Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Orange Dijon Vinaigrette

This Roasted Butternut Squash Salad recipe will be one of your new favorites. The homemade dressing contains a tangy apple cider vinegar paired with citrus (I love using orange) and is the perfect complement to this salad.

Squash is an inexpensive, delicious, and hearty vegetable that is available year round. Roasting butternut squash brings out its natural sweetness, and paired with tart cranberries and tangy goat cheese on a bed of greens.

Where’s the recipe?

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Ingredients in this hearty Butternut Squash Salad

For the Squash:

• Butternut Squash: Peeling butternut squash is easiest with a vegetable peeler. You can microwave the whole squash for 2-3 minutes to make it easier to peel and cut.
• Delicata Squash: This squash has tender skin and can be eaten unpeeled. Just cut in half, clean out the seeds, and cut the squash. There are several colors of delicata squash–all of them are delicious.

For the Orange Vinaigrette Dressing:

• Olive Oil: Use a good quality olive oil for dressings–you’ll be able to taste the difference.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Look for a real apple cider vinegar with mother. Mother means that it’s unfiltered and unrefined, and has health benefits.
• Dijon Mustard: Regular if that’s all you have.
• Orange Juice: This can be omitted, or substituted with lemon or lime juice.
• Thyme: Sage is a great substitute for thyme if you don’t have any.
• Garlic: Add as much as you like!

For the Salad:

• Spring Mix: Traditional spring mix is made up of 16 fresh greens and lettuces. The mix includes red romaine, baby spinach, radicchio, green romaine, red oak leaf, mizuna, red leaf, lollo rosso, arugula, red mustard, green mustard, red chard, frisee, and tatsoi. All of those different types of greens means more health benefits for you!
• Apple: I use a gala apple for this recipe, but any apple will work.
• Carrots: The beta-carotene in carrots is great for eye health.
• Goat Cheese: I love to vary the flavors of goat cheese I use in this salad. My favorite is the herb and garlic, but a plain or honey goat cheese is delicious.
• Pine Nuts: If you don’t have pine nuts, toasted pecans or pepitas (young pumpkin seeds) are delicious.
• Dried Cranberries: You can use raisins (or golden raisins) in place of cranberries if you’d like.
• Pomegranate Seeds: Pomegranates contain more antioxidants than any other fruit.

Roasted Squash and Goat Cheese Salad

1. Preheat your oven to 425º F.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Cube your butternut squash. Cut your delicata squash in half and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices.
4. Add squash to a large bowl or ziplok bag toss and toss with a spray or two of olive oil, thyme, and salt.
5. Spread your squash in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Squash is done when it pierces easily with a fork.
6. Remove your squash from the oven and allow it to cool while you prepare you dressing and salad.
7. Add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, orange juice, thyme, garlic, and pepper to a small bowl and whisk together. Season with salt to taste.
8. Peel and spiralize or grate your carrots, then thinly slice your apple.
9. Add spring mix, carrots, apples, cooled squash, and salad dressing to a large bowl and toss to evenly coat.
10. Top with crumbled goat cheese, pine nuts, dried cranberries, and pomegranate seeds.

Recipe Tips

• I don’t salt my recipes so that you can add salt and pepper to taste.
• For a time saver, buy bagged butternut squash cubes.
• If using a fresh orange I like to add orange zest to the dressing.
• You can make the orange dressing ahead of time to allow the flavors to merry–just give it a good shake before serving,
• If you assemble the salad ahead of time, don’t add the dressing. It will get soggy if it sits too long. Add the dressing right before serving.

Healthy Eating Plans

This recipe is perfect for those of you following a health eating plan. See below for details.

• Weight Watchers: This salad is easily customizable for more or less points. To reduce points, reduce or remove cranberries & pine nuts from the recipe.
  • Roasted Squash (squash plus a quick spray of olive oil): 1 Blue Plan Point | 1 Green Plan Point | 1 Purple Plan Point | 0 2023 Plan Points
  • Dressing (olive oil, vinegar, mustard, orange juice): 3 Blue Plan Points | 3 Green Plan Points | 3 Purple Plan Points | 4 2023 Plan Points
  • Salad (spring mix, apple, carrot, pine nuts, reduced fat goat cheese, pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries): 4 Blue Plan Points | 4 Green Plan Points | 4 Purple Plan Points | 4 2023 Plan Points

• For the 2022/2023 Plan, this recipe is 8 points per serving. You can reduce the points by reducing or omitting the cranberries and reduced fat goat cheese, and reducing the olive oil. 

• 21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix: For UPF, omit the dried cranberries.
  • The entire recipe (6 servings) equals 12 green containers, 2 purple containers, 6 blue containers, 6 orange containers, 3 teaspoons.
  • Per Serving: 2 green containers, 1/3 purple container, 1 blue container, 1 orange containers, 1/2 teaspoon.

More Delicious and Healthy Recipes

• Salmon with Spicy Teriyaki Sauce
• Healthy Black Bean and Corn Salad
• Grilled Salmon with Rosemary Butter
• Instant Pot Pineapple Fried Rice
• Amish Baked Oatmeal (egg free option!)

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Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Orange Dijon Vinaigrette

Created by: Becca Ludlum

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Approximate Serving Size: about 2 cups

Servings 6

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This Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette is made delicious with dried cranberries, goat cheese, and pine nuts. Topping this salad with an orange vinaigrette makes the flavor profile out of this world.

Equipment

• Kitchen Knife
• Metal Pan for Oven

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 1 butternut squash small, diced
• ▢ 1 delicata squash small, diced
• ▢ 5 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 tbsp orange juice
• ▢ 1 ½ tsp dried thyme divided
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced
• ▢ 2 bags spring mix I use 6 oz bags
• ▢ 1 apple sliced
• ▢ 1 carrot grated
• ▢ 6 ounces goat cheese crumbled
• ▢ ¼ cup pine nuts toasted
• ▢ ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
• ▢ ¼ cup cranberries dried

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425F.
• Toss your squash with a quick spray of olive oil and thyme and spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 1 butternut squash 1 delicata squash
• Roast for 30 minutes flipping halfway through.
• While your squash roasts, mix together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, orange juice, thyme, garlic, optional salt and pepper. 5 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tbsp orange juice 1 ½ tsp dried thyme 1 clove garlic
• Remove your squash from the oven and allow it to cool.
• Add spring mix, sliced apples, grated carrots, squash and dressing to a large bowl and toss to coat everything with dressing. 2 bags spring mix 1 apple 1 carrot
• Top with goat cheese, pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, and cranberries. 6 ounces goat cheese ¼ cup pine nuts ¼ cup pomegranate seeds ¼ cup cranberries
• Serve immediately.

Notes

Recipe Tips:

• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• For a time saver, buy bagged butternut squash cubes.
• If using a fresh orange I like to add orange zest to the dressing.
• Delicata squash does not have to be peeled, just make sure to wash the outside well.
• You can make the dressing ahead up time to allow the flavors to merry, just give it a good shake before serving,
• If you assemble the salad ahead of time, don’t add the dressing. It will get soggy if it sits too long. Add the dressing right before serving.

Healthy Eating Plans

This recipe is perfect for those of you following a health eating plan. See below for details.

• Weight Watchers: This salad is easily customizable for more or less points. To reduce points, reduce or remove cranberries & pine nuts from the recipe.
  • Roasted Squash (squash plus a quick spray of olive oil): 1 Blue Plan Point | 1 Green Plan Point | 1 Purple Plan Point | 0 2023 Plan Points
  • Dressing (olive oil, vinegar, mustard, orange juice): 3 Blue Plan Points | 3 Green Plan Points | 3 Purple Plan Points | 4 2023 Plan Points
  • Salad (spring mix, apple, carrot, pine nuts, reduced fat goat cheese, pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries): 4 Blue Plan Points | 4 Green Plan Points | 4 Purple Plan Points | 4 2023 Plan Points

• For the 2022/2023 Plan, this recipe is 8 points per serving. You can reduce the points by reducing or omitting the cranberries and reduced fat goat cheese, and reducing the olive oil. 

• 21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix: For UPF, omit the dried cranberries.
  • The entire recipe (6 servings) equals 12 Green Containers, 2 Purple Containers, 6 Blue Containers, 6 Orange Containers, 3 Teaspoons.
  • Per Serving: 2 Green Containers, 1/3 Purple Container, 1 Blue Container, 1 Orange Containers, 1/2 Teaspoon.

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 880mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 16767IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 3mg

Make This Recipe?

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