Roasted Winter Squash Salad with Spiced Walnuts, Red Currants, and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Yield: 4 servings
 
Roasted Winter Squash Salad with Spiced Walnuts, Red Currants, and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette is a beautiful way to highlight the earthy, sweet, and subtly nutty flavor of roasted squash.
Ingredients
Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette:
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • ½ tablespoon pomegranate molasses
  • ½ tablespoon honey
  • 1 pinch each salt and black pepper
Salad:
  • 1 delicata squash (about 1¼ to 1½ lbs), ends trimmed, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped out, and sliced into about ⅓-inch thick slices (no need to peel)
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper
  • ½ cup walnuts
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 6 cups salad greens, such as baby kale, baby spinach, field greens, etc.
  • ½ cup pomegranate arils
  • A few stems of red currants
Instructions
  1. Whisk together all ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl and set aside.
  2. Preheat the oven to 425F. Toss together the squash, oil, salt, and pepper, and spread it out on a large baking sheet. Roast until golden on the bottom, about 25 minutes. (I don’t flip it.)
  3. Turn the oven down to 350F. Spread out the walnuts on a large baking sheet and toast until aromatic and golden, about 8 to 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Immediately when they’re out of the oven, toss the walnuts with the cinnamon and cayenne in a bowl.
  4. To serve, spread the salad greens out on a large platter. Arrange the squash, walnuts, pomegranate arils, and red currants on top. Serve with the vinaigrette for drizzling on top.
Notes
Winter Squash: If you can’t find delicata squash, you can use butternut instead, just be sure to peel it first, and then roast it the same way.
Recipe by An Edible Mosaic™ at https://www.anediblemosaic.com/roasted-winter-squash-salad-with-spiced-walnuts-red-currants-and-pomegranate-balsamic-vinaigrette/