Chipotle roasted chickpeas and butternut squash salad over a bed of massaged kale and topped with a handful of pumpkin seeds. Enjoy fresh, hot out of the over or cold leftovers throughout the week! | Gluten Free + Vegan

Ok first things first: do you like spicy food?

If the answer to that question is yes then you’re in the right place. If no – then this butternut squash salad might not be for you. Sorry mom! You should try my apple & halloumi kale salad instead. Spice level = 0 Delicious level = 100.

Was that too cheesy? Once again – sorry!

Back to the salad

Spicy Chickpea & Butternut Squash Salad

If you don’t really consider yourself to be a squash person then you’re in good company. Beyond carving pumpkins and roasting their contents I’ve never been too bothered myself. I didn’t dislike squash so much as I just didn’t care about them which meant that I used to always pass them up at the grocery store. Determined to come up with a recipe for squash that I really loved I finally landed on this recipe. I’m happy to report that this butternut squash salad did the trick for me.

If you’ve never worked with butternut squash before, peeling and chopping can be tricky, so here’s a quick video that might make it easier for you.

Once you get everything diced it’s just a matter of mixing the squash and chickpeas in your spicy chipotle sauce and roasting them in the oven for about 35-40 minutes until tender.

This salad is great warm, but I’ve been enjoying it also as cold leftovers these past few days. Being that kale leaves have a lot more to them than most other salad greens this keeps well without going sad and soggy. With that in mind I might even consider making this ahead of time and serving it at Thanksgiving dinner this year. <–By the way, how is it possible that I’m already thinking about Thanksgiving this year? It feels like it was last month!

Whenever or however you have it – I hope you enjoy!

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Recipe

Spicy Kale and Chipotle Chickpea and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes

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Chipotle roasted chickpeas and butternut squash salad over a bed of massaged kale and topped with a handful of pumpkin seeds. Enjoy warm or cold

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 very large bunch of kale, ribs removed and chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 can chickpeas, 400 grams, rinsed and drained
• 1 medium butternut squash, about 2 pounds, sliced into ¾-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds without the shell)

Chipotle Sauce

• 1 tablespoon chipotle paste
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large clove garlic or 1 teaspoon crushed
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 pinch red chili pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon lime juice, about half a lime

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

Chipotle Sauce

1. To make the dressing add all of the ingredients to a small bowl or jar and whisk until combined.

Chickpeas & Squash

1. Preheat oven to 420°F/ 215°C.
2. Add the diced butternut squash and chickpeas to a medium sized bowl and pour the chipotle sauce over the top. Use a spoon to mix it all together until everything is evenly coated. Spread the squash chickpeas in a single layer out on a large baking sheet and place in the oven to roast for 35-40 minutes or until the squash is tender and caramelize on the outside. Halfway through roasting take turn the tray around in the oven and give everything a quick stir.
3. When the squash and chickpeas are almost done in the oven get the kale ready. Place the chopped kale in a big salad bowl. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle a small pinch of the sea salt over the kale and massage the leaves with your hands by lightly scrunching big handfuls at a time. This should take about 30 seconds before the leaves grow darker in color and fragrant.
4. After you have removed the squash and chickpeas from the oven, let cool for about 5 minutes before adding to the kale. Top with the pepitas and toss everything to combine and enjoy.

Notes

• This can be eaten hot or cold - keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days.

• Peeling the butternut squash is optional

Nutrition Information

Yield: 4

Serving Size:

g Calories: 391Saturated Fat: 3gSodium: 333mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 9gSugar: 5gProtein: 10g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Cuisine: American