Roasted Butternut Squash Salad With Warm Cider Vinaigrette

Submitted by Chef mariajane

"Salads can be a hard sell in winter. Iceburg lettuce, when there's ice on the driveway, just doesn't work. Winter salads work because they call for ingredients with assertive flavours and plenty of heft. Save the frisee and chilly cucumber slices for summer. Enjoy this salad..."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
• 1⁄2 cup plus 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
• 3⁄4 cup apple cider or 3/4 cup apple juice
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons shallots, minced
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 ounces baby arugula
• 1⁄2 cup toasted walnut halves
• 3⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

directions

1. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. In a large bowl, combine squash, 2 tablespoons oil, maple syrup, 1 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoons pepper. toss well, then spread squash evenly over a baking sheet.
3. Roast squash until tender, turning once, 15-20 minutes. Add cranberries to pan for the last 5 minutes.
4. While squash is roasting, in a samll saucepan, combine apple cider, vinegar and shallots. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cook for 6 - 8 minutes or until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup.
5. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in mustard, remaining 1/2 cup olive oil, and remaining 1 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoons pepper.
6. Place arugula in a large serving bowl. Add roasted squash mixture, walnuts and parmesan. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over salad to moisten, then toss well.
7. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Reviews

[jchambers44]

very good, i didn't have apple juice so i used lemon juice. Still good. I would recommend to use the dressing as needed so greens don't become soggy. Obvious i know.

 

[twospoos]

This salad does not disappoint. Lovely to look at, bursting with flavor and filling to boot. Made this tonight with more than 30" of snow on the ground. Wonderful winter salad that I will make again.

 

[LitaLou]

This salad is just delicious, and even picky eaters like it. I used a spring mix, rather than just argula. I also used regular Log Cabin rather than real maple syrup & pecans rather than walnuts, because those are what I had. What makes it even better is that it's very filling & so nutritious. Go easy on the dressing when you add it - it only takes a little & you can always add more. I highly recommend this salad - and don't leave out the nuts!

 

[Scoutie]

I saw this on the Barefoot Contessa Show and it looked sooo good! Well, it IS good, a wonderful mix of flavors. I used baby spinach because that is what I had. I also didn't have any maple syrup, it still turned out great. I think next time I will use pecans instead of walnuts. One thing...it took me much longer to reduce the liquid, so you might want to plan for that. Thanks for posting Chef mariajane.

 

[kodiak]

This was fantastic. I made a few additions/substitutions, as usual. I used acorn squash as it's just my DH & I, I subbed goat cheese for the parm, added quinoa for protein, and made a cranberry vinagrette. It was beautiful and delish!