One delicious side, this Harvest Wild Rice Salad is a yummy combination of a wild rice blend, sautéed kale and roasted acorn squash. The whole thing is then garnished with sweet pomegranate arils and pumpkin seeds. So much goodness packed in one recipe!
How everyone! How’s it going? After an indulgent Monday with a Five Cheese Beer Mac-n-Cheese I figured a lighter recipe was in order. All about balance, isn’t it? This one comes to you a day late (because I was completing some site layout changes), but better late than never! Plus, I kinda wanted to say hi before the upcoming weekend!
How to Roast Acorn Squash
Have you ever used acorn squash in a recipe? It’s simple to prepare and what makes this one extra special is the addition of curry powder. It adds a lovely flavour and warmth to the recipe, which compliments the sweetness found in the pomegranate.
Basically, to roast an acorn squash –
- Carefully cut the acorn squash in half. Scoop out the membrane and seeds. If you want, reserve the seeds for roasting to enjoy as a snack later (delicious tossed with some olive oil and spices).
- Peel the acorn squash.
- Cut into cubes and toss with oil and seasoning.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes on 350F. Easy right?
How to Peel a Pomegranate
You can’t just bite into a pomegranate…well, I suppose you can, but it is definitely not recommended. The easiest way to peel a pomegranate? Cut it in half, get a bowl of water ready and invert the pomegranate into the water and press the arils out. They are not all going to pop out perfectly, but it’s the easiest (and cleanest) way, in my opinion, to get those suckers out. Usually, any of the membrane that surrounds the arils floats to the top, while they stay to the button. Easy peasy, right?
Tips & How to Enjoy this Wild Rice Salad
- Don’t have kale? Spinach or chard works great too, but the spinach won’t be as hearty.
- Want to use butternut squash instead of acorn squash? Go for it!
- Don’t have pomegranate? Dried cranberry will work in a pinch.
- I’ve eaten this wild rice salad both warm and cold and it’s great both ways.
- If you want to add a little more substance to the mix, some grilled or baked chicken would work great!
Other Fall Salad Recipes you May Enjoy
I love making this one on Sunday to have as a quick go-to side for lunch or to go with busy weekday dinners.
Hope you enjoy this Harvest Wild Rice Salad as much as I do. It’s light, nutritious and packed full of yummy flavours – just what you need before an indulgent weekend 😉
Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon 🙂
P.S. If you think this Harvest Wild Rice Salad will make your belly happy too, please be sure to hit that little Pin button down below. Many thanks, you guys! XO
Harvest Wild Rice Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice blend -cooked per package instructions
- 3 cups acorn squash -cubed (or butternut squash)
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil -divided
- 1/2 tsp salt -divided, or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper -divided
- 2 cloves garlic -minced
- 4 cups kale -thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp unsalted pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Cook rice per package instructions. I used a gluten free wild rice blend.
- Meanwhile while the rice is cooking (mine took 40 minutes), roast acorn squash. To prepare squash, preheat oven to 350F. Toss squash with curry powder, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, tossing halfway.
- On the stovetop on medium heat, add remaining 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil and cook garlic 1 minute. Add kale, 1/4 cup of water and remaining 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper. Cook kale about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl combine cooked rice, roasted acorn squash, and kale (and more salt, if desired. For my tastes, I didn't add any more). Toss to combine. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and pomegranate arils. Delicious warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
I love absolutely everything about this salad! Great way to use up rice leftovers.
And I have found the perfect method to peel a pomegranate.. I let my husband do it! haha
Haha – good idea 😉 Thanks Aryane!
I discovered the water-trick method to peeling a pomegranate last year, and BOY was that long overdue! Too many stained articles of clothing happened before that discovery!! I love the idea of pom in a salad, especially with all of those other yummy ingredients. This is totally one salad I could dig! Cheers Dawn!
Yep! I hear ya about the juice going everywhere, lol! Thank you so much, Katherine 🙂 Have an awesome week!
OMG I want this on Thursday! Such a perfect Thanksgiving side! I love adding pomegranate to everything this time of year because they’re just so festive. I hope you had a great weekend, Dawn!
Thank you Kelsie! They definitely are festive…I love that colour! Hope you’re having a lovely weekend too 🙂
The colors of this salad are gorgeous! I’ve never used squash in a salad. I’ll bet it adds a ton of flavor and extra nutrition too. I think this salad sounds like a winner through and through!
Thank you Kathy! It really does 🙂
It’s unanimous! This is a beautiful salad!! I love that it’s a make-ahead recipe! We can’t have enough of those! Hope your weekend is great, my friend! xo
Thank you Annie!! Same to you! XO
Your salad is gorgeous! I don’t know why I haven’t thought to use wild rice as a base for salad before, that’s such a great idea! Pinning this for later.
Thank you Shareba! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Dawn, this salad looks amazing!! And all of those colors are just fantastic in these photos! This is just the type of salad I love prepping on Sunday for a week of lunches. And I haven’t cooked acorn squash in a while, so this is the perfect motivation. Have a great weekend!!
Thanks so much, Leanne 🙂 Happy to hear that! Have a lovely weekend too!
I love your idea to make this salad in advance and have at the ready for weekday lunches. It really has everything, so in tune with the season as well. Wild rice is my favorite after jasmine rice. I always enjoy it in fall dishes. The medley of ingredients you have selected seems perfect as a side for grilled pork chops, with Belgian ale:)
This is beautiful! I can almost taste how delicious it is. Oh my! I’m pinning this for later!
Beautiful salad with all of my favorite foods! Pinning to try. Thanks for sharing ♥
I love pumpkin seeds! Could you also use the squash seeds from the acorn squash? Are they edible?
Definitely! I actually roasted them with olive oil and salt and pepper and ate separately, but they would work lovely on this recipe too 😉
What a beautiful salad! I love wild rice and so perfect with the squash and poms 🙂
Thanks Jennifer!!