This roasted squash and kale salad with caramelized lemon dressing and crispy chickpeas is a hearty, nutrient-packed sheet pan recipe that’s easy, flavorful, and perfect for fall.
Why You’ll Love This Caramelized Lemon Shredded Squash and Kale Salad
- Spoonable Salad. Everything is cut into bite-sized pieces, making it easy to eat while ensuring every bite is packed with flavor.
- Sheet Pan Convenience. The main ingredients roast together in the oven for minimal effort. Just blend up the dressing, drizzle, and enjoy.
- Nutrient-Packed Goodness. With roasted squash, hearty kale, and crispy chickpeas, this salad is loaded with antioxidants, fiber, and plant-based protein to keep you feeling nourished and satisfied.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Squash: Delicata squash is great because you don’t need to peel it. Alternatively, butternut squash, honeynut squash, or acorn squash work great too.
- Chickpeas: Can also be made using white beans, just make sure to remove as much moisture from them before mashing.
- Kale: Try with other hearty greens like shredded cabbage or Brussels sprouts.
- Red Onion: White onion or shallots work too.
- Raisins: I used golden raisins, but if you’re not much of a fruit in salad kind of person, feel free to leave it out. Cranberries or diced dried apricots or dates can be a great alternative.
- Pumpkin Seeds: A good way to add in extra protein, magnesium, and zinc. You can swap with some chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds.
- Lemon: Make sure to use fresh so you can use both the zest and juice.
- Spices: I used garlic powder, thyme, and black pepper. Feel free to alter or adjust amounts and types of spices based on your preference.
How to Make a Caramelized Lemon Shredded Squash and Kale Salad
Caramelize the lemon: Preheat oven to 425°F and line two baking trays with parchment. Heat a small greased pan over medium-low. Zest the lemon into a blender cup, then cut in half. Place halves cut-side down in the pan and cook 5 minutes, until caramelized. Cool, then juice into the blender cup.
Blend the dressing: Add garlic, mustard, vinegar, syrup, oil, and ½ tsp salt. Blend until creamy. Pulse in parsley. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Prep the kale: Massage kale with 1–2 spoonfuls of dressing and a pinch of salt until softened. Set aside.
Pickle the onions: In a small bowl, massage onion with lemon, vinegar, syrup, parsley, and salt. Stir in raisins and set aside.
Make the chickpea crispies: Mash chickpeas with a fork, spread on a baking tray, and toss with thyme and 1 tbsp oil. Bake 15 minutes. Stir in garlic powder, salt, and 1 tsp oil, then bake another 10 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until crisp. Cool completely.
Roast the squash: On the second tray, toss squash with oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on the bottom rack for 15 minutes, until golden. Sprinkle with salt.
Toss together on the tray: On the tray, toss roasted squash with kale, pickled onions, and pumpkin seeds. Divide into bowls, top with crispy chickpeas, and drizzle with more dressing.
Expert Tips
- Roasting veggies. For the best results, make sure to spread out your vegetables on the baking tray into a single layer. This will ensure your vegetables don’t steam on top of each other and instead get properly caramelized.
- Bump up the protein. Shred some tempeh using a box grater to roast along with the chickpeas. This will give you a flavorful high protein crumble mix.
- Save time. Use a pre-shredded kale or Brussels sprout mix to save on cleaning and chopping. I personally love the cruciferous crunch salad mix from Trader Joe’s. Store bought roasted chickpea snacks can save you time from roasting your own. Instead of caramelizing your lemon, just stick to a basic lemon vinaigrette. Or, try this with a store-bought vinaigrette you love.
Frequently Asked Questions
This salad is best served freshly made. If meal prepping, I would recommend storing the dressed veggies and chickpeas in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. To crisp the chickpeas up more after refrigerating, consider placing them back on a baking tray and heating them through at 350F for 3-4 minutes. Even if you combine all the ingredients together, they still hold up really well regardless, your chickpeas will just not be crisp.
This can be eaten hot or cold, so go with your own preference! I love this salad best when all the components are freshly made, but have enjoyed it equally as much when cold straight out of the fridge. If planning to reheat, don’t add the pickled onions to the salad mix when prepping. Store in a separate container and add when you are ready to serve.
For the roasted chickpeas, consider adding some shredded tempeh to the roasting tray. Alternatively, you can serve with some simple tofu skewers or serve with a protein forward grain like quinoa or farro.
Caramelizing lemon helps to transform the flavor profile of the lemon. It makes it tangier and sweeter, which helps enhance the flavors of the dressing.
Make It Balanced
As written, this salad does provide veggies, protein in the form of chickpeas, and complex carbs in the form of squash. To up the nutrition further, you can choose a protein forward grain like quinoa or farro to balance this meal more and make it that more filling as a meal. For additional protein consider serving 1-2 tofu skewers with the salad.
More Nourishing Salads to Fall in Love With
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Description
This roasted squash and kale salad with caramelized lemon dressing and crispy chickpeas is a hearty, nutrient-packed sheet pan recipe that’s easy, flavorful, and perfect for fall.
Chickpea Crispies
Squash and Kale Salad
Caramelized Lemon Dressing
- Preheat the oven to 425F and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Place a small greased pan over medium low heat.
- Fully zest the lemon into a blender cup, then cut the lemon in half. Place the lemon halves cut side down into the pan and allow to cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes or until the bottoms have browned and caramelized. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Squeeze the lemon juice into the blender cup then add the garlic, mustard, vinegar, syrup, oil, and 1/2 tsp salt. Blend the dressing until thickened and creamy. Add the parsley, and pulse a few times to evenly mince. Taste and adjust the salt or sweetener as desired.
- Add the kale to a bowl and add 1-2 spoons of the dressing overtop with a pinch of salt. Massage the dressing into the kale until it has softened and shrunk down in size then set aside.
- To a separate small bowl, add the onion, lemon, vinegar, maple syrup, parsley and a generous pinch of salt. Massage the ingredients into the onions, then stir in the raisins and set aside.
- Place the chickpeas in a bowl and mash with a fork. Transfer the chickpeas to a baking sheet then top with the thyme and 1 tablespoon oil. Toss to evenly coat, spread out evenly on the tray, and bake for 15 minutes. Top with the garlic powder, a generous pinch of salt and 1 tsp oil and stir well to coat using a spoon. Spread out again and place back in the oven for about 10 minutes or until golden and crisp (to make sure nothing burns, give the chickpeas a stir every 5 minutes). Allow the chickpeas to fully cool.
- Scatter the sliced squash on the second tray and drizzle with 1 tablespoon (or more oil as needed), a pinch of salt and pepper then toss together to evenly coat. Spread the squash out in a single layer on the tray then bake on the bottom rack for 15 minutes or until the bottoms begin to get golden brown. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt when out of the oven.
- Top the tray of squash with the massaged kale, pickled onions, and pumpkin seeds. Toss everything together on the tray then portion the salad into serving bowls. Top each bowl with a portion of the chickpea crispies and drizzle with a few more spoons of the dressing as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Roasting veggies. For the best results, make sure to spread out your vegetables on the baking tray into a single layer. This will ensure your vegetables don’t steam on top of each other and instead get properly caramelized.
Bump up the protein. Shred some tempeh using a box grater to roast along with the chickpeas. This will give you a flavorful high protein crumble mix.
Save time. Use a pre-shredded kale or Brussels sprout mix to save on cleaning and chopping. I personally love the cruciferous crunch salad mix from Trader Joe’s. Store bought roasted chickpea snacks can save you time from roasting your own. Instead of caramelizing your lemon, just stick to a basic lemon vinaigrette. Or, try this with a store-bought vinaigrette you love.
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