Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
I’m here to argue that salad isn’t just for the summer! This roasted butternut squash salad is the perfect salad to enjoy in the autumn or winter, with warm ingredients that make it feel hearty, but still light (is that an oxymoron?).
Just like with all of my other salad recipes, this butternut squash salad contains plenty of yummy bits. I’m not here for a bowl that’s 99% lettuce – I need flavour! Texture! Nutrition! And this salad has a bit of everything.
As well as warm roasted veggies, this salad has toasted pine nuts, a touch of lemon, and finely grated goat cheese. As you toss the cheese through the salad, it coats the warm veggies and brings a touch of its tangy, salty flavour to the entire bowlful. Just wonderful.
⭐️ How to Serve this Butternut Squash Salad
This salad could function as either a side dish, or as a meal in its own right.
If you’re using it as a side, this recipe would easily serve two people, alongside a tasty vegetarian protein option, or some pasta, or any other meal that needs a little something extra.
Alternatively, it makes a great light lunch – it makes a generous plateful for one person. It’s probably not filling enough to be your main meal of the day, but it was a lovely lunch to munch on while I was working.
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🥗 Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.
- butternut squash – I chopped up about half of a medium-sized fresh squash. You can buy it pre-chopped if you’re short on time.
- red onion
- arugula (rocket)
- pine nuts
- hard cheese – I used a hard goat’s cheese, but any similar cheese would be great, e.g. a vegetarian parmesan-style cheese.
- dried oregano (or similar dried herbs – whatever you like best)
- garlic
- lemon (I used fresh lemon, but a bottle of lemon juice will also work)
You could easily add extra ingredients to this butternut squash salad, or swap out any of the ingredients you’re less keen on. Since the butternut squash and red onion are roasted together for this salad, any other vegetables that can roast up at the same time would be an easy addition. For example:
- mushrooms
- eggplant (aubergine)
- bell peppers
- canned chickpeas
You could also add any other raw ingredients that sound good – this really is an adaptable recipe! Some pecans, diced apples, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, or any other fun mix-ins would all work well here.
Becca’s Top Tip
This autumnal salad is great eaten straight away, while the roasted veggies are still warm. However, any leftovers are just as good eaten cold from the fridge the next day!
📹 Recipe Video
🖨️ Printable Instructions
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
If you’ve cooked this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 340 g (~ 3/4 lb) butternut squash
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 small red onion
- 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano (or mixed herbs)
- 1 Tbsp pine nuts
- 1 large handful fresh arugula (rocket)
- 30 g (~ 1 oz) hard goat’s cheese, finely grated
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
- Remove the peel from the butternut squash – a peeler usually works well, unless the skin is particularly tough (in which case, use a knife). Cut the squash into bitesized dice (1-2 cm pieces), and lay them out on a baking tray. Toss with some olive oil, and sprinkle with a little salt. Roast for around 15 minutes, until slightly softened.
- Peel and slice the red onion. Cut one end from each garlic clove, but leave them otherwise unpeeled. When the butternut squash has roasted for about 15 minutes, add the onion and whole garlic cloves to the tray, and sprinkle with the dried oregano. Return the tray to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
- Toss the vegetables, then add the pine nuts, and return to the oven for a final 5 minutes. The squash should be tender and the pine nuts should be just starting to brown.
- Remove the garlic cloves from their skins (they should squeeze right out), and mash the cloves a little with a fork. Add everything to a bowl, along with the arugula, grated cheese, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Mix well to combine.
- Serve warm, or store in the fridge until needed, and serve cold.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Yes – if you can’t find butternut squash, then any other winter squash will also work, including pumpkin, or even sweet potato.
Store any leftovers in an airtight tub in the fridge for up to 3 days. If the warm and cold ingredients are already mixed together, then it’s tasty served cold. If you’ve kept the warm and cold ingredients separate, then you can reheat the warm ingredients before mixing and serving.
The only part of this recipe that’s not vegan is the goat cheese. If you’d like to make a vegan salad, you can skip the goat cheese, but make sure you add some extra flavour with a different ingredient instead – such as some fresh herbs, or your favourite vegan dressing.
We love salad and this is great for cooler weather and versatile. I added vegetables that I had. Cabbage was a good addition. I’m not a fan of winter squash but this reallt tasted good!
Thanks Michelle, glad you made it your own! :)