Butternut Squash Salad! A Healthy Fall Recipe.

This delicious butternut squash salad is a must-have fall recipe to put on your holiday table! It's filled with incredible flavours and has tons of great health benefits!

With just a few days left in the fall season, we’ve all probably been enjoying some warm and filling fall recipes. From delicious soups to yummy chicken breast dishes, there are plenty of options when it comes to fall recipes.

But one that has always escaped me is the perfect fall salad recipe. I have been looking for the perfect fall salad for years, and now I think I’ve finally found it!

After trying some of my friends salad recipes and experimenting to create my own. I have come up with what is probably my all time favorite fall salad recipe! It’s a delicious butternut squash salad recipe that's perfect for my vegan and vegetarian friends as well.

Do you love butternut squash dishes?

Try on our fall butternut squash salad recipe!

This butternut squash salad is really easy to make, and it’s perfect to add as a healthy meal to your fall routine, especially around Thanksgiving. I know I'll be adding this yummy butternut squash salad to my thanksgiving/ friendsgiving table. What about you?

Butternut Squash Salad Recipe Ingredients

There are many ways and different combinations to prepare a yummy butternut squash salad recipe. So I’ll share several options for the add-ins, in case you prefer a different one to the one we shared. But I would definitely recommend giving our original recipe a try, as it has the perfect combination of mild and spicy flavors and is a favorite of many of my friends and family!

• One Roasted butternut squash.

This is my exact method of preparing creamy cubes of squash!

First peel, de-seed and cube the squash while preheating the oven to 400° Fahrenheit or 200° Celsius. Then on a sheet pan or baking tray, place the cubed butternut squash and the squash seeds, which have great nutritional value and can be used to add a nutty flavor to the salad. 

Next, add some extra-virgin olive oil (2 or 3 tbl), salt and black pepper. Roast the seeds and butternut squash for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on how ripe it is! Turn it once about halfway through, to ensure that it cooks evenly until tender. Make sure you check with a fork to see if it’s cooked throughout, before removing it from the oven. Once out of the oven while still hot, I’ll toss some spices on top of the cubes of squash for extra flavor. My go-to spices are paprika, coriander, cumin, and cayenne pepper. 

Notes: Although many recipes add the spices before roasting the butternut squash, I prefer to do it after for the extra flavor and avoid the burnt taste that can come when you leave spices in the oven for too long.

The butternut squash can easily be switched for sweet potatoes if you prefer that flavor!

• Kale (4 cups).

You can pretty much use any greens you like in this recipe: arugula, mixed greens, spinach, etc. I choose kale because its flavour blends perfectly with the spiced roasted butternut squash. Plus, kale is considered among the healthiest and most nutrient-dense vegetables: it’s rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. So when in doubt, I always choose kale!

• Nuts (½ cup). Spicy Cashews, Walnuts or Pecans.

There are two main nuts I’ll choose from when preparing this delicious fall salad recipe. Spicy Cashews and walnuts. If I’m craving some extra spicy flavor (we all know salad can sometimes be a bit bland) I’ll choose the spicy cashews.

If I’m preparing a big bowl of salad to share with my parents, I’ll choose walnuts or pecans because of the milder flavors (and I already added a kick of spice with the butternut squash!) No matter which one you choose, it will add a crunchy, nutty flavor to the butter squash salad and is key to making it a great recipe!

• Scallions (4, thinly cut). 

I love scallions! I use them on almost everything. Chopping them into very thin slices will add a delicious flavour to any recipe, and you won’t even notice they are there! Alternatively you can use any red onions, shallots, or any kind of onion that will give an extra kick of flavor to your salad as well. 

• Seeds & Dried Cranberries (¼ cups each). 

I love adding a bit of crunchiness and some sweetness to this fall salad recipe! My go-to additions are dried cranberries and the butternut seeds that we roasted along the butternut squash in the beginning. But you can always substitute them for things like sunflower seeds or dates! 

• Cheese  (¾ cup).  If you are vegan or vegetarian, we also share some cheese substitutes and add-ins!

My favorite cheese to use with this recipe is goat cheese. I simply love the creaminess, which adds to the overall flavor. For a bit of extra-sweetness, I'll add some honey to the goat cheese before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients, which will also improve the overall dressing flavor!

Many of my friends and family also love the combination with parmesan cheese. They like how the dryness of the parmesan balances perfectly with the rest of the butternut squash salad ingredients! 

Note: To make this salad vegan, substitute the cheese for other options like roasted garbanzos (chickpeas), mushrooms or diced avocado!

• Dressing. 

For this salad dressing I’ll use 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey, 2 tablespoons of apple juice, salt, pepper and paprika!

Butternut Squash Salad Recipe Instructions

Assembling this fall butternut squash salad recipe is very simple once you have all the ingredients gathered. This is great if you don’t have a lot of time or are cooking other dishes simultaneously!

While the butternut squash and seeds are roasting in the oven, you can prep everything else.

Take the kale or the healthy leafy greens of your choice, wash it, and place into a large salad bowl. Add the nuts, dried cranberries, and chopped scallions, then mix them together!

Next, prepare the dressing by mixing the ingredients in a small glass jar.

Once the butternut squash and seeds are ready, let them cool for a few minutes before adding them to the salad mix. Then add the goat cheese and dressing on top and mix. Serve immediately to better enjoy all the flavors!

Butternut squash salad healthy benefits and tips!

Butternut squash is a great source of powerful antioxidants, which may help reduce inflammation and lower risk of heart disease. It’s also rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. 

Leafy greens like kale, arugula or spinach are a key part of a healthy diet. They're all rich in minerals, vitamins and fiber, and can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.

Seeds and Nuts are great sources of protein, healthy fats, fibre, minerals and vitamins. They also contain plenty of antioxidants as well!

I hope you all try out this delicious butternut squash salad recipe and enjoy it as much as we do! Hopefully it helps keep your healthy routine going during the holidays and the upcoming fall and winter months!

Let us know what you think about this fall salad recipe in the comments, and Pin It for later. 

Finally, don’t be afraid to experiment a bit! This recipe is delicious, but you can definitely play around with some different flavors and additions to the base recipe. Let me know if you come up with some really good ideas!

For a complete list of my favorite fall recipes, click here. For more wellness tips and other recipes, head over to our Wellness section. And if you like this article, don't forget to subscribe to our email list to join our group of friends and be the first to hear about the new articles and recipes to come!

Besitos from the kitchen,

Laura

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