1. Hello and welcome to my favorite fall salad. As you can see above, I have not given specific amounts to this salad. It’s really the combination of elements, not their ratios, that define this salad. Simply put, you cannot do it wrong!
2. Please preheat your oven to 425º.
3. Grab your squash, remove skin and seeds, and chop into cubes that are approximately 1″ or so. See the step-by-step below for how I tackle this process!
4. Coat your cubed squash in olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, going as dark and crispy as you like. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
5. Place your pepitas in a frying pan and toast on medium heat, tossing frequently, until nice and brown. Set aside to cool.
6. Meanwhile slice your kale into thin ribbons. Place ribbons into a bowl and add a few glugs of olive oil and a few squeezes of lemon juice. Using your hands, massage the oil and lemon juice into the kale. This softens the leaves and makes the kale significantly more edible. Use “lacinato” or “dinosaur” kale for salads—it really makes a difference!
7. Add some of your Garlicky Citrus Dressing and grated cheese to the kale, using your hands to coat evenly. We will be adding more of both at the end, so just add enough to coat the kale!
8. Now we assemble the salad. I prefer to do this on a shallow platter, but you can absolutely do it in a big bowl as well!
9. Lay the dressed kale on the platter first—this is the foundation of your salad. Then artfully arrange the cooled roasted squash and toasted pepitas on top. Finish off the salad with extra dressing and grated cheese. Can you even handle how FALL this salad is?

Dig in and enjoy!