Butternut Squash Salad
Squash Salad?
100%
It’s when an old video of a delicious salad pops up on my feed that makes me instantly head out for ingredients. This happened to me last week when I saw a video from the Food Network that I hadn’t seen quite literally in over a decade. Queue Ina Garten in her iconic jean shirt, short bob hair, just vibin’ in the Hamptons.
Today we’re taking her Roasted Butternut Squash Salad on a different journey. Living in the Caribbean means you buy what you can get at times, and this salad is proof of this circumstance. Her recipe calls for apple cider juice… Excuse me? No… cannot locate it.
Can we also talk about how the internet can seem like a broken record when I search for recipes with butternut squash, only to find a million ways to make it as a soup? This salad is the perfect way to switch up the squash, making the dish feel less warm/comforting and more light, fresh and substantial.
I’ve adapted this recipe from our beloved Ina Garten, making a few changes to the dressing, and even changed the greens to suit what we have in season down here. You can do the same with yours.
This recipe comes together in 30 minutes - so let’s get going! Preheat that over to 400ºF.
Ingredients
Salad
1 butternut squash, center removed, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
10 oz of chopped kale or mix of mustard greens and romaine lettuce (You do you, babe. Arugula works, and so does spinach.)
4 tbsp dried cranberries
1 (heaping) tbsp maple syrup
Salt & pepper
1 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
¾ walnuts, chopped
Vinaigrette
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tbsp minced red onion or green, whichever you have, but make it a lighter-intensity onion
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp herbs, finely chopped - I use an Italian blend
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Like Ina, Add olive oil, salt, pepper, and maple syrup to chopped butternut squash on a sheet pan, roast at 400ºF for 15 minutes, adding cranberries and walnuts for the last 5 minutes. (You can also roast those seeds you took out of the squash too, for added crunchy topping
To make the vinaigrette, add ingredients to a tall glass jar, and using a hand emulsion blender, slowly add the olive oil. If you don’t have a hand blender, whisking is fine
Once the roasting is done, allow it to cool for a few minutes. Add your greens to a dish, add the roasted goodies in and toss with the dressing. Boom bap! Impress your friends for dinner tonight, baby!
Serve it at the table with some big spoons and a side of Parmigiano for those who wish to use it.
