This nutty salad, finished with a fragrant dressing made from orange juice, dried cranberries and rosemary, is jam-packed with seasonal gems.
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Yields:
6
Prep Time:
10 mins
Cook Time:
45 mins
Total Time:
55 mins
Ingredients
600 g pumpkin or squash, peeled and cut into 3cm cubes
2 red onions, cut into wedges
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 vegetable stock cube
200 g freekeh
150 g kale
50 g toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
For the dressing:
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 sprigs rosemary
30 g dried cranberries
Juice of 1 orange
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Directions
Step 1Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan) mark 6 and put the pumpkin or squash and onions in a roasting tray. Drizzle over the olive oil and season well. Roast for 35–40min or until soft and tender.
Step 2Meanwhile, put the stock cube in a pan of water and bring to the boil. Add the freekeh and simmer for around 15min or until tender. Drain and leave to steam-dry in the colander.
Step 3Bring another pan of water to the boil and blanch the kale for 2–3min. Drain and set aside.
Step 4When the squash is cooked, remove from the oven and toss through the freekeh with the kale and hazelnuts.
Step 5For the dressing, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a small frying pan over a low-medium heat and fry the garlic and rosemary for 2min, until they release their aromas and the garlic is golden. Add the cranberries, orange juice and red wine vinegar, and continue to cook for 1–2min to warm through. Remove from the heat and drizzle the dressing over the warm salad ingredients with plenty of seasoning. Serve immediately.
GH TIP:
Autumnal squash is abundant and there are lots of delicious varieties to choose from – any will work well in this salad.
Sarah is Good Housekeeping's Kitchen and Homes Director, looking after all things food and homes for the brand. Sarah started her career in journalism, then retrained as a chef 15 years ago following a lifelong dream to work in food. Since retraining, she has worked as a private chef, assisted on tv commercials, created recipes for some of the country's leading brands and became the go-to birthday and wedding cake baker in her friends and family network. In 2025, she was shortlisted for Cookery Writer of the Year by the Guild of Food Writers
