Kale & Acorn Squash Cornbread Panzanella

Here to bring you all this incredibly delicious, sneakily healthy kale and acorn squash panzanella salad for your holiday table. There’s oodles of kale, chunks of savory roasted acorn squash and tons of maple & sage roasted cornbread croutons. It’s SO good, and yet somehow you’re still doing so much good for your body, trust me this is one holiday side where you can feel good about helping yourself to seconds.

We’re using my favorite kind of kale here and that’s the Lacinato kale or “dino” as it’s also known. No new news here that kale is a nutrition powerhouse and yet I’m still surprised when I hear so many folks don’t love eating it… While kale can be bitter, it’s such a hearty leaf and can stand up to so much flavor modification and cooking techniques I find I use it more than any other green. The best thing about kale in this recipe is how it’s chewy and slightly nutty flavor works so well with the rest of the sweet and savory flavors in this salad.

I’m not going to lie here either, this salad is bursting with nutrients in the kale, pears, pomegranates and squash but the real star that makes this salad feel special are the maple sage cornbread croutons. Cornbread just makes any dish you’re eating feel cozy, satiating, and slightly sweet. This seasonal salad is no exception, and all of the flavors go SO well with the cornbread especially when roasted with a drizzle of maple syrup and sprinkled with fresh chopped sage. You can buy pre-made cornbread and cube it, make your own or use a mix to make these which is actually my preferred method, I always sub olive oil in the box mix for more flavor and if you’ve read some of my other posts you know I like to stay away from vegetable & seed oils.

I like to make my cornbread early in the am and then cube it up and let it sit on a parchment lined sheet pan in my kitchen most of the day to start getting a bit stale around the edges so it holds together a bit more when roasted and tossed in my salad. Don’t skip these little cubes of yumminess

Now on to preparing your acorn squash, I remember having a conversation with my sister in law not too long ago about how difficult cutting one of these suckers can be! I highly recommend you microwave your squash for 3 minutes on high before attempting to cut it into it – then cut it in half and make slices. This will save your fingers from an accidents and make it much easier to prep. Acorn squash is such a delicious vegetable that is also high in fiber and contains, folate, magnesium, calcium and as much potassium as two bananas! Be sure to eat around the super hard shell when enjoying in this salad as it’s super tough and once cooked tastes a bit like chewing one of your kids legos. Cautionary warnings aside I think you’ll find the flavors in this salad hearty and delicious and perfect for your holiday table!