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overhead shot of roasted pumpkin salad on speckled plate
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Roasted Pumpkin Salad

This roasted pumpkin salad with kale, barley, walnuts, pepitas, pomegranate arils, blue cheese, and maple dressing is the ultimate fall salad.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 484kcal
Author Ryan Beck

Ingredients

Maple Dressing

  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Salad

  • 1 cup barley, uncooked
  • 1 ½ lbs pumpkin, peeled and diced into ½" cubes
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 6 cups kale, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup walnuts, roasted
  • ½ cup pepitas, roasted
  • ½ cup blue cheese
  • ¼ cup pomegranate arils

Instructions

Maple Dressing

  • To make the dressing, either whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl or put all ingredients in mason jar and shake until mixed. Set aside.

Salad

  • Cook barley according to package instructions. Set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place diced pumpkin in even layer. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until pumpkin is tender, flipping halfway through.
  • Toss the kale, pumpkin, barley, walnuts, pepitas, pomegranate arils and blue cheese in large bowl until mixed. Add dressing right before serving.

Notes

  • Be consistent with your diced pumpkin. 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.
  • Use fresh kale and chop yourself so you can easily remove the stems. Don't buy the pre-packaged chopped kale unless that's your only option.
  • Massage the kale with some olive oil to make it less course and bitter.
  • If serving immediately, add the warm pumpkin and barley to the kale right before tossing with the dressing. The kale will hold up to the warm and you'll have a nice warm salad.
  • If using for leftovers or a make-ahead lunch, keep the kale separate from all the other ingredients and toss to combine in the morning or right before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 8022mg | Potassium: 674mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 21g