Roast squash and romanesco salad with kale pesto recipe

Autumn is a great time to start comfort eating – veggie style – and this beautiful recipe by Rebel Recipes blogger Niki Webster really hits the spot.

Check out more healthy recipes:

• Emma Rice's spicy chicken salad recipe
• Tenderstem, pancetta and goat's cheese salad recipe
• Spiced chai smoothie bowl recipe

Niki says: "For my roast squash and romanesco salad with kale pesto, I combined my some lovely seasonal vegetables with a vibrant green kale and walnut pesto for a satisfying, wholesome and delicious autumnal salad. "

Read on to find out how to make her beautiful recipe!

Roast squash with kale pesto recipe

Ingredients

• 2 small butternut squash, quartered length ways (seeds removed and saved to be roasted)
• ½ romanesco broccoli sliced lengthways
• A handful of kale
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Sprinkle of pink Himalayan salt and pepper
• Toasted walnuts
• Toasted squash seeds
• Handful of pea shoots

For the kale pesto:

• 4 cups kale (tough stalks removed)
• 1 cup walnuts
• Handful basil leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• Pinch Himalayan salt
• 5 tbsp water

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to gas mark 5/190°C. Place the butternut squash and romanesco on baking trays and rub with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Place in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, until tender inside and caramelised on the outside. The romanesco will be ready before the squash so when cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool a little. You can roast the squash seeds at the same time, they will take around 10-15 minutes to get crunchy. Remove from the oven when done.
3. To make the pesto, simply add all the ingredients to a food processor and blitz until smooth. This can be done in a pestle and mortar if you don’t have a food processor.
4. To serve: layer a big dollop of the pesto onto two plates then the Romanesco, Squash, seeds, walnuts and pea shoots.

Follow Niki on Instagram @rebelrecipes and find more great recipes on her website rebelrecipes.com.