Kale Salad with Beets, Farro, and Delicata Squash

This hearty & delicious massaged kale salad is packed with nutritious foods including beets, farro, delicata squash, and pecans. Using pre-cooked beets allows you to prepare this recipe in under one hour. It’s perfect for a healthy lunch or side dish with dinner!

As a Registered Dietitian, you may not be surprised to hear that I love kale salad recipes.

And I’ve got plenty on the blog to choose from – have you tried my dairy free kale caesar salad, kale slaw with apples, or simple kale and romaine salad?

This kale and beet salad with farro and roasted delicata squash is an instant favorite, especially for fall and winter when squash is in season.

It’s packed with healthy ingredients quite filling thanks to the addition of whole grain farro.

You’re going to love the flavors and textures in this salad!

Because roasting beets takes a long time, I opted to use pre-cooked beets in this recipe.

You can find them in the refrigerated section of your grocery store!

They taste fresh and delicious and help significantly cut down on prep time to one hour or less.

This recipe makes a big batch and will serve 3-4 as an entree salad or 6-8 as a side dish.

Step-by-step video

Ingredients in kale salad with beets

Here is everything you need to make this recipe:

• Curly kale or lacinato kale
• Delicata squash
• Pre-cooked beets
• Farro
• Toasted pecans
• Feta cheese
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil
• Dijon mustard
• Honey
• Salt and pepper
• Cinnamon

Ingredient substitution suggestions

• Make it vegan: eliminate the feta cheese and use maple syrup in place of honey.
• Make it gluten free: Use quinoa or wild rice instead of farro for a gluten free farro substitute.
• Make it nut free: Use pumpkin seeds (pepitas) instead of toasted pecans.
• Use toasted almonds, walnuts, or pistachios instead of toasted pecans.
• If you can’t find delicata squash, roast cubes of butternut squash instead.

Kitchen tools needed

For this recipe, you need a good chef’s knife, a cutting board, a big mixing or salad bowl for massaging the kale and mixing the salad, and a saucepan for cooking the farro.

How to make kale salad with beets

1. Cook farro on the stovetop according to package instructions. See this post for more detailed instructions on how to cook farro. Once cooked, transfer the farro to a clean baking sheet and spread it out into a thin layer. Pop the baking sheet in the fridge so it can cool quickly for the salad.
2. Prep delicata squash by cutting it in half the long way and scooping out the seeds. Slice into half moons, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cinnamon, and roast in the oven for about 25 minutes. The skin on delicata squash is thin and totally edible, so you don’t have to peel it.
3. Prepare kale by removing the stems, washing and drying the leaves.
4. Massage the kale in a large salad bowl to soften it for the salad.
5. Cut pre-cooked beets into cubes, toast the pecans, and chop them up.
6. To the salad bowl with the kale, add the cooled farro, roasted delicata squash, chopped beets, crumbled feta cheese, and toasted chopped pecans.
7. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper to make the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss it all up to combine.

How to massage kale

Wondering how to soften kale for a salad?

Raw kale is tough and chewy, but massaging kale makes it more tender and softer – perfect for eating raw in a salad!

I highly recommend you check out this post on how to prepare and massage kale. But here are the basics on how to massage kale:

• Remove kale leaves from the stems and discard of the stems. Wash and dry the kale.
• Chop kale leaves into bite size pieces, or use your hands to tear the leaves into pieces.
• Put kale leaves in a large mixing bowl.
• Add a small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.
• Use your hands to rub the kale leaves together in a massaging motion.
• Continue for about a minute, until kale is noticeably softer and darker green.

What to serve with kale and beet salad

Pair this salad with a piece of salmon, a few hard boiled eggs, or baked tofu to make it a well-balanced meal with carbohydrates, non-starchy vegetables, healthy fats, and protein.

Storage

This recipe keeps well as leftovers, because kale doesn’t get soggy after you add salad dressing.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

Let me know if you love this post by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!

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