If this salad sounds enticing, you’ll love my other seasonal squash salads, like my Ottolenghi Butternut Squash, my Butternut Squash Quinoa, or this Arugula Butternut Squash Salad. Browse through the rest of my Fall Salads for more delicious inspiration and fall recipe ideas. You’ll need three sets of ingredients for this recipe, including those for the roasted acorn squash, the salad dressing, and the salad itself.
For roasting acorn squash, you’ll need 2 small acorn squash (1-1 ½ pounds each), olive oil, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, kosher salt, and black pepper. To make the salad dressing, gather olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, kosher salt, and black pepper. For the salad, you’ll need salad greens, arugula, cooked quinoa (or cooked bulgur/wild rice), dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds, goat cheese, and pumpkin seeds.
Oil: I used olive oil in this recipe for its mild flavor, but you can also use avocado oil, coconut oil, or another oil of your choice for roasting your acorn squash slices. You can even use melted butter for an extra rich flavor. For the salad dressing, however, I recommend using olive oil. Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is such a classic fall flavor that gives this seasonal salad a rich sweetness. If you prefer not to use maple syrup or don’t have any on hand, feel free to use an equal amount of honey or brown sugar instead. Lemon juice: We’re using apple cider vinegar in the roasted squash salad dressing to give it an acidic kick and a mild, fall-inspired cider flavor. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, lemon juice will provide a similar acidic flavor. Salad greens: I personally love the peppery taste of arugula squash salad, but sometimes arugula can be difficult to find at the store. If you can’t get your hands on it, baby kale, baby greens, spring mix, or another type of salad green will do the trick. Quinoa: The quinoa in this squash salad is optional, but I love to add it when I want a more filling and hearty salad. If you don’t have quinoa, you can substitute with wild rice, bulgur, or farro. These ancient grains will provide a similar heartiness and will help keep you full for a longer period of time. If you are new to quinoa, be sure to check out my guide on How To Cook Quinoa Perfectly. Cheese: I know that not everyone enjoys the tanginess of goat cheese, so feel free to use a different cheese instead. Feta cheese or parmesan are also perfect pairings with this winter salad. Pumpkin seeds: No salad is complete without a nice crunch! I used pumpkin seeds in this recipe for the crunch factor, but you can also use sunflower seeds or nuts like pecans or walnuts.
Make ahead: Roasting the squash is the most time-consuming part of this recipe, so roast it 2-3 days in advance to save time. Once you let it cool, store it in the fridge until ready to use. Just make sure to take the squash out of the fridge before serving the salad to give it enough time to warm up to room temperature. You can also prep the easy salad dressing ahead of time and add it to the greens when you’re ready to assemble. Store: Store the squash arugula salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The greens tend to wilt fairly quickly as they sit in the dressing, so try to consume it within that time period.
While it’s perfect for the holidays, this recipe also beautifully complements all of your favorite comfort food dishes for the fall and winter months. A chilly evening calls for this squash salad and a steaming bowl of Vegetable Beef Soup for a light dinner. Or, serve this delicious salad as the perfect side dish for a classic seasonal main dish, like my Chicken Stroganoff, Pot Roast, or Baked Ziti.
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If you try this Roasted Squash Salad recipe or any other recipe on Foolproof Living, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories. This recipe was originally published in October 2015. It was updated with new images and helpful text in September 2022 with minor additions (mostly for clarification) to the originally published recipe.
