is a salad that is best served at room temperature or even warm. If making ahead, just pull out of the fridge one hour before serving.
Other Salad Recipes
If you’ve tried this kale cauliflower salad or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Kale Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 ½ lbs butternut squash, peeled and diced into ½" cubes
- 1 (14 oz can) chickpeas, drained and washed
- 4 cups fresh or frozen cauliflower rice
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 5 cups kale, chopped and stems removed
- ¼ cup pepitas, roasted
- ½ cup feta cheese
- 2 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced into ½" cubes
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon water (if needed to thin out)
Instructions
Salad
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and add butternut squash. Toss with 2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. On another parchment-lined baking sheet, toss chickpeas with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until butternut squash is tender and chickpeas are crispy, flipping halfway through.
- Once done, take another baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toss cauliflower rice with remaining tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and the cumin. Bake for about 7-10 minutes or until tinder.
- Toss the kale, butternut squash, chickpeas, cauliflower rice, feta cheese and pepitas in large bowl until mixed. Add vinaigrette and avocado right before serving.
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth and emulsified. Add water if you need to thin out.
Notes
- Be consistent with your diced butternut squash. You want them to cook in the same amount of time. If you decide to dice the vegetables at 1 inch instead of ½ inch, just keep in mind they'll take longer to cook.
- Roast the vegetables and chickpeas long enough so the veggies are cooked and caramelized and the chickpeas are crispy.
- if using as a make-ahead lunch, keep the cilantro lime vinaigrette separate and toss right before eating.
- Serve the salad at room temperature. This is a salad that is best served at room temperature or even warm. If making ahead, just pull out of the fridge one hour before serving.
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