Roasted Winter Squash Salad with Spiced Walnuts, Red Currants, and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette
Prep time:
Cook time:
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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
Whisk together all ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl and set aside.
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.)
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.
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/