Roasted Butternut Squash-Apple Salad with Thyme Vinaigrette

Besides soup, my favorite way to eat butternut squash is roasted.  I like it in salads especially.  It goes well with roasted apples and thyme.  My house smelled so good as I was making this!

I made this vegan, but if you want to go the extra mile with this salad, a little sprinkling of a flavorful cheese wouldn't be a bad way to go.  I'm thinking a good blue cheese, like Stilton, would be great, as would a few shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano.  Oh!  Or a really sharp white cheddar.  That would be good too.  If you wanted to, you could also add a sprinkling of cooked, crumbled bacon.  I think this is a salad with loads of compromise, no?

Roasted Butternut Squash-Apple Salad with Thyme Vinaigrette

original recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups diced butternut squash
2 cups diced tart apples* (I didn't peel them)
2 tsp. honey
1-2 tsp. oil
sprinkling of salt and pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tsp.)
6 cups assorted leafy greens
1/2 Tbsp. honey wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1 Tbsp. good extra virgin olive oil
a few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1/2 cup pecan halves, broken

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss diced butternut and apples with the honey, oil, salt and pepper, and lemon juice.  Place in a baking dish and roast for about 45 minutes, or until squash and apples are tender.  Remove from oven and let cool completely.

After the butternut and apples are cooled, arrange the greens on a serving platter.  Top with the butternut and apples, followed by the pecans.  Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil and thyme  Drizzle over the salad and serve.

*If you don't care for the texture of roasted apples, use fresh instead. 

Makes enough for 2-4 servings Print this post