Roasted Fall Harvest Salad

Come fall, I tend to cook from a select roster of recipes that make the season feel extra cozy, and this roasted fall harvest salad is always on the list. 

Now objectively, there’s a lot going on in this salad, but each component complements the next so well and makes this bowl extra special. Think fluffy quinoa, spiced crispy chickpeas, and honeynut squash, paired with kale, toasted pumpkin seeds, and raisins, tossed in a maple tahini dressing. Like doesn’t this salad scream fall?!

Beyond flavor, this bowl is packed with nutrients, and high in both fiber and protein! Plus, it’s the perfect hybrid dish that functions as a standalone meal and a show-stopping side dish. 

Roasted Fall Harvest Salad Ingredients

Here’s everything you’ll need for this roasted fall harvest salad recipe.

• Honeynut squash: Feel free to use any variety of squash you like. Kabocha, butternut, or honey patch squash would be the best substitutes here. 
• Chickpeas: I just used canned chickpeas for convenience.
• Quinoa
• Dino kale: This variety tastes best, but feel free to use any variety you like best.
• Pumpkin seeds/pepitas
• Golden raisins or Medjool dates: Trader Joe’s and some specialty grocery stores sell golden raisins, but Medjool dates or unsweetened cranberries also work well. 
• Lemons 
• Olive oil 
• Tahini: In a dressing like this where the tahini is the star (duh), I like using a higher quality (and yes, higher price) tahini that will shine through. Soom Tahini is my favorite: it’s super creamy, silky smooth, and has an intense sesame flavor without any underlying bitterness. 
• Maple Syrup: I recommend using an Amber-grade maple syrup (previously known as Grade A). 
• Apple Cider: In the previous version of this salad, I used an apple, however, I’ve since updated the recipe to use apple cider for two reasons: texture (the apple makes the dressing gritty), and more concentrated apple flavor (the whole apple muted the flavor and diluted the dressing). 
• Spices: Including cumin, coriander, onion, garlic, cayenne, and Ceylon cinnamon.

Method Behind This Fall Harvest Salad

As with most of my salads, the method behind this salad is designed to save you time so you can prep ingredients in parallel. 

While the quinoa cooks and the veggies roast, you can prepare the kale, and maple tahini dressing. All in all, this salad takes about 45 minutes from start to finish, and most of that time is hands-off cooking time for the squash, chickpeas, and quinoa.

Quick Quinoa 101 

My method for fluffy is a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water. So for 1/2 cup of quinoa, use 1 cup of water and a large pinch of salt. 

Now, I’m sure you’ve heard that you must rinse your quinoa otherwise it’ll be bitter. The reason is that rinsing the quinoa helps remove quinoa’s natural coating (saponin), which can make it taste bitter. However, most quinoa you buy at the store is already pre-rinsed before its package, but you can rinse your quinoa just to be sure. I feel like it’s unnecessary, but you do you! 

But back to my quinoa method. 

Add the quinoa, water, and salt into a large pot. Place the pot on the stove, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and partially cover the pot. Let the quinoa cook undisturbed for 10-12 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. This next step is key, turn the heat off, fully cover the pot with the lid, and let the quinoa sit for 10 minutes. The “sitting” helps the quinoa steam and cook off any excess water. 

A Few Notes

• If you want to meal-prep any salad of mine, this is probably the most meal-prep friendly. Store the veggies and quinoa together in a glass tupperware, and the dressing in a glass jar in the fridge. I prefer to store the crispy chickpeas like granola; in a glass container with room to breathe in the pantry. They stay pretty crispy like this. If your chickpeas get a little soft, just reheat them on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 450°F for 8-10 minutes, they’ll crisp right up! This salad tastes best warm, so whenever you’re ready to eat this, just heat everything at 300°F on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8-10 minutes. The only component that needs to be prepped fresh is the kale. 
• Speaking of prepping this salad, it stores well for up to 4 days in a glass tupperware in the fridge. Just reheat it at 300°F on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 10 minutes. 

So excited for you to make this salad! Don’t forget to leave a rating and review, love hearing your feedback. And if you have any questions, leave a comment below or send me a DM on Instagram.

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