Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad
I found this salad over at Yum Sugar (I actually linked to it under my Butternut Squash 101 video). I pretty much stuck to the recipe except for a few minor adjustments.
For starters, I chose not to toast the walnuts. I really love the rich, raw flavor of walnuts and wanted to leave them just as they were.
The original recipe also called to toss the Butternut Squash in a quarter cup of brown sugar before roasting, but I decided that since Butternut Squash has a natural sweetness all on it's own that I would skip the added sugar and go for something savory instead. I tossed the squash with some fresh chopped rosemary (one of my favorites) but am certain that sage or thyme would work just as well.
I also couldn't resist finishing the salad off with some freshly crumbled feta cheese. The tangy, salty flavor of the feta was the perfect balance to the sweet and savory squash. Add some antioxidant rich pomegranate seeds and you've got yourself one heck of a cool weather salad!
This salad could easily serve as the main dish but also makes a great partner for some roasted chicken!
Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients
4 cups of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped into bite size1 tablespoons of olive oil
1-2 tsp of fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
Coarse kosher salt to taste
¼ cup orange juice
1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
6 cups of your favorite lettuce (I combined arugula and romaine)
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup of feta cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss butternut squash, olive oil, rosemary, and crushed red pepper on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove squash from oven and flip them around a bit before popping back into the oven for another 15 minutes or so. You are looking for the squash to begin browning and to become nice and tender.(The squash can be made up to two hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
While the squash is baking whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, and oil together. Season with some salt and pepper and set aside.
When you are ready to assemble the salad, combine the lettuce, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts and lightly toss in the dressing. Spoon warm or room temperature squash over the top of the salad and sprinkle with feta cheese. Enjoy!!
Serves 4.
Nutritional Analysis
Calories: 235; Total Fat: 15.3g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 8mg; Sodium: 119mg; Carbohydrate: 24.8g; Dietary Fiber: 4.1g; Sugars: 9g; Protein: 4.8gOther recipes that you may enjoy:
Butternut Squash Chili
Triple Herbed Potato Salad
Butternut Squash and Quinoa Fritatta
Winter Squash Soup w/ Roasted Seeds from GreenLiteBites
Roasted Butternut Squash w/ Lime and Rosemary from Kalyns Kitchen
Not sure how to prep a Butternut Squash? No worries!!
Check out my Butternut Squash "101" video.
- Filed under Low Carb, Lunch, Salads, Sides, Vegetarian, Wheat-Free
- Tagged with Arugula, Butternut Squash, Feta cheese, Pomegranate Seeds, Walnuts
- Print this recipe
- 5 comments
![[+]](http://danispies.com/images/expand.png)
Show More
Comments
Priyanka :
This is really a great butternut squash salad recipe. These days I am trying to tweak my salads and make them more interesting. This sure looks like a winner.
posted on January 9, 2009 6:40 PM
Hayley :
This sounds so tasty. I love making main-dish salads, but I bet this would be great over some barley or other nutritious grain.
posted on January 9, 2009 7:36 PM
Cyndi :
This salad has all of my favorite ingrediants - especially the squash! I could eat this for breakfast :)
Thank you for all your wonderful ideas and creations.
posted on January 10, 2009 4:34 AM
maris :
I've actually never cooked with pomegranates before but I love anything that has to do with butternut squash! Thanks for posting the recipe.
posted on January 10, 2009 8:16 AM
culinarywannabe :
I love feta in salads, but I've never paired it with butternut squash, or pomegranates. The colors make it look beautiful though, which I find is half the battle with salads.
posted on January 11, 2009 9:12 AM