This recipe is for a lukewarm, hearty and incredibly delicious Black Kale & Roasted Pumpkin Salad. This salad is easy to make, only requires a few easy ingredients and can be thrown together in just 20 minutes. It is just as good to serve as a side dish, top with your favourite protein or just eat as it is. It is vegetarian, gluten, grain free and low carb.
Hearty salads are my go to during fall and winter. It’s an easy way of making sure you eat your daily dose of greens, vitamins, antioxidants and get a satisfying and filling meal at the same time. This salad is made with seasonal ingredients like black kale, pumpkin and pomegranate seeds. These ingredients are both easy accessible, wallet friendly and nutritious at the same time. This salad is a mix of fresh crispy black kale, lovely roasted pumpkin, creamy and tangy goat cheese, tart pomegranate seeds, crunchy salted almonds and a tasty honey balsamic vinaigrette. Not only is this hearty salad delicious and nutritious, it’s also a bowl containing a wonderful color palette that brightens up a grey and dull fall or winter days. This salad is just as good to eat just as it is, serve as a side dish or top with your favorite protein It is also easy to vary with different types of kale, salad, pumpkins, cheeses and nuts. This salad is vegetarian, gluten, grain free and low carb.
A few tips:
- I used black kale for this salad. You can also use green kale or other fall/winter green leaves of your liking.
- You can use any pumpkin that you like or can find at the store.. They’re all good to use in this salad. Or simply use different ones if making this salad several times to get some variation.
- This salad uses goat cheese. You can also use feta cheese, mozzarella/buffalo mozzarella, labneh, halloumi or even cottage cheese. However make sure you use a good quality cheese since it’s one if the main ingredients.
- I used salted almonds in this salad. Pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts or sunflower, pumpkin or sesame seeds are tasty to use as well.
- This salad is best served lukewarm with the roasted pumpkin freshly baked. You can however prepare the pumpkin in advance and then reheat it just before assembling the salad.
Ingredients for this Black Kale & Roasted Pumpkin Salad:
- Black kale
- Pumpkin
- Feta cheese
- Pomegranate seeds
- Scallion
- Salted almonds
- Dijon mustard
- Balsamic vinegar
- Honey/agave/fiber syrup
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
Other recipes you might like:
- Kale Salad with Pears & Blue Cheese (Vegetarian & Gluten Free)
- Antioxidant & Quinoa Salad (Vegan & Gluten Free)
- Warm Kale Salad (Vegetarian & Gluten Free)
- Fresh Fig, Prosciutto & Goat Cheese Salad
- Tomato & Plum Salad (Vegan, Gluten & Grain Free)
- Roasted Radish Salad (Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
- Baked Feta Cheese & Grape Salad (Vegetarian, Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
- Raw Beetroot Carpaccio with Fennel & Pomegranate Seeds
- Winter Kale Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free & Low Carb)
- Easy Winter Salad with Apple & Cranberries (Vegetarian, Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
- Roasted Cauliflower, Carrot & Chickpea Bowl with Roasted Garlic & Tahini Yogurt (Vegetarian, Gluten, Grain, Nut Free & Low Carb)
- Beetroot Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese & Walnuts (Vegetarian, Gluten & Grain Free)
Black Kale & Roasted Pumpkin Salad (Vegetarian, Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
Ingredients
- 4-5 stems Black kale cut into smaller pieces
- 1/2 Pumpkin deseeded and cut into quarters
- 50-75 g Goat cheese Crumbled
- 1 Scallion (both green and white part) thinly sliced
- 3-4 tbsp Pomegranate seeds
- 3-4 tbsp Salted almonds (or unsalted if preferred) roughly chopped
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
For the vinaigrette
- 2-3 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp Honey/Agave/Fiber syrup
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius or your air fryer to 185 degrees Celsius.
- Deseed the pumpkin and cut into 1 cm thin slices and then cut in half or thirds depending on the form of your pumpkin. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt, stir to combine. Bake in the oven for 18-25 minutes or in the air fryer for 15-20 minutes (baking time will vary slightly depending in which type of pumpkin you use). Flip halfway and bake until golden brown and fork-tender.
- Meanwhile add the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Next cut the black kale into smaller pieces. Place in a bowl.
- When the pumpkin is done add to the bowl of black kale, along with scallion, pomegranate seeds, crumbled goat cheese and roughly chopped almonds. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad then mix to combine. Serve immediately.