Butternut squash is a quintessential fall ingredient, marking the arrival of the season with its distinctive taste. This peculiar-looking vegetable may seem intimidating to some due to its unique shape, but it’s surprisingly easy to prepare.
This recipe is surely going to make you fall in love with roasted butternut squash.
A Fall Flavor Celebration
This salad is a celebration of fall in a bowl, filled with wholesome ingredients that offer both taste and health benefits. It’s a dish that invites you to relish the flavors of the season in a hearty, satisfying way.
This salad recipe calls for cubed butternut squash, which is then roasted to perfection. Many of you may even like to eat butternut squash raw, but the roasting enhances the aroma of the squash.
A coating of brown sugar and cayenne pepper is added to the butternut squash before roasting, offering a balance of sweetness and spice that tantalizes the taste buds.
In this recipe, the cheese used is blue cheese. You can use any type of cheese, like goat cheese or feta cheese, based on your preference.
This recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash Salad serves 4-6 people, making it an excellent choice for family gatherings or dinner parties.
Savor the versatility: Pairing ideas
What does this butternut squash pair well with? Well, it can go great with just anything from cinnamon to bay leaf or other ingredients like pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, grilled chicken, or mixed salad greens.
There is hardly anything that it does not pair well with. In addition, for this recipe, you can substitute maple tarragon vinaigrette with balsamic vinaigrette.
A Symphony of Flavors: The Salad Ingredients
The Roasted Butternut Squash Salad is not just about the star ingredient. It also features a variety of other elements that contribute to its complex flavor profile.
- Radicchio lends a touch of bitterness.
- Pepitas provide a satisfying crunch.
- Apples bring a subtle sweetness that complements the heat from the squash.
- Tarragon offers a fresh, herby punch of flavor.
- Blue cheese brings its distinctive funkiness to round out the mix.
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 3 lbs butternut squash peeled, seeded & cubed
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper ground
- 2 cups radicchio sliced and loosely packed
- 1 apple thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbled
- 1/4 cup pepitas
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp tarragon roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Peel butternut squash with the help of a peeler and cut it into cubes.
- On a baking sheet, place the cubed butternut squash, drizzle with olive oil, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Roast the squash in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the squash is tender and caramelized, stirring once halfway through.
- Transfer the squash to a large bowl and mix with the radicchio to warm it through.
- To make the dressing (maple tarragon vinaigrette), take a large salad bowl.
- Add the 2 tbsp of olive oil, maple syrup, vinegar, and mustard and whisk together.
- Season with the remaining salt and pepper, then whisk in the tarragon.
- Add the apples and vinaigrette to the squash mixture and toss gently to combine.
- Top with blue cheese, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and a little extra tarragon.
- Serve the roasted butternut squash salad immediately.
Notes
- The roasted squash packs a good amount of heat from the cayenne pepper. If the 1/2 teaspoon intimidates you, cut it down to 1/4 teaspoon – you’ll get just a hint of warmth.
- Sweet potatoes can be used as a substitute adding a delicious flavor to the dish while maintaining the desired consistency.
- To make this salad vegan, you can simply omit the cheese.
- If you don’t plan to use the entire squash, you can store the remaining pieces in the refrigerator for up to five days or freeze them for future use.
- You can serve the salad as a standalone dish or as a side dish alongside other main courses.
- Roasted Butternut Squash Salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days. Make sure to store it properly and away from other foods to avoid cross-contamination.
- Freeze the leftovers in an airtight container and have the frozen butternut squash for up to three months.