Butternut squash is my FAVORITE vegetable and it’s not even close. If your family is anything like mine, butternut squash is usually served mashed and isn’t anything very exciting. While I do love some mashed squash I wanted to create something a bit more exciting with more levels of flavor. This warm take on a salad is a great side dish for your Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving! You could also add more vegetables like brussels sprouts, acorn squash or sweet potatoes if butternut squash isn’t your fave!

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Salad Ingredients

Butternut Squash: Butternut squash is the star of this dish. For best results, I like to roast the peeled and cubed butternut squash in the oven in cubes until they get nice and browned to use for this recipe. See below for the instructions.

Spices: The spices you’ll need for this recipe include salt, rosemary, cinnamon and thyme. These are basic spices that I use in a lot of my fall and winter baked goods because they really do just taste like a warm, home cooked meal when put together.

Pecans: I have to say, I think the candied pecans really are the star of this butternut squash salad. They’re perfectly salty and sweet and add a different texture to the whole dish. Be sure to use raw pecans and they will be perfect!

Pomegranate Seeds: Adding in some fresh pomegranate seeds to the salad serve as little bursts of flavor. I absolutely love pomegranate seeds but the act of actually getting the seeds out of the fruit can be a pain.. feel free to buy the seeds at the store or you could replace the pomegranate with crasins or roasted cranberries.

Goat Cheese: I really just love putting goat cheese on everything during this time of year. It’s the best! The goat cheese is soft and creamy and pairs perfectly with the salty butternut squash and sweet maple pecans. You can of course skip it if you don’t do dairy.

Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is the pecans beautifully candied. Coat the pecans in the maple syrup and cinnamon and roast them in the oven to caramelize. When they come out of the oven, a little sprinkle of sea salt is the perfect final touch.

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Salad

Recipe by Jenn Lueke

5.0 from 4 votes

Servings

–

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (or 20 ounce pre-chopped)
2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raw pecans
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/3 cup pomegrante seeds
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, finely diced, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
Add the diced butternut squash to the sheet pan and drizzle with the oil, salt, rosemary and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. With clean hands or a spatula, toss to evenly coat.
Bake until the butternut squash is fork tender and lightly browned at the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer the baked butternut squash to a serving bowl or casserole dish, cover, and set aside.
To the same sheet pan, add the raw pecans and drizzle with the maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Bake until crispy, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
Assemble the salad: Add the roasted pecans, pomegranate seeds, and crumbled goat cheese to the same dish as the butternut squash and lightly mix to combine. Top with the thyme leaves.

Notes

Store it: Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
Reheat it: Transfer the squash and pecans to a baking dish or sheet pan at heat at 350ºF until warm, about 10 minutes.