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

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.

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. 

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!

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

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! 

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

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5 from 3 reviews

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

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Ingredients

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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

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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