Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Candied Pecans

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Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Candied Pecans-this beautiful and healthy salad is perfect for all of your holiday meals! 

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Candied Pecans

Do you have your Thanksgiving menu planned yet? We are not sure what we are doing this year. We don’t have any family coming into town and our friends all have plans, so it is just us! Josh wants to go all out and make the traditional feast for the four of us, but I am not feeling it. That is a lot of work for four people…well, really three since Maxwell can’t join us at the dinner table yet:)

The only reason I kind of want to have Thanksgiving is so I can make this Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Candied Pecans. It is SO good and the perfect Thanksgiving salad!

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Candied Pecans Recipe on twopeasandtheirpod.com

For the salad greens, I chopped up kale and brussels sprouts. If you claim to not like brussels sprouts, don’t turn up your nose at this salad. They add a great crunch and are so good! They aren’t the soggy, over-cooked brussels sprouts your grandma used to make:)

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Candied Pecans Recipe on twopeasandtheirpod.com

I top the greens with roasted butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, parmesan cheese, and candied pecans. If you don’t want to take the time to make candied pecans, you can use regular pecans, but I highly recommend using candied pecans. They are worth the extra step! And I promise my candied pecan recipe is easy.

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Candied Pecans Recipe

I toss the salad together with a simple apple cider Dijon dressing. It is the perfect finishing touch!

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Candied Pecans Recipe on twopeasandtheirpod.com

This kale and brussels spout salad is almost too pretty to eat. It would be a shame to let such a fresh and vibrant salad go to waste, so grab a fork and have at it!

Maybe I will give in and let Josh have his big Thanksgiving feast, but only if this Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Candied Pecans is on the menu! It is my favorite and sure to be a favorite at your holiday meal too!

If you are looking for more Thanksgiving ideas, check out our favorite Thanksgiving recipes here! You can find fabulous seasonal Thanksgiving recipes from my blogging friends here, too! Enjoy!

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Candied Pecans Recipe on twopeasandtheirpod.com

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Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Candied Pecans

This gorgeous salad is perfect for all of your holiday meals!
4.75 from 4 votes

Ingredients
  

For the salad:

  • 1 small butternut squash peeled, seeds removed, and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1 small bunch Lacinato kale Dino or Tuscan kale, finely chopped
  • 1 lb brussels sprouts finely chopped
  • 1 cup pomegranate seeds from one large pomegranate
  • 1/2 cup candied pecans
  • 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

For the dressing:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 small clove garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons shallot minced
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the butternut squash on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Roast the squash for 25-30 minutes, stirring once, or until the squash is tender. Remove from the oven and set aside.
  • Place the kale in a large bowl and sprinkle with sea salt. Massage the leaves for for 2-3 minutes, or until they soften and start to wilt. Stir in the chopped brussels sprouts, butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, candied pecans, and Parmesan cheese.
  • To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard, garlic, and shallot. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
  • Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Serve!

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Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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  1. It looks amazing and I love the addition of brussels sprouts. I have never understood why there are so many haters because they’re are so good!

  2. Looks delicious! I’m confused when you say ‘finely chopped’ sprouts. Do you mean shredded? Thanks for your help!

  3. gah! Looks amazing! So my speed. I don’t know that I could do a full on Thanksgiving if it was just us. Maybe just a turkey breast and a few of my favorite sides!!

  4. I also posted Brussels Sprouts today! Must be something in the water.
    I love how to added squash and pomegranate seeds to this salad! They add so much pretty color and health! Pinned!

  5. Love this salad with the pomegranate arils, they are the best. I just learned too the word “aril” and am using it every chance I get. And brussel sprouts. Yummy. They are.

    Bought 28 POMS from the grocery store this weekend, were on sale, 4 for $1.50 on clearance, had to use them quick but will be dumping in salads. Delish.

  6. This salad sounds incredible! I love the flavor combo, it’ll be perfect for Thanksgiving (or just any other day you want a delicious salad).

  7. Pomegranates on salad with earthy flavors are my favorite. I’m always craving a little “bite”. And since you made those brussels so small, I might be able to stomach them 🙂

  8. This is gorgeous! I shared a similar salad recently so I know how delicious the kale and brussel sprouts are as a base. It’s perfect for the holidays because you can add the dressing ahead of time and it doesn’t get soggy.

  9. My husband would probably divorce me if I even brought a Brussels sprout in the house. (lol) I could probably substitute red cabbage?

  10. The salad looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it. I strongly encourage you to go all out for Thanksgiving even though it will only be the 4 of you. We have been in that same situation and have learned its important to have traditions and celebrate even if its just us! It might be your favorite Thanksgiving to date:)

  11. Check out that COLOR! This looks wonderful. Love all the winter salad recipe ideas popping up on the Internet this year – there are so many options for eating healthy!

  12. This looks lovely. I’m not a brussels sprouts fan, but Matt loves them, so this is perfect for him.

  13. Looks amazing! I’m taking this to my in laws for Xmas. Can I roast the squash a day ahead? Does it have to be warm when it goes on the salad?

    Thanks!

    P.s. I’m currently roasting the candied pecans and my house smells like Jesus!!!

  14. Mmmmm! I will try this sometime soon- no waiting for the next holiday season to roll around! (I just hope I can still find pomegranates.)

    Thank you for such a wonderful presentation of a colorful salad full of colder weather veggies! How delightful! 🙂

    Happy New Year!

  15. Wow! This salad is amazing! I substituted the cheese with nutritional yeast to make it vegan. These flavors really pop. It’s like fall in your mouth! Thank you!

  16. this salad is so beautiful and delicious. I think its taste is really good and wonderful. Your sharing is what I want to try in this weekend. Thanks!

  17. 5 stars
    Since you posted this recipe (years ago!) I’ve been making this every year for Thanksgiving! It’s amazing and requested every year!!!! To help with the prep, I’ve purchased frozen butternut squash and pomegranate arils and I’ve noticed no difference. Take the time to candy the pecans- you’ll be glad you did!! The dressing is light and perfectly compliments the salad. So delish… and beautiful!!! Thanks for posting!!