Simple Yet Delicious!
As we get closer to the holiday season, we begin to see more recipes for baked goods and hearty meals. As great as that is, we still need to incorporate vegetables and nutritional meals into our daily lives! If you’ve read any of my other salad recipe posts, you’d know that I never make my salads boring. Though this is a simple salad recipe, there’s enough variety and deliciousness to keep you interested. This Butternut Squash Spinach Salad recipe is a great seasonal salad that is sure to be a crowd pleaser!
North Shore Farms
This Butternut Squash Spinach Salad is inspired by a salad that mom always used to buy from North shore Farms. If you’re not familiar with North Shore Farms, it’s a Long Island based grocery store. They sold a salad that was comprised of chunks of roasted butternut squash, spinach, dried cranberries, and walnuts — basically what you see pictured in my photo. It was so simple yet so good. It was one of my favorite salads to get during the Fall, and seeing as I’m no longer in Long Island, I decided to make my own version!
Along with all the other ingredients aforementioned, I decided to add in crumbled goat cheese for a touch of creaminess and a maple vinaigrette. The vinaigrette offers a sweet and tangy flavor that brings all the ingredients together.
Easy Peasy
This salad is so simple that really the only cooking involved is roasting the butternut squash. Besides that, you’re just tossing everything together in a large bowl. Even the laziest person should be able to bolster enough energy to make this salad!
Definitely give this recipe a try if you’re looking for a super easy and simple fall salad. This Butternut Squash Spinach Salad utilizes some of the best fall flavors and seasonal ingredients. After you make this recipe once, it’ll become a staple! Thanks for joining me today and I’ll talk to you in my next post!
Butternut Squash Spinach Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 4 cups Cubed Butternut Squash (1 inch cubes)
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 5.25 oz Baby Spinach
- 4 oz Goat Cheese (crumbled)
- 1 cup Dried Cranberries
- 1 cup Roughly Chopped Walnuts
For the Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1/2 tbsp Whole Grain Mustard
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
Instructions
For the Salad
- Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Line a sheet tray with aluminum foil.
- Add the butternut squash to the tray. Drizzle the olive oil on top then add the salt and pepper. Mix the butternut squash cubes with the oil and seasonings until they are evenly coated. Place the tray into the oven and cook for about 25-30 minutes or until the butternut squash is tender. Remove the tray from the oven and set it aside to cool slightly.
- Place the spinach, goat cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts into a salad bowl. Add the slightly warm butternut squash to the bowl. The warmth of the squash will slightly wilt the spinach. Drizzle in some of the dressing and toss the salad together. Add more dressing if needed. Enjoy!
For the Vinaigrette
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl. Mix with a whisk until the ingredients are evenly combined.
