Roasted Butternut Squash and Beet Salad
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on Oct 29, 2015, Updated Aug 26, 2019
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I was watching Dr. Oz the other day with Ree from The Pioneer Woman and she shared some great tips. One of her tips is how to peel butternut squash in a microwave. Rather than struggling to peel it with a knife, poke it a few times with a fork, and pop it in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes. The microwave softens and loosens the skin, making it easier to peel using a potato peeler. Genius right?!
I was determined to try this out and made this roasted fall salad. With my mom in town we have been eating lots of beets. My hubby is not a fan of beets so I never buy them. Well big mistake, because I made this salad and my hubby even ate it.
Autumn colors were the inspiration for this dish. This salad is absolutely beautiful and delicious with the addition of creamy avocados, crunchy pepitas, and tangy feta cheese. It’s a salad I plan to make this weekend as we celebrate Dia de los Muertos and again for Thanksgiving. Sweet, savory, and seasonal, this salad has become a family favorite.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Beet Salad
Ingredients
Vinaigrette Dressing:
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad:
- 3 beets, washed, and sliced
- 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed
- feta cheese
- ¼ cup dry roasted pepitas
- baby kale or spring greens, optional
Instructions
- Combine lemon juice, vinegar, paprika, and salt. Add olive oil and shake. Set aside.
- Boil beets in water and cook until tender. Let cool and chop.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Toss butternut squash with olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. Arrange coated squash on a baking sheet.
- Roast until squash is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Arrange beets and squash over greens, if using. Drizzle with vinaigrette dressing and garnish with pepitas and feta cheese.
Notes
- This salad would also taste amazing with roasted sweet potatoes or roasted Kabocha squash instead of butternut squash.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
REBECCA — JANUARY 5, 2019 @ 6:43 PM REPLY
This salad sounds and looks beautiful and delicious. Just got back from the market, buying all I need. Wondered if roasting two halves, just right in it’s skin. Would that create an entirely different result? I wonder. I ask this because I don’t own a microwave and when talking with the produce guy at market, he said he just roasts the squash by cutting in half (long ways) and drizzles with oil, salt and pepper – right in its own skin. He then scoops it out. I suppose that it would be more like a mush rather than whole roasted cubes, yes? I may have just answered my own question. Can’t wait to make it through. We’ll see the turnout. I may just ask neighbor to zap it for me. Thanks
This salad sounds and looks beautiful and delicious. Just got back from the market, buying all I need? Wondered if roasting two halves just right in it’s skin. WOD that create an entirely different result? I wonder. I ask this because I don’t own a microwave and when talking with the produce guy at market, he said he just roasts the squash by cutting in half (long ways) and drizzled with oil, salt and pepper – right in its own skin. He then scoops it out. I suppose that it would be more like a mush rather than whole roasted cubes, yes? I may have just answered my own question. Can’t wait to make it through. We’ll see the turnout. I may just ask neighbor to zap it for me. Thanks
This salad sounds absolutely wonderful! And I love the tip about peeling butternut squash! That’s an ingredient I use a lot, and it will be nice to use less energy peeling it.
BTW, I’ve been having problems with printing recipes using the print button. It tells me that there is no recipe matching the criteria. I’ve tried this with two browsers with the same result for both.
I love the tip too! Can’t wait for you to try it. And thank you so much regarding the print button. It is now fixed!!! Thank you! Have a lovely weekend.