This roasted butternut squash salad is the ultimate fall salad. With oven roasted butternut squash, sliced apples, creamy blue cheese crumbles, pecans, tart pomegranate seeds, with a homemade honey dijon vinaigrette. This is the perfect harvest salad for fall and Thanksgiving.

Butternut Squash

Butternut squash is my favorite winter squash. It is so versatile, like in my butternut squash soup, but my favorite way to enjoy it is roasted. For this recipe I used a smaller butternut squash since I am only using two cups of diced squash. I peeled the butternut squash with a vegetable peeler, then with a sharp chef’s knife cut it in half and scoop out the seeds.

Some tips for cutting the squash: utilize a dish towel to secure the squash when cutting the squash. It can be slippery once peeled, this will keep you safe when slicing. I make my first cut where the bulb starts. Then I use a spoon to scoop all the seeds out of bulb. Once the seeds are removed, I find it easier to slice the bulb in half to resemble a half moon. You don’t have to worry about the squash rolling around this way when cutting the rest then proceeding to dice from there.

I toss the diced squash with olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. I spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, and arrange the diced squash. Make sure they are spaced out so they can roast evenly. I roast the butternut squash in the oven for 25 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping halfway through with a spatula until they are golden brown.

Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

I wanted to keep the salad dressing simple since there are so many flavors in this salad. I was thinking in terms of a meat and cheese board, I love having apples and cheese paired with honey. I drew inspiration from my lemon dijon vinaigrette, which is my favorite salad dressing to make.

For the vinegar component of this vinaigrette, I used apple cider vinegar. I still wanted some more acid, so I added fresh lemon juice. Dijon mustard is a great addition to a salad dressing as a creamy component. The honey rounds out the vinaigrette with a subtle sweetness that pairs so well with the salad ingredients.

Assembling the salad

As I mentioned before, I was inspired by my grazing of MANY cheese boards. I thought, what are some of my favorite pairings? I have been on a huge blue cheese kick lately, give me the funk and the creaminess. Not a fan of blue cheese? I would sub goat cheese, but the blue cheese really amplifies this entire salad. I love the combo of cheese, honey, apples, and nuts. I wanted to also have another textural component, so I figured pomegranate seeds have such a great crunch and tartness.

I sliced the apples last, due to apples turning brown when exposed to oxygen. To make the sliced more uniform, I cut the apple in half and removed the seeds/stem, then I used a mandoline to slice. If you don’t have a mandoline, you can just use a chef’s knife to cut in slices.

I hope you enjoy this roasted butternut squash salad with homemade honey dijon vinaigrette. This salad is perfect for your fall dinners and especially as a starter to your Thanksgiving meal.

Other Fall Recipes:

• Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
• Stuffed Acorn Squash
• Slow Cooker Short Ribs with Polenta
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup