Butternut squash is versatile and can be used in salads with a variety of ingredients, including pasta, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and proteins. It can also be roasted and paired with spinach, bacon, or beets. A pumpkin salad with blue cheese, pomegranate seeds, and pine nuts is an elegant option.
Butternut squash is endlessly versatile and can be used to prepare everything from creamy soups and healthy appetizers to breads and desserts. Many cooks don’t realize that it can also be used in salads. The pumpkin’s subtle flavor blends well with a wide range of other salad ingredients. The many types of butternut salad include those with a base of pasta, grains or vegetables with fruit, nuts, curries and many other flavor combinations.
A simple butter salad that can be served room temperature or chilled starts with an oven roasted pumpkin. Spinach, arugula or other leafy greens along with tomato, cucumber and vinaigrette dressing for a quick lunch or side salad. It’s easy to dress this up, though, with dried cranberries or golden raisins and a handful of sliced almonds.
Other additions to a green butter salad are limited only by what’s available and the imagination of the cook. Proteins in the form of sliced chicken or steak transform this light salad into a heartier dinner dish. Chickpeas or black or black beans will also add weight and protein. Non-meat eaters can opt for tofu or tempeh.
A savory and warming butternut salad is created from lightly wilted spinach with a warm bacon dressing. Diced golden yellow squash cubes add a pop of color and rich flavor. Roasted grape tomatoes are also wonderful with this salad.
Butternut squash has a smooth, slightly sweet taste, especially when it’s oven roasted with onion and garlic. Pasta salad fans can create a brilliant butter salad using orecchiette or campanella pasta as a base. These pasta shapes create slits or cups to hide the squash pieces. Some ham and some salted black olives add depth. Feta cheese, olive oil, and some coarsely chopped fresh herbs round out this salad.
Beets and butternut squash are longtime companions in many recipe books, and they’re perfect salad companions, too. A very simple salad that is pretty enough for a magazine cover requires very few ingredients. Sliced and cold roasted beets and diced pumpkin nestled on rocket form the base. Next, cook goat cheese spread across the top. The perfect dressing for this butternut salad combines flavored olive or canola oil with orange juice and a drop or two of brown sugar.
An elegant pumpkin salad that goes perfectly with grilled pork or beef includes blue cheese, bright ruby red seeds of a pomegranate, and pine nuts. A fig vinegar dressing goes well with this salad. A bed of romaine topped with torn basil leaves adds a crunch.
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