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    Hummusapien Β» Recipes Β» Salads Β» Butternut Squash Salad with Orange Maple Cinnamon Dressing

    ★★★★★ from 1 reviews

    Butternut Squash Salad with Orange Maple Cinnamon Dressing

    Published Oct 1, 2013 Β· Modified Jan 27, 2022 Β· by Alexis Joseph Β· 25 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    So there's this bag of lettuce....that I just ate.

    bnutsalad3

    As in the entire bag. In one sitting.  And we're not taking your Joe Schmo ordinary bag of greens. We're talking the semi wilted kind that totally expires tomorrow and looks at you with mopey eyes whenever you open the fridge screaming, "EAT ME, WOMAN!" Neglecting perfectly good lettuce is indeed wasteful and I was indeed neglecting it....until now.

    The real reason this salad was born is because I'm too frugal to pay $12.50 for Northstar's winter vegetable salad, which just so happens to be the dreamiest salad on the planet. It's studded with caramelized butternut squash that's roasted so perfectly that it's borderline candy. I take that back. It IS candy. Don't forget the roasted beets, spicy pecans, creamy goat cheese and the vinaigrette that's so damn tasty I question if it's actually real.  (I think that's enough adjectives for one post.) But seriously, that salad is the one thing I look forward to about winter.

    bnutsalad

    Comparing this salad to that salad is like comparing me to ohhhhh I don't know, God. Or Gordon Ramsey.

    But hey, this salad was so tasty that it caused me to finish the entire bag of lettuce. Considering both it's slightly wilted nature and looming expiration date (ahem, tomorrow), I consider that a significant accomplishment.  Inhaling a bag of leafy lovelies (can we please just say salading?) is a cinch when it's slathering  in orange maple cinnamon goodness. This salad is sweet and salty and chewy and crunchy and oh so right.

    bnutsalad1

    P.S. I buy oranges like next to never. I got this nifty new tool to help me in my citrus juicing adventures, so I figured I had to buy an orange to test it out. I also bought a couple new knives at North Market Cookware that are crazy sharp and weirdly cheap but totally awesome. They even got rave reviews on Amazon! I have like ten little paper cuts that are really knife cuts on the tips of my fingers from touching it repeatedly like a moron exclaiming, "OMG....these are weirdly sharp." Go figure. It sliced through the orange like a piece of paper, people.  Prior to these bad boys, I couldn't even slice a tomato, let alone an orange.

    That moral of that unrelated story is that you should totally use a fresh orange for the juice in the dressing instead of using the kind from a carton. I'll leave it at that. I also used a package of Trader Joe's pre-cut butternut squash because I'm too scared that I'll chop my arm off cutting a real one (which is a legitimate concern because it almost happened once or thrice).

    So when I say two large servings, take it with a grain of salt. After all, it only fed one Hummusapien.

    Butternut Squash Salad with Orange Maple Cinnamon Dressing

    nutsalad3

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    Butternut Squash Salad with Orange Maple Cinnamon Dressing

    ★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
    • Author: Alexis
    • Prep Time: 10 mins
    • Cook Time: 25 mins
    • Total Time: 35 mins
    • Yield: 2 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Ingredients

    Scale
    • For the roasted squash:
    • 2 cups chopped butternut squash
    • ½ tbsp coconut oil, melted
    • Sprinkling of cinnamon, salt and pepper (be generous)
    • For the dressing:
    • Juice of one orange (about ⅓ cup)
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
    • ¼ tsp cinnamon
    • Generous pinch of salt and pepper
    • For the salad:
    • 4 oz bag of leafy greens
    • Roasted squash
    • ¼ cup pecans, chopped
    • ¼ cup dried cranberries
    • optional: crumbled goat cheese

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 400F. Place cubed and peeled butternut squash chunks on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Toss cubes with melted coconut oil, cinnamon, salt and pepper and spread out in an even layer.
    2. Roast for about 25 minutes, or until squash is nicely browned.
    3. Meanwhile, whisk together the dressing ingredients and place in the fridge until the salad is ready.
    4. To assemble the salad, place the leafy greens, roasted squash, pecans and dried cranberries in a large bowl. Add desired amount of dressing plus a good pinch of salt and pepper and toss to combine. You'll have some dressing leftover.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @hummusapien on Instagram. I love sharing what you make!

     

    About Alexis Joseph

    Oh HEY there! I'm Alexis Joseph, food writer, blogger, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), new mama, and co-founder of local restaurant group, Alchemy. I use my passion for cooking and wellness as fuel to help others ignite a more freeing and happy relationship with food. Learn more about Alexis!

    5 Secrets to Delish, Healthy Lunches

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. Matt @ The Athlete's Plate says

      October 03, 2013 at 7:40 pm

      Looks good! Needs a little bleu cheese though πŸ˜‰

      Reply
    2. Jess @ JessieBear What Will You Wear? says

      October 03, 2013 at 10:36 am

      Every fall I fall in love with squash πŸ˜‰

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        October 03, 2013 at 2:51 pm

        Saaaaaaaaame!

        Reply
    3. Julie @ HealthNutJulie says

      October 02, 2013 at 12:43 pm

      I've been craving salad SO bad lately, but every time I buy it, it just sits in the fridge and never gets used. I seriously love lettuce though... I can just eat it straight out of the bag. That dressing looks superb! And butternut squash too obviously... butternut squash is always sexy.

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        October 02, 2013 at 1:13 pm

        It doesn't get much sexier than butternut squash, that's fo sho.

        Reply
    4. Dana @ Conscious Kitchen Blog says

      October 02, 2013 at 12:18 pm

      Yum - this salad sounds delicious! I just made a bag of the TJs butternut squash last night and now I guess I'm going to have to buy more. No complaints here!

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        October 02, 2013 at 1:13 pm

        I need to buy like ten bags at a time to feed my addiction. It's like candy! I mean I legit ate half the pan before I made this salad.

        Reply
    5. dixya| food, pleasure, and health says

      October 02, 2013 at 11:48 am

      i cant wait to start cooking with butternut squash - its the bomb πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        October 02, 2013 at 1:14 pm

        To say I'm obsessed with squash is an understatement....SO bomb.

        Reply
    6. Angela @ Health's Angel says

      October 02, 2013 at 10:23 am

      Yes! I love recreating way-too-expensive restaurant/take out salads at home. I went out to eat with a friend yesterday and my salad was $11. Not cool. It was delicious though. The dressing on this sounds phenomenal!

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        October 02, 2013 at 11:23 am

        $11 salads are NOT cool! Let's bond together and recreate them all πŸ™‚

        Reply
    7. Julia says

      October 02, 2013 at 9:35 am

      LOVE this! I eat salad pretty much every day and love adding roasted veggies to my greens! Love the dried fruit and dressing too. looks like lunch to me!! πŸ™‚

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        October 02, 2013 at 9:38 am

        Thanks lady! I need to get better about eating salad every day....kudos to you!

        Reply
    8. Davida @ The Healthy Maven says

      October 02, 2013 at 7:50 am

      yum! I love the dressing. Don't get me started on cutting a butternut squash....did it for the first time for soup the other day and to say it was an challenge would be an understatement!

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        October 02, 2013 at 9:41 am

        Right?? It's a serious arm workout...and a dangerous one, too!

        Reply
    9. Holly @ EatGreatBEGreat says

      October 02, 2013 at 11:34 am

      I LOVE butternut squash! It's definitely one of my favorite foods of the season. This salad sounds great and that dressing...yummy!

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        October 02, 2013 at 1:14 pm

        I think I confuse loving fall with loving butternut squash....YUM.

        Reply
    10. Arman @ thebigmansworld says

      October 02, 2013 at 6:22 am

      This sounds so awesome, and as the weather is warming up here, I've been chucking butternut squash/kabocha into salads- now I'll just need this amazing sound dressing!

      Totally hear you on the wilted salad. Although the end bits are vom. com.

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        October 02, 2013 at 9:42 am

        Am I the only blogger on the planet that hasn't tried kabocha??? So sad. I'm totally with you on the wilted end bits....vom.

        Reply
    11. Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says

      October 02, 2013 at 12:46 am

      I'm actually drooling over this salad. And I can't even imagine adding beets and goat cheese. Holy amazingness.

      I agree, cutting butternut squash is scary stuff. I tend to buy it already cut too to save a finger or two. And time, because that's also kind of important.

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        October 02, 2013 at 9:47 am

        This would be INSANE with goat cheese. Like, I can't even.

        Reply
    12. Khushboo Thadani says

      October 02, 2013 at 12:27 am

      Okay so I want to just make a big batch of this dressing on use it on anything and everything- YUM! This recipe sounds fabulous! I know the HLB world seem to be head over heels in love with kabocha but if you ask me, butternut squash is where it is AT!

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        October 02, 2013 at 9:49 am

        Dooooo it! I've never even laid mouth on kabocha, so take that HLB blog! BOOM.

        Reply
    13. Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says

      October 01, 2013 at 10:12 pm

      This dressing sounds FABULOUS! I would love to try it on kale :).

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        October 02, 2013 at 9:54 am

        Considering it's national kale day...that seems more than appropriate!

        Reply

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