The Ultimate Healthy Harvest Salad (gluten-free)

The Ultimate Healthy Harvest Salad made with all gluten-free and vegetarian ingredients. An absolutely delicious wholesome salad filled with roasted squash, fall fruits and a homemade pomegranate honey dressing.

When I teased this salad recipe on Instagram a couple weeks ago – you guys went as crazy for it as you do when I tease a new brownie recipe.

And now the day is finally here everyone! The ultimate FALL SALAD that you guys will absolutely love and honestly make over and over again this winter. It is filled with roasted squash and crunchy pecans and pumpkins seeds. This salad has tart sweetness from the pomegranate seeds and some actual sweetness from the apples and homemade pomegranate cinnamon dressing.

I love that this is the type of salad you can make for Thanksgiving or a holiday get together. Or you can make it and enjoy for lunches and dinners for the week. We always add in some roasted chicken or protein if we are making it a full meal too. You can also pair this salad with your favorite entree as well for a wholesome meal.

The real star of this recipe is definitely the dressing it is tossed in. A pomegranate dressing infused with cinnamon and sweetened with manuka honey and a little savory touch from dijon mustard. It is absolutely too die for.

If you are making this salad in advanced, I recommend just massaging the kale instead of adding dressing in. Then add the dressing just as you are about to eat so it doesn’t get too soggy!

What ingredients you need to make this healthy fall Harvest Salad:

• Organic shredded kale – I always massage this to reduce bitterness (as you see below!)
• Pomegranate seeds – you can either buy these as seeds or a whole one and cut it opened
• Apples – you can use any apple you’d like. I love using pink lady or honey crisp but use anything you have
• Delicata squash – compliments to the chef (Jordan) for cutting and roasting this bad boy for me
• Pecans – truly my favorite nut in salads!
• Pumpkin seeds – adds the best crunch and extra nutrients
• Goat cheese gouda – or your preferred cheese or non-dairy cheese
• Pomegranate juice – or you can use cranberry if you can’t find pomegranate
• Apple cider vinegar
• Wedderspoon Manuka Honey – code RACHL for 25% off off of the best manuka honey. I love using their products for so many things from skincare to cooking and and Jordan uses it in his fancy sport drinks he makes (have to share this soon). I love adding this into the dressing as the form of sweetener. Plus Wedderspoon makes the best of the best manuka honey sourced straight from New Zealand and always tested for the best quality.
• Dijon mustard – just a touch in dressing
• Ground cinnamon – adds the best spice to the dressing!

How to prepare this fall salad and the dreamy Pomegranate Cinnamon dressing:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Slice the delicata squash into small rounds and season with cinnamon and drizzle with avocado oil
3. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or so until softened
4. In a large bowl gently massage the kale with a little oil and fresh squeezed lemon if desired to make less bitter
5. Once the squash is cooked, slice into smaller pieces and add to bowl with kale with all the other salad mix-in’s and toss well
6. Combine the dressing ingredients in small jar or mason jars and mix well
7. Drizzle desired amount of dressing on top and serve!

A few of my other favorite salad recipes on the blog:

The Best Vegan Creamy Tahini Caesar Salad (gluten-free)

Seriously Good Chicken Cobb Salad (gluten-free)

The Easiest Healthy BLT Pasta Salad (gluten-free)

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Thank you Wedderspoon for partnering with me for this blog post!