autumn caesar.
Leafy kale, spiced butternut squash, cheddar-gouda croutons, and roasted pepitas tossed with a creamy Caesar dressing makes a salad classic perfect for fall.
Serves: 4 Prep time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes
Is there anything better than a Caesar salad?
Before you answer that, I’ll clarify.
As far as salads go, Caesar is as good as it gets. It’s the one salad that can be as simple as it is and get away with it — never boring no matter the setting. Airplane food? Sure. Fancy 5-star meal starter course? That too.
I’ll admit I’ve had bad Caesars, and even those weren’t the end of the salad for me. I crave Caesar often, and lately more than ever I’ve been craving a dark, leafy Caesar sprinkled heavily with shredded Parmesan cheese.
Beyond that, this Caesar reflects the flavors of fall without straying too far from what we know and love in a Caesar. There’s nutty roasted butternut squash, some rich and crunchy homemade cheesy croutons, and a sprinkling of pepitas, which can be swapped for homemade pumpkin seeds if desired. It’s a delicious, simple, autumn-inspired take on a classic, and one you’ll definitely want to keep around for Thanksgiving.
If you like the sound of this salad, you might also like my candied bacon and butternut squash salad, which is similar but uses an apple cider vinaigrette. Both are delicious ways to use squash and kale, my favorite fall veg.
How do I make Caesar dressing?
This recipe is a little different than the very classic kale Caesar salad recipe I wrote last year. That recipe made the dressing the traditional way with no mayonnaise added. I’ve made it a dozen times, at least, and love it, but I’ll admit there is something gluttonous about a super-creamy Caesar dressing that the egg emulsion can’t provide.
This dressing is also better suited for crowds: First, because you don’t have to field questions about using and serving raw eggs (it happens), and secondly because the flavor is closer to what most people know as Caesar dressing.
To make it, pull out a food processor or a compact blender (you’ll have a hard time blending this amount of dressing in a large blender). Blend all the ingredients at once for about 30 seconds.
If you don’t have a blender or food processor, you can whisk the dressing together by hand. To do this, grate or press the garlic and mince the anchovies until paste-like.
If your dressing is too salty, add a little more lemon and mayonnaise. If the dressing is too sour, add a pinch of salt and some mayonnaise. If the dressing tastes bland, add more salt, then try another dollop of mustard.
Can I make this salad ahead of time?
Salad is a funny thing to make ahead of time. On paper, it feels like an easy thing to throw together for later. Of course, in reality, it’s a little more complicated than that. If you make a salad too far in advance, the croutons get soggy, the leaves wilt, and the dressing breaks.
Lacinato kale can really stand up to the dressing without wilting or getting soggy. If you want to make some of this salad in advance so that it’s ready to serve, here’s what I recommend:
Roast the butternut squash, then store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Toast the cheesy croutons, then store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Blend the dressing, then store refrigerated in a jar for up to 5 days.
Toss the dressing and torn kale together up to 8 hours before serving. Ideally, toss them together 30 minutes before serving, then keep at room temperature.
Toss in the squash, shredded Parmesan, croutons, and pepitas up to 10 minutes before serving. Longer than that, the croutons will soften and the Parm will dissolve.
Store leftovers for 3 days in the refrigerator; note that croutons will soften.
Lacinato, or dinosaur, kale is a bubbly, wrinkly, dark-green variety of kale that has a richer taste and heartier texture than the regular leaves.
autumn caesar salad ingredients
butternut squash: Butternut is the most versatile squash because it can be roasted, mashed, puréed, made into sauces, soups, dressings, and served sweet or savory. This is a good way to use up butternut squash that may be leftover from another recipe, such as butternut squash mac and cheese. You just need 2 cups diced squash, or about half of a small squash. You can also use sweet potato, delicata, or even pumpkin.
olive oil: You’ll need some oil for tossing with the squash and some for tossing with the bread. You can opt for any oil, if you prefer something like avocado or grapeseed.
spices: I tried this with chili powder and have to admit I didn’t like the “taco” flavor it gave the squash. Keep it relatively simple and let the dressing do the talking. Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and some cayenne is all you’ll need.
crusty bread: I used a demi-baguette, but you can use French bread, Italian bread, or any variety that has a hard crust. For the best results, use bread that is a day or so old.
cheddar: Mild cheddar is best here. I highly recommend buying a block of cheddar and shredding it yourself for the best results. You can swap for any cheese you like, but I recommend trying the cheddar first. It tastes like a crunchy grilled cheese.
gouda: This is technically optional, but highly recommended for a delicious, cheesy flavor. Gouda melts beautifully and has a strong but inoffensive flavor that works well with cheddar. If you can swing it, you should add it here.
melted butter: Helps brown the croutons and stick the cheese to the bread.
kale: I use lacinato here, which is a bubbly-looking, wrinkly-textured kale with an almost-purple coloring. While I think it works really well in Caesars, you can absolutely swap it for regular kale or whatever leafy green you prefer. Remember to massage kale before serving so that it is tender and less bitter.
Parmesan: You’ll need almost a cup of finely shredded Parmesan total, some for the dressing and some to toss into the salad. I use a small microplane grater for this. Unless you’re in a pinch, I highly recommend shredding your own Parmesan. The softer texture is much better for folding into dressing and topping the salad.
pepitas: Pepitas are pumpkin seeds that have been husked and therefore appear small and green. Usually sold roasted and salted, you can find them among the snacking nuts like almonds, peanuts, pecans, and walnuts. They add a small, salty punch to salads like a sunflower seed would. If you happen to be carving pumpkins, you can also roast those seeds and use them here.
anchovies: Unless you are allergic, I urge you not to omit the anchovies (I know it’s easy to do so). You can buy them tinned or jarred, usually found near the canned tuna. I like to buy nicer jars of anchovies from our “Import Store” (That’s what it’s called) or from our local Italian market. These add a salty, umami flavor that makes Caesar truly taste like Caesar. If you hate having an open jar of anchovies in the fridge, use the remaining anchovies for puttanesca.
mayonnaise: I know, a sacrilege. But let’s think about it. Mayonnaise is, at its core, an emulsion of egg and oil. Isn’t using it here just skipping a few steps? I do like the familiarity of a mayo-based Caesar dressing. You can also use Greek yogurt. I do not think the brand of mayonnaise matters (Is that more controversial than the mayonnaise itself?)
lemon juice: This is straightforward, but I need to add a small note: Unlike most of my recipes in which I call for “juice from half a lemon”, it is important to measure the lemon juice here. It can very easily overpower the dressing, making it too sour. Start with 1 teaspoon and increase as needed.
garlic cloves: Straightforward, you’ll need 2 big cloves of garlic, more if you love garlicky Caesar.
mustard: A little bit of Dijon goes a long way. This adds a small bite of spicy flavor that cuts the mayo. Usually it’s used also for emulsion purposes, but here it’s truly for flavor. Do not swap the Dijon for yellow or stone ground mustard. You could get away with brown mustard.
worcestershire sauce: Again, you can omit this if allergic, but I highly recommend including this so that your dressing really has the deep saltiness of a Caesar. You can use vegan Worcestershire if allergic to fish, or swap for soy sauce,
Toss the cubes of squash with the seasonings and roast until fork-tender.
Press as much cheese onto the bread pieces as possible so that the cheese melts onto the bread instead of the parchment.
autumn caesar salad pairing options
I love a good Caesar to accompany pasta night and Thanksgiving spreads. Here are a few ideas of meals to pair with or proteins to add to make it a full meal itself:
The ingredients for the dressing: You can swap the anchovies for paste or omit them entirely, adding a few extra dashes of Worcestershire to make up for the lost umami.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can whisk the ingredients by hand — you’ll just need to mince the garlic and anchovies first.
Toss the kale with dressing, then with the squash. I usually massage the kale simultaneously with adding the dressing.
