Wheat Berry Salad with Squash, Kale, Currants, and Walnuts
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This warm wheat berry salad combines the chewy texture of wheat berries with sweet roasted squash, tart currants, and crunchy walnuts. A simple maple-sweetened dressing adds extra flavor to this hearty fall salad, which can be served as a main or side dish. This recipe gets bonus points because leftovers make a satisfying, packable lunch!
This warm wheat berry salad brings together chewy wheat berries, sweet roasted squash, tart currants, and crunchy walnuts, all tossed in a simple maple-sweetened dressing. It’s hearty, cozy, and perfect for cooler weather, and it works just as well as a main dish as it does as a side. Bonus: the leftovers hold up beautifully and make a seriously satisfying, packable lunch.
What I love most about this salad is the mix of sweet, savory, and texture, plus how flexible it is. Served warm, it feels especially comforting, and the sturdy ingredients like kale, squash, walnuts, and wheat berries keep well in the fridge, making this a great recipe to double. The maple dressing is easy to whisk together with just olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and garlic, and its sweet-tart flavor pairs perfectly with hearty salads like this one. Any extra dressing will keep in the fridge for about a week—just let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes and give it a good shake before using.
Two more recipes to add to your list are my curried chicken and wheat berry salad and my wheat berry recipe with bacon, caramelized onions, and pecans.
Make it a meal
This wheat berry salad is a meal on its own but you could easily make it a heartier complete meal by topping it with desired add-ins like:
- Perfect baked chicken breasts
- 8 minute baked salmon
- Roasted or raw chickpeas
- Creamy goat cheese
Wheat Berry Salad with Squash, Kale, Currants, and Walnuts
Ingredients
Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 small clove garlic (finely minced)
Instructions
- Combine the wheat berries and the broth or water in a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered for 30-40 minutes, or until the wheat berries are chewy. Remove the pot from the heat, add in the kale and mix it through. Let it sit for about 1 minute, or until the kale has just started to soften. Drain any remaining water from the pot.1 cup wheat berries, 2 cups vegetable broth or water, 1 ½ cups kale
- While the wheat berries are cooking, prepare the squash. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Toss the diced squash with the olive oil and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until it is soft.
- While the squash is in the oven roast the walnuts on a baking sheet for 8-10 minutes, or until they are light brown and fragrant. Roughly chop them when they are cool enough to handle.½ cup walnuts
- In a small bowl whisk the oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and garlic.¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 small clove garlic
- In a large bowl, mix the cooked wheat berries and kale, walnuts, squash, and currants. Toss with the dressing and season generously with sea salt.½ cup dried currants, Sea salt
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
My family loved this!
I’m so happy to hear that, Jamie!
This was delicious! Worth the search for wheat berries, which I found at Whole Foods.
I’ve made this dozens of times since I first tried it, and it’s become a staple of our fall and winter meals. I always double the amount of kale, making it more of a star in this lovely warm salad.