This roasted Butternut Squash, Cranberry and Pecan Salad with a maple-mustard dressing is packed full of flavour and makes a perfect side dish, starter or stand-alone meal.
I’ve been making this roasted butternut squash salad a lot over the past few weeks. It’s perfect for when I’m alone in the house and I need something quick and healthy but feels like a treat at the same time.
butternut squash salad
This salad is full of contrasting textures and flavours – you’ve got sweetness from the roasted squash, creamy saltiness from feta cheese (it’s also excellent with Goats cheese), satisfying crunch from toasted pecan nuts and pumpkin seeds and last but certainly not least, unsweetened dried cranberries provide tartness and a pretty pop of colour.
It’s been said that you eat with your eyes first, and this pretty salad is surely a perfect example of this – just like my roasted pepper orzo salad, it’s lovely to look at as well as eat!
ingredient list
keep scrolling to the end of the post to find a printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
- Butternut Squash. You could use any kind of Winter squash or pumpkin for this salad, but I went with butternut squash as it’s widely available where I live in Scotland. Other interesting squash varieties tend to disappear from the shops as soon as Halloween is over!
Whatever variety of pumpkin you use, you need to roast it until it is soft in the middle and charred around the edges for the best flavour and texture.
If you enjoy cooking with pumpkin, you’re sure to love this stunning recipe for stuffed pumpkin with mushroom rice and cranberries.
- dried cranberries. I use unsweetened dried cranberries for this salad – the sweetened type have a lot of added sugar. If you can’t find unsweetened cranberries, don’t let it put you off making the salad. I’ve also swapped the cranberries for dried sour cherries several times – it’s just as good.
- Pecan nuts. Pecans are my favourite nut and I use them as often as I can! Feel free to swap the pecans for walnuts if you like.
TIP – Whatever nut you use, I highly recommend toasting them in a dry pan – it only takes a couple of minutes and really brings out their flavour. These little extra steps might seem like a bit of a faff, but they make all the difference.
- Feta Cheese or Goat’s cheese. The most addictive thing about this salad is the contrast between the warm roasted butternut squash and the cold, salty feta cheese. You can either cut the cheese into cubes or crumble it into smaller pieces. Goat’s cheese also works a treat.
- Pumpkin Seeds. I like to sprinkle the salad with a generous handful of seeds. I always have a packet in the house for sprinkling over porridge or granola, but you could roast the seeds from the pumpkin yourself, if you feel like it.
- Salad Leaves. I use a bag of mixed salad leaves, but please use a mixture you whatever you like. I like Baby Leaf Spinach, Rocket and Radicchio. Slightly bitter Winter leaves are ideal for this dish – the bitterness counteracts the sweetness of the squash and the maple dressing.
how to roast pumpkin seeds
To roast pumpkin seeds, simply give them a good wash to remove any stringy flesh, dry them on kitchen paper and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil and add a sprinkling of sea salt and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Watch your fingers – they will be incredibly hot!
serving suggestions
This salad is good enough to serve as a main meal or a (rather filling) starter, but it also makes a lovely side dish – it’s particularly good with a roast chicken or this brined roast turkey crown.
It’s also lovely with a quiche but to be honest, it’s delicious enough on its own. Having said that though, I can’t resist urging you to try some of these adorable little pumpkin bread rolls to serve alongside – so cute!
can you make this recipe in advance?
The butternut squash can be roasted up to 2 days in advance. Store the cooled squash in an airtight container and refrigerate. To re-heat, place in a preheated oven (180C/160 Fan/350F) for 10-15 minutes, or until hot.
The salad dressing can also be made 2 days ahead of time and stored in the fridge. It will separate, so give it a good shake before using.
Once assembled, the salad is best served within a couple of hours. It’s so good, I highly doubt there will be any leftover!
Butternut Squash Cranberry and Pecan Salad
This roasted Butternut squash, cranberry and pecan salad is packed full of flavour and makes a perfect side dish, starter or stand alone meal.
Ingredients
- one butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 3-4cm dice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 100g pecan nuts
- FOR THE DRESSING:
- 2 tablespoons cold pressed rapeseed oil or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
- Pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 180g (or thereabouts, it doesn't have to be precise) ) bag of mixed salad leaves
- 80g dried cranberries or dried cherries
- 150g feta or a similar creamy Goat's cheese
- 50g pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160Fan/350F/Gas mark 4. Place the peeled and diced squash in a roasting tin, drizzle over the olive oil and sprinkle over the ground cinnamon. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for 40--45 minutes or until soft and caramelised.
- Place a frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the pecan nuts for a couple of minutes or until toasted. They burn very very quickly, so don't leave the pan! When the nuts have toasted, remove from the heat and tip into a heat proof bowl.
- For the dressing, mix together the oil, orange juice, maple syrup, mustard and add a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Arrange the salad leaves in a large bowl and pour over most of the dressing. Add the roasted squash, pecan nuts, dried cranberries, feta or Goat's cheese and pumpkin seeds. Pour over the remaining dressing and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 586Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 466mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 8gSugar: 29gProtein: 11g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be used as indicative figures only