Today I'm sharing a salad recipe that I make often. Ina Garten's arugula salad is topped with roasted butternut squash, cranberries, walnuts, parmesan, and a warm apple cider vinaigrette. This makes a substantial lunch but is also great as a side salad for dinner. (I particularly like it alongside filet of beef.)
Get the Recipe: Barefoot Contessa Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
Toss butternut squash in olive oil and maple syrup, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 15-20 minutes. Dried cranberries are added for the last 5 minutes of baking. Butternut squashes are intimidating to chop. I've found that peeling the squash first with a vegetable peeler, then slicing it in half and removing the insides is the easiest way. (this method involves the least risk of chopping off a finger!) You can sometimes find pre-cut butternut squash, but I prefer to chop it myself as it's less expensive and you can guarantee freshness.
The warm cider vinaigrette takes this salad over the top. Heat apple juice, apple cider vinegar, and shallots in a saucepan and cook until the juice is reduced. Whisk in Dijon mustard and olive oil to emulsify.
I made a big salad with the intent of having it as a lunch option during the workweek, but my dad and I ended up eating all of it the day I made it - ha! If you do plan to have leftovers, don't dress the entire salad. Refrigerate the leftovers in a paper towel-lined container. Microwave the dressing to reheat and you have a deliciously simple lunch.
While I would consider this salad healthy, it does contain added sugar with the maple syrup, dried cranberries, and apple juice. If you're trying to watch your sugar intake, you could always omit the maple syrup and cranberries from the squash and substitute your favorite dressing instead of the warm apple cider vinaigrette.
Thanks for reading!
- Sam