This roasted delicata salad with maple tahini and crispy chickpeas and Kale is the perfect Fall recipe. Tender delicata squash is layered with oven crisped dinosaur kale, crunchy chickpeas, and pumpkin seeds. Then it's drizzled with a delicious maple tahini sauce that is laced with fresh thyme. This perfect for the Holiday season salad is served warm or room temp for optimal flavor enjoyment and appeal but the chilled leftovers are a tasty treat too..
I created this recipe in partnership with Mighty Sesame Co Tahini. They have compensated me for the product use and recommendation. However, the opinions are all my own.
What is Delicata Squash?
Delicata squash is a seasonal Fall and Winter squash. It varies between yellow and orange in color and has green stripes. If you have never tried delicata, you are in for a treat. This entire stunner of a squash is edible including the skin. That means less prep time because you don't need to peel it.
This Fall squash is similar to a butternut in taste but is dryer, starchier and more hardy. Butternut gets mushy when cooked but delicata gets a little crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. This makes it a great candidate for roasting,
What is Sesame Tahini?
Tahini is a ground paste of sesame seeds. It's used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean foods. Tahini adds a nutty flavor to any dish and has a decadent creaminess. I use tahini in my plant-based recipes because it makes foods creamy without dairy. Tahini is very healthy and has about the same nutritional stats as peanut butter. It makes the flavors in this roasted delicata with maple tahini dish pop.
Why you'll love this Roasted Delicata Salad
- Utilizes Seasonal Fall produce, the perfect Delicata Squash recipe
- Interesting side dish for Holidays instead of mashed vegetables
- Stunning presentation
- Dairy free and Gluten Free Recipe, super allergy friendly dish
- Easy enough for a beginner to make
- Full of texture! Tender squash, crisp chickpeas and kale, crunchy pepitas and the creamiest maple tahini drizzle
- So much flavor!
- Great alternative to heavier side dishes that are full of cream and butter
Squash Storage Tip
Delicata squash as well as other seasonal squashes like sugar pumpkins, kabocha and butternut can be stored safely on the counter at room temp for weeks and in some cases months! Keep your eyes out for signs of spoilage like soft spots, mold, odor or slimy textures and discard if found.
Roasted Delicata Salad Ingredients
This delicata squash recipe has a short ingredient list consisting of mostly seasonal items. That is why it is considered a Fall and Winter Salad because you will not find this squash in summer months.
- Delicata squash: This pretty Fall squash is the belle of the ball
- Dinosaur Kale- This tender, dark leafy green is the base of this salad
- Chickpeas: Ever since discovering oven crisp chickpeas, I almost never eat croutons.
- Pepitas: Pumpkin seeds add the perfect crunch!
- Tahini and Pure Maple Syrup- Creamy and sweet are a match made in Autumn heaven
- Lemon and Mandarin Oranges- Giving a virus flavor boost
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil-For roasting to perfection
- Salt, Garlic Powder and Smoked paprika: The flavor power trio
- Fresh Thyme: Fall's savory sweetheart
Kale Twist Switch out the oven crisp kale for massaged kale instead. If you are a kale lover like me, you may prefer the tender leaves of massaged kale in this salad.
How to Make Roasted Delicata Salad with Maple Tahini, Crispy Chickpeas and Kale
This recipe is beginner friendly, it is really easy to make. Just pop the ingredients on sheet pans and roast them up. And the dressing is as simple as throwing the ingredients in a blender! Then layer it all up and enjoy.
- First preheat the oven to 400
- On one sheet pan add the delicata and season, then roast for 30 minutes
- On another sheet pan, spice the chickpeas and roast until crisp
- Make the maple tahini in a blender
- Crisp the kale on another sheet pan for 5-7 minutes
- Layer the roasted and crisped ingredients together and drizzle with the tahini and serve. Save some for dipping.
Tips for Making the Best Delicata Squash Salad
- Try adding extra veggies: roasted cauliflower or sweet potatoes would be great here
- Experiment with substitutions. Use lentils or white beans instead of chickpeas. Or sub out the kale for fluffy cooked quinoa instead.
- Spice it up! Use chipotle flakes, a pinch of cayenne or chili flakes when spicing up the chickpeas for a fiery twist.
- If making in advance for a holiday spread, keep the maple tahini separate until serving. Cook all the ingredients and chill. Then just warm the ingredients by popping in the oven for a couple of minutes before serving.
FAQs
If delicata is not common in your region, use butternut squash instead. It has a similar flavor and Fall vibe but is much easier to find. However, butternut should be peeled and seeded, then cubed for this recipe. The cubes are not as pretty but they will taste amazing.
Yes! Team zero waste! If you want, go ahead and toast the delicata seeds instead of buying another ingredient. That is a great budget friendly and no waste option.
Absolutely! I haven't tested it that way, but I am sure that oven roasting the squash and chickpeas without oil will definitely work. Substituting massaged kale for the oven crisp kale can also cut out a bit of oil. Just use lemon and salt instead to tenderize the leaves.
This warm delicata squash recipe is the perfect plant-based holiday side dish. It will go great with any Fall themed meals and main dishes. Or, it's delicious and filling on its own as a meal in itself!
Absolutely use whatever kind of Tahini you have on hand or your favorite brand. But I like Mighty Sesame because they are organic, have only one ingredient (sesame seeds) and their tahini is always smooth and pourable instead of clumpy.
Other Delicious Delicata Squash Recipes
Love this recipe? Drop a comment below to share your experience with others!
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Roasted Delicata with Maple Tahini
Ingredients
- 4 delicata squash seeded and cut in half moons
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 tsp salt divided
- 1 tsp garlic powder divided
- 1 tsp smoked paprika divided
- 15 oz chickpeas canned, drained
- 1 Bunch Dino Kale chopped bite sized pieces
- 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup tahini
- 3 mandarin oranges juiced
- 1 lemon juiced
- ½ cup water plus more if needed, since tahini brands can vary in thickness.
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400
- On a large sheet pan lay out delicata squash in a single layer. Drizzle or spray with olive oil and season with ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp smoked paprika and ½ tsp garlic powder. Bake for 30 minutes turning once halfway.
- On another sheet pan add chickpeas, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp maple syrup, ¼ tsp salt and ½ tsp smoked paprika. Toss until well mixed then bake for 20 minutes turning once halfway.
- While they are baking make the Orange, maple tahini sauce by adding tahini, lemon, orange, water ,fresh thyme, ½ tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp maple syrup and ¼ tsp salt and blending until smooth and creamy.
- Spread kale on another sheet pan and spray with remaining oil and season with a pinch of salt. Bake for 5-7 minutes until crisp.
- Layer the crispy kale, delicata and chickpeas in a bowl. Drizzle with half the sauce and put out the other half in a small bowl for drizzling. You will want more! Garnish with fresh thyme and pumpkin seeds. Serve this warm or room temp.
Robin
I liked the flavors in this one. I thought 3/4 cup of water was too much for the sauce and made it a little too thin. Maybe a typo?
Sara Tercero
Unfortunately tahini brands vary wildly in consistency. I will add a note to the recipe. Thanks for the feedback!
Jillian
My family and I devoured this tasty number and will be adding it to our regular repertoire! (No delicata squash here in my home town in Australia so I subbed in Kent pumpkin and it was sweet and nutty and delicious) Thank you for your knowledge and inspiration 🙂
Sara Tercero
Thats so wonderful, happy you liked it! Thanks for the 5 stars and the feedback!
Abigail
I love the ingredients for this salad, but the dressing was very disappointing. 3/4 was definitely too much water, it resulted in a thin flavorless dressing. I’m hoping to make it again with less water, and probably just normal oranges. The rest of the recipe & salad was great though. Although I did roast everything (except for the kale) a bit longer. Looking forward to trying other salad recipes!
Sara Tercero
I am sorry to hear this! Because tahini brands differ greatly in thickness there can be a variety in texture. Sorry about that. Next time add the water slowly rather than all at once.
Jessica
Is there a good way to store this for leftovers?
Angie
Thank you Sara for this unique recipe! I'm only on day 5 on "eating plant based" so please take my humble opinion accordingly. This is a delicious recipe and the components are each wonderful. The dressing especially is just FIRE (and I did reduce the water as well). But....I thought it is very labor intensive and time consuming and made a fair mess in the kitchen lol. I need to find ways to streamline the process!
Sara Tercero
Happy you liked it and sorry you thought it was too hard and messy!For me this is an easy one but I forget not everyone has the equipment or is a Chef to make these so easy!
Sara Tercero
I would receive the dressing for serving because it won't be as good dressed the next day. Just make sure all is cool and store covered in the refrigerator.
JD
Hi, could you tell me how much mandarin orange juice is in 3 mandarins, in cups or ml please?
Sara Tercero
I will have to estimate but probably half a cup.
LG
I have to admit I was skeptical, but the flavors all together are amazing. The chickpeas really are a tiny lil jewel in this recipe, and the dressing is better than I could have imagined. Thank you for such innovative recipes that are loaded with good, whole foods!
Sara Tercero
This is a wonderful review thanks so much. I am so-leased you like my recipes and appreciate the feedback.
Kristin Reindel
I only had one delicata squash on hand, which made the serving size much smaller. It seemed at a glance that the squash and kale ratio were equal, but I can now see that after the kale shrinking while baking that the squash was or should have been the star in this recipe. I’ll have to roast up more veggies to spread out the rest of the dish.
I did use minimal water. -probably just a splash.
The flavors are really nice and now that I’ve made this once I see how I can stretch this out with other ingredients. The left over dressing seems like it’ll be great on other roasted vegetables.
Sara Tercero
Glad you liked it even if it was short on volume. Things that would be great in. this recipe as substitute for Delicata are sweet potatoes, butternut squash and even cauliflower!
Jamie F
I made this for a healthy lunch and my husband and I both loved it! Sadly I was unable to find delicata squash so I used sweet potato instead. I added the water to the dressing a little at a time until the dressing was the consistency I wanted. Will definitely make again.
Sara Tercero
Sweet potato is a delicious substitute! So happy you loved it.
Mel
I agree with others that the water is way too much. I used tahini from Trader Joe’s. I should’ve held off on the water and added gradually. There are a few flaws with the recipe, it doesn’t say where to put the other 1/2tsp paprika, doesn’t say to add the pumpkin seeds, and doesn’t say how much maple syrup to put in the dressing. I figured these all out (I think) but would be nice if it was added into the recipe.
Sara Tercero
Thanks for the feedback Mel, I will definitely add that in.