Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
This roasted Butternut Squash Salad is my favorite salad ever! It starts with a base of spinach and kale tossed with a creamy avocado vinaigrette dressing. It's topped with roasted butternut squash, dates, pistachios, and quinoa for an incredibly flavorful salad that just so happens to be gluten free and vegan. It's the perfect salad recipe for the fall and winter months, and it's easy to make in only 35 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds fresh butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup cooked quinoa, click link for instructions
- 3 cups kale, chopped
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
- ½ cup fresh dates, pitted and chopped
- ¼ cup pistachios
Avocado Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1 avocado, skin & pit removed
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- If using a whole squash, peel it with a vegetable peeler, then dice it into ½ inch cubes. Toss the butternut squash, red onion and garlic with the olive oil, rosemary, cinnamon, kosher salt and black pepper.
- Place the vegetables in an even layer on a baking sheet and into the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the squash is fork-tender.
- While the squash is roasting, add ¼ cup dry quinoa to a small pot with ½ cup water, bring to a boil, reduce to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the lid, fluff with a fork and set it aside.
- Prepare the salad dressing by adding the avocado, white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to a blender, blend on low until smooth and creamy, set aside.
- Remove any stems from the kale and chop it up, the add it to a large bowl with the spinach leaves and ½ cup of the salad dressing.
- Remove the butternut squash from the oven, let it cool for 5-10 minutes, then place the squash on top of the salad with the cooked quinoa, chopped dates and pistachios. Toss everything together and serve the salad.
Notes
- For the salad dressing, you can use traditional balsamic vinegar, but the color of the dressing will turn out light brown, instead of green. You can also make the dressing up to a week in advance and store it in the fridge. If you're really short on time you can also use bottled balsamic dressing, instead of making the avocado vinaigrette. It won’t have the same creaminess, but the flavors will still work really well with this recipe.
- This salad can easily serve 2 people as a meal or 6 people as a side dish. If you want to make the salad a main meal for four people, or a side dish that will serve 10-12 people, simply click the 2x button above. The ingredient amounts will automatically update to make a double batch of the salad.
- This salad is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
Nutrition Facts
Serving 2servingCalories 414kcal (21%)Carbohydrates 36g (12%)Protein 5g (10%)Fat 31g (48%)Saturated Fat 4g (20%)Polyunsaturated Fat 4gMonounsaturated Fat 21gSodium 417mg (17%)Potassium 899mg (26%)Fiber 8g (32%)Sugar 14g (16%)Vitamin A 14603mg (292%)Vitamin C 46mg (56%)Calcium 129mg (13%)Iron 2mg (11%)
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