Panzanellas have become a favorite household salad here at Vegalicious. Earlier this year we made a delicious panzanella that uses lentils. But now that it is fall, and we have a lovely red kuri squash harvest we are anxious to dig into these little babies.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups winter squash (red kuri, etc.), small bite sized cubes
  • 3 cups Brussels sprouts , trimmed and halved (about 20 sprouts depending on size)
  • 2 cups red beets, peeled and cubed (2-3 small beets)
  • 3 cups crusty day old bread
  • 3 cups kale, chopped leaves
  • ⅓ cup dried cranberries
  • ¼ cups pumpkin seeds

for the dressing:

  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or other fruit vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 heaping teaspoon grainy mustard
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave
  • 1 heaping teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
  • ½ teaspoon rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Autumn Harvest Panzanella

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C.
  2. Cut the day old bread into cubes.
  3. Place in a bowl and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the cubes and mix well so all the cubes have been oiled. Alternatively, you could brush each one using a cooking brush.
  4. Place on a cookie sheet with baking parchment and in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. When they are done, remove from the cookie sheet, place in a bowl to await further use.
  6. While the bread cubes are toasting, prepare the vegetables. Cut the stem off the Brussels sprouts, remove and old outer leaves and cut the sprout in half.
  7. Cut the winter squash in half and remove the seeds and inner stringy membranes.
  8. Cut the squash in small bite sized pieces.
  9. Peel the beets and cut into small cubes.
  10. When you remove the bread from the oven, keep the baking parchment on the cookie sheet and place the prepared vegetables on the cookie sheet.
  11. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
  12. While the vegetables are roasting, cut the stems away from the kale and chop the kale into small pieces.
  13. Place in a large salad bowl.
  14. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and massage to a bight green color.
  15. When the vegetables are done, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
  16. Add the bread pieces to the kale and mix.
  17. Add the vegetables to the salad.
  18. Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of the dressing over the salad and gently toss to mix.
  19. Add the pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries.
  20. Serve the salad on individual plates and allow guests to help them selves for more dressing as desired.