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    Home » Recipes » CSA-Inspired Recipes

    Fall Harvest Beet, Pomegranate, Avocado, and Gouda Kale Salad with Sweet + Spicy Pepitas

    Published: Nov 2, 2021 Last Modified: Nov 2, 2021 by Allison

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    This fall harvest salad with roasted beets, pomegranate, avocado, gouda, apple, kale, and sweet + spicy pepitas is brimming with autumnal goodness! It’s the perfect salad to serve at holiday gatherings; everybody loves it- even the beet-averse! Plus, it’s just as great as a healthy lunch. The tangy-sweet apple butter lemon dijon dressing ties everything together beautifully.

    overhead shot of the fall harvest beet, apple, pomegranate, and avocado kale salad in a wooden bowl on a grey backdrop

    It’s becoming a fall tradition for me to share a harvest-inspired salad recipe every year. In 2019, I shared a roasted sweet potato, pomegranate, and kale salad recipe. It was good, but honestly not spectacular. I’ve become much more creative since then! Then, last year, I shared this roasted beet, pecan, and feta salad recipe. Again, it was good, and it’s surprisingly the most popular salad recipe on Up Beet Kitchen. However, it’s certainly not my most inventive work. But this salad that I’m about to share with you? It’s better than any salad recipe I’ve ever created. 

    The key difference between this epic salad and all other salads I’ve shared up until this point? I didn’t hold anything back. I wanted to celebrate seasonal abundance in this recipe, and that’s just what I did. Roasted beets, apple, avocado, pomegranate, gouda cheese, kale, and maple-cinnamon-cayenne roasted pepitas are tossed with a sweet yet tangy apple butter lemon dijon dressing that ties everything together. All in all, this salad is a real showstopper to serve at your holiday gatherings from now until the new year. 

    overhead shot of the roasted beets on a sheet of parchment paper

    overhead shot of the roasted pepitas on a sheet of parchment paper

    overhead shot of a quarter of a pomegranate on a grey backdrop

    ingredients you’ll need 

    This salad consists of a few different components; I’ll break them down to you as follows: 

    For the roasted beets, you’ll need beets, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. 

    For the sweet + spicy pepitas, you’ll need pepitas, maple syrup, sea salt, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and cayenne. 

    For the apple butter lemon dijon dressing, you’ll need extra-virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper, garlic, apple butter, honey, and dijon mustard. 

    For the salad, you’ll need kale, honey crisp apple, pomegranate, avocado, and gouda cheese. 

    the method

    Roast the beets: Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the beets in the middle of the pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Toss to coat and spread out in an even layer. Roast for 30-40 minutes, until tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes. 

    Make the sweet and spicy pepitas: Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, toss together the pepitas, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and cayenne. Spread out on the baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. 

    Make the dressing: In a jar, combine the oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, apple butter, honey, and dijon mustard. Secure the lid and shake vigorously to combine. 

    Make the salad: Place the kale in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the kale and use your hands to “massage” it into the kale. Top with the roasted beets, pepitas, apple, pomegranate, avocado, and gouda. Toss again.

    Enjoy!

    overhead close up of a corner of the salad bowl containing kale, apple, roasted beets, avocado, and pomegranate

    more wholesome salad recipes to try

    • Chicken Tahini Kale Caesar salad With Roasted Sweet Potatoes
    • Tempeh Grapefruit Avocado Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
    • Warm Roasted Mushroom, Pear, Walnut + Avocado Spinach Salad

    overhead close up photo of the salad

    overhead photo of a big wooden bowl of fall harvest roasted beet, avocado, and pomegranate salad

    Last but not least, I hope that you love this fall harvest beet, pomegranate, apple, and gouda salad! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing what you’ve made. 

    Enjoy! 

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    overhead shot of the fall harvest beet, apple, pomegranate, and avocado kale salad in a wooden bowl on a grey backdrop

    Fall Harvest Beet, Pomegranate, Avocado, and Gouda Kale Salad with Sweet + Spicy Pepitas


    ★★★★★

    5 from 3 reviews

    • Author: Allison
    • Total Time: 1 hour
    • Yield: 6 servings 1x
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    Ingredients

    Scale

    Roasted Beets

    • 4 medium beets, unpeeled
    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • Pinch each fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

    Sweet and Spicy Pepitas

    • ½ cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
    • 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
    • Pinch of sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon cayenne

    Dressing

    • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 tablespoon apple butter
    • 2 teaspoons honey
    • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard

    Salad

    • 8 cups chopped kale
    • 1 honey crisp apple, thinly sliced
    • Arils from 1 pomegranate
    • 1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced
    • 120 grams gouda cheese, cubed

    Instructions

    1. Roast the beets: Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Chop the stems off of the beets and slice them into quarters. Arrange the beets in the middle of the pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Toss to coat and spread out in an even layer. Roast for 30-40 minutes, until tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
    2. Make the sweet and spicy pepitas: Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, toss together the pepitas, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and cayenne. Spread out on the baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.
    3. Make the dressing: In a jar, combine the oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, apple butter, honey, and dijon mustard. Secure the lid and shake vigorously to combine.
    4. Make the salad: Place the kale in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the kale and use your hands to “massage” it into the kale. Top with the roasted beets, pepitas, apple, pomegranate, avocado, and gouda. Toss again.
    5. Enjoy!

    Notes

    I prefer to leave the skins on my beets when I roast them. They tend to cook better when left intact, and they’re totally edible.

    • Prep Time: 30 minutes
    • Cook Time: 30 minutes
    • Category: Salad

    Keywords: fall harvest beet apple pomegranate kale salad recipe

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @upbeet.kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #upbeetkitchen

     

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. Rhonda

      November 16, 2021 at 9:06 am

      Wow, this salad hits the mark. Perfect!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Allison

        November 17, 2021 at 9:52 pm

        Thanks so much!

        Reply
    2. Margot

      July 26, 2022 at 12:47 pm

      Absolutely fantastic salad! Your photos are equally fantastic.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Jack

      July 30, 2022 at 3:20 pm

      Will make this again and again!. Superb.

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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