I think I have mentioned this before, but I am salad junkie. Spring, summer or winter, I will eat salads all year around. And if that salad has one of my favorite vegetables, the salad is taken to the next level.
Butternut Squash is a popular winter squash and it makes for a great vegetable for a warm winter salad. Roasting the butternut squash gives it such as beautiful caramelized flavor, and when the squash is marinated with garlic, salt pepper and red chilli flakes, the flavors amalgamate to perfection. This salad has an extra special zing with a homemade orange-ginger dressing.
Salads are much more fun to eat when they have a variety of colors and textures, after all, we eat with all our senses. So think of not just the vegetable, but the greens, a crunchy element, a variety of colors etc. With all of those elements, this warm salad is sure to please you. Even for a non-salad lover (i.e. my husband) is sure to enjoy this beautiful salad (which he did 🙂 ).
| Prep time | 20 minutes | |
| Cook time | 30 minutes | |
| Serves | 2-3 |
Ingredients
Vegetables
- Butternut Squash – 1 medium, peeled and cubed
- Baby Arugula – 3 cups
Fruits
- Pomegranate Seeds – 1/2 cup
- Orange – 1 medium (juiced to 1/2 cup)
Nuts & Seeds
- Roasted Pumpkin Seeds – 1/4 cup
Spices & Herbs
- Ginger – 1 tbsp, crushed
- Salt – As per taste
- Pepper – 1/2 tbsp
- Red Chilli Flakes – 1 tbsp
- Garlic – 1 tbsp, crushed
Oils
- Olive Oil – 2 tbsp
Ingredient notes
- Arugula adds a peppery zing to the salad, but feel free to choose any other green leafy vegetable of your choice
Method
- Preheat oven to 400F (Approx. 200C) and line a baking tray with aluminium foil or parchment paper
- Place the cubed butternut squash on the tray. Drizzle olive oil. Add salt, pepper, crushed garlic and red chilli flakes. Mix well
- After the oven is ready to go, place the tray in the oven and roast the butternut squash for 25-30 minutes
- To prepare the dressing, in a mason jar, add olive oil orange juice, crushed ginger, salt and pepper. Close the lid of the jar and mix well until the dressing comes together
- Once the butternut squash has roasted, take it out of the oven and add to a mixing bowl
- To the same bowl, add the baby arugula and the dressing and toss the salad using wooden spatulas
- Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with bright red pomegranate seeds and roasted pumpkin seeds. Enjoy the warm salad
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Food For My Love 