An Edible Mosaic™

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Home » Type » Salads » Roasted Winter Squash Salad with Spiced Walnuts, Red Currants, and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette

Roasted Winter Squash Salad with Spiced Walnuts, Red Currants, and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette

November 17, 2017 by Faith 1 Comment

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.

Roasted Winter Squash Salad with Spiced Walnuts, Red Currants, and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette with Cornish Hens and Decorative Salt and Pepper Shakers on Wooden Table

Last but certainly not least when it comes to my holiday meal for four is this salad recipe I’m sharing. It’s quite a simple salad, but there’s something about winter squash in general and delicata squash in particular that always wins my vote.

Persian Inspired Cornish Hens with Pomegranate Walnut Sauce, Golden Pilaf, and Roasted Winter Squash Salad

Persian-Inspired Cornish Hens with Pomegranate Walnut Sauce and Orange and Toasted Almond Saffron Rice Pilaf with Golden Raisins along with this salad make a festive meal for four.

Once roasted, squash takes on a sweet and nutty flavor, and gets crispy outside but stays creamy inside. It’s the type of thing I could be just as happy munching on instead of popcorn during a movie as I could eating it as a side dish to an autumnal meal.

Close Up of Roasted Winter Squash Salad with Spiced Walnuts, Red Currants, and Pomegranate Balsamic VinaigretteIngredients for Roasted Winter Squash Salad with Spiced Walnuts, Red Currants, and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette

Here roasted squash shines as the star of this salad, but the other components pack just as much a punch of flavor. And because we eat with our eyes first, and also I like to make holiday meals just a little prettier, it bears noting that this salad is a real stunner. Red pomegranate arils and currants contrast with the deep green of baby kale (which is my personal favorite of all the baby greens!), making it as festive as it is pretty.

This the last recipe I’m sharing as part of my intimate holiday meal! I hope you’ve enjoyed my menu as much as I have.

Do you have a festive salad you serve for a holiday meal?

Roasted Winter Squash Salad with Spiced Walnuts, Red Currants, and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette on Wooden Table Horizontal Orientation

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Roasted Winter Squash Salad with Spiced Walnuts, Red Currants, and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette
Prep time:  15 mins
Cook time:  35 mins
Total time:  50 mins
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.
3.3.3070

Filed Under: Gluten Free, Salads, Side Dishes Tagged: Autumn Meals, Dinner for Four, Fall Meals, Festive Meals, Festive Salads, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Holiday Dinner Ideas, Holiday Meals, Holiday Salad Ideas, Intimate Christmas Dinner Menu, Intimate Thanksgiving Dinner Menu, Meals for Entertaining, Paleo, Persian-Inspired Meals, Pomegranate, Recipes, Salads, Walnut, Winter Meals, Winter Squash

Comments

  1. Laura | Tutti Dolci says

    November 17, 2017 at 7:06 pm

    This is beautiful, Faith! The perfect Thanksgiving salad!

    Reply

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Hello and welcome to An Edible Mosaic! This is my recipe collection of international favorites and updated American classics with an emphasis on seasonal dishes. Here you’ll find a focus on real foods that sustain body and mind, bring people together, and make a house a home.

 

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I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to email me with questions or comments.

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affiliate disclosure

An Edible Mosaic is monetized in part though affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an affiliate link and/or purchase an item after clicking on an affiliate link, I may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I love and use. To learn more, please read my Privacy Policy.

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