Butternut squash salad is by far one of the best side dishes for Fall. It makes a great Thanksgiving salad, too. You’ll love this Sip Bite Go salad with butternut squash because it’s super simple, tastes hearty, and is healthy for the holiday soul. Grab your any greens you’d like for this one! | sipbitego.com
1mediumpearBartlett green (substitute red pair), diced or sliced
⅓cupalmondssliced (substitute walnuts or pepitas)
5mediumdried figsdiced (substitute dried cranberries or cherries)
2cupsbutternut squashcooked in oven or Traeger pellet smoker and diced (about half a squash)
½cupParmesanfreshly grated (sub goat cheese as another option)
Instructions
How to make sage dressing for butternut squash salad
Heat flavored olive oil. To a small skillet on the stove set to medium heat, add olive oil, diced garlic and sage.. Stir for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat then garlic becomes translucent and before sage or garlic begins to burn.
Whisk salad dressing ingredients together. To a large mixing bowl (or the salad bowl you’ll be serving the salad in), add cooled garlic sage olive oil (I like to crush up the sage with a spatula as I add it in to get little flavor pieces throughout the dressing), maple syrup, apple juice, champagne or apple cider vinegar, dijon, cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste. Whisk it all together until well integrated, and use a spoon to give it all a taste. You might want to add another splash of vinegar or sprinkle of salt, etc. to so your tastebuds like it.
Reserve ½ cup of dressing on the side (remove from the bowl so you can top the salad with it later).
How to assemble butternut squash salad with garlic sage dressing
Add greens. To the large bowl with the salad dressing, add in the salad greens: baby arugula and baby kale. Toss salad together to coat greens evenly.
Arrange butternut squash salad toppings. To the top, add diced pear, almonds, figs or another dried fruit like cranberries, and butternut squash either chilled or warmed (just oven roasted or just smoked butternut squash). Top with a crack of black pepper if desired and sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Drizzle the remaining salad dressing on top of butternut squash salad (or as much as desired) and serve.
How to roast butternut squash in the oven for salads
Prep butternut squash by peeling the skin, removing the seeds, and dicing it to 1 inch chunks and place in a large bowl.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Season the butternut squash with 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp maple syrup and 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper.
Toss to combine and place the butternut squash onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
Roast the butternut squash for 20 minutes turning halfway through the cooking time.
Remove the butternut squash from the oven once they are fork tender.
How to smoke butternut squash
Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees F and prepare the butternut squash with seasoning.
Smoke butternut squash for 2.5 - 3 hours.
Finish smoking butternut squash when it’s fork tender and remove it from the smoker.