I’m all about autumn flavors and grain bowls right now (and always, let’s be honest). Behold my newest creation: a fall harvest salad with watermelon and butternut squash!
It’s got a delicious apple cider dijon dressing, and it’s packed with ingredients like watermelon, baby kale, farro, and feta cheese! Don’t forget the added crunch from the crispy roasted chickpeas and chopped pecans. And of course, it’s studded with refreshing bites of watermelon.
Make this for your next meal – your taste buds will thank you. 🙂
Thank you to my friends at The Watermelon Board for sponsoring this post!
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Fall Farro Squash Salad with Crispy Chickpeas
I love the combination of watermelon with all the classic fall salad ingredients like butternut squash, feta, and pecans. It adds juicy sweetness and crunch and makes a great replacement for the more expected fruit like apples or pears.
I also roasted some chickpeas along with the butternut squash, so between the chickpeas, farro, and veggies, this is a super hearty and filling meal!
Roasted chickpeas are really good on salad, by the way, if you haven’t tried them – a fun way to mix it up from croutons! They get just as crunchy when you bake them. I first discovered this with my Vegan Kale Caesar Salad Recipe, which features roasted chickpeas!
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this fabulous fall harvest salad:
- butternut squash (either a fresh squash, or a package of pre-cut squash)
- chickpeas
- olive oil
- rosemary
- ground cinnamon
- farro (I recommend instant farro if possible, to save yourself some time. I’ve been able to find this at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and ALDI)
- baby kale
- seedless watermelon
- feta
- pecans
- red onion (optional)
And for the homemade apple cider dijon dressing:
- apple cider vinegar
- olive oil
- rosemary
- maple syrup
- dijon mustard (I like the texture of grainy/stone-ground, but smooth works too)
For a salad recipe with watermelon AND watermelon rind, check out this Feta & Arugula Watermelon Rind Salad!
This recipe can be super flexible, though! Leftover quinoa, brown rice, or other grains make a great substitute for the farro. Any greens (like spinach or spring mix) can work in place of the kale. And walnuts or pumpkin seeds can work instead of pecans.
The squash can also be mixed up – acorn squash or even roasted sweet potato would be great here, too.
Just don’t leave out the watermelon! 🙂 In addition to being incredibly hydrating and delicious, watermelon also contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids. It’s a great naturally nutritious year-round pick!
How to Make Fall Harvest Salad
Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees F.
If you’re using regular/non-instant farro, I recommend cooking this first, as it usually takes about 45 minutes. Follow the cooking instructions on the package.
Next, cut up your butternut squash into small cubes (should come out to about 2 cups worth) and drain a can of chickpeas. Toss them together with olive oil, rosemary, cinnamon, salt, and pepper on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until squash is tender and chickpeas are a little crispy.
While this is roasting, cook the instant farro (if using) in boiling water, according to the directions on the package. This usually takes about 10 minutes.
Then, combine the roasted butternut squash, chickpeas, baby kale, cubed watermelon, farro, crumbled feta, sliced red onion (optional) and chopped pecans in a large salad bowl.
Next, make the homemade maple dijon apple cider dressing as directed in the section below. Drizzle over salad ingredients and toss until well-mixed. Serve and enjoy!
Homemade Apple Cider Dijon Dressing
I love this autumn-inspired homemade dressing. It’s super easy to make, too!
Just combine all the ingredients (1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, 2 teaspoons dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper) in a jar, put the lid on, and shake until well-mixed. That’s it! You can save any remaining dressing in an airtight container for up to a week.
The complete fall harvest salad recipe is at the bottom of this post. I hope you love this unique and flavor-packed salad!
Looking for more delicious recipes with watermelon? Check these out:
- Watermelon Chicken with Balsamic Glaze
- Watermelon Mojito Sorbet
- Sesame Shrimp and Watermelon Salad
- Watermelon Rind Gazpacho
- Watermelon Rind Coleslaw
- Chicken Gyros with Watermelon Rind Tzatziki
- Watermelon Rind Curry
- Roasted Salmon with Watermelon Salsa
- Pickled Watermelon Rind (Two Ways)
Butternut Squash Fall Harvest Grain Salad with Feta & Watermelon
This fall harvest salad is studded with refreshing watermelon, roasted butternut squash, crunchy pecans, and more delicious, autumn-inspired ingredients.
Ingredients:
For the salad:
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash (from one small butternut squash or a package of pre-cut squash)
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 sprig rosemary, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1.5 cups instant farro (one 8.8 oz bag)
- 6 cups baby kale
- 2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- sliced red onion (optional)
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Toss together the butternut squash, chickpeas, olive oil, rosemary, cinnamon, salt, and pepper on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until squash is tender and chickpeas are slightly crisp.
- Cook the instant farro according to package directions.
- Arrange the baby kale, watermelon, roasted squash and chickpeas, farro, feta, and pecans in a large salad bowl.
- Make the dressing by combining all dressing ingredients in a jar and shaking to combine.
- Pour dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Save any remaining dressing in the jar for up to a week.
Notes:
- I've had good luck finding packages of instant farro at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and ALDI. It takes just 10 minutes to cook in boiling water, so I did that while the squash was roasting. If using regular/non-instant farro, I'd recommend starting that first or cooking in advance since it'll take about 45 minutes.
- I like the texture of grainy dijon mustard in the dressing, but smooth dijon will work just as well.
- This recipe can be super flexible. Leftover quinoa, brown rice, etc. make a great substitute for the farro, any greens can work in place of the kale, and walnuts or pumpkin seeds can work instead of pecans.
