Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Pomegranate and Goat Cheese

Move over garden salads! When it comes to a great meal, make your salad stand out as the star of the show, not as an afterthought side dish! This salad tastes even better than it looks!

Eat your colors! Maybe psychological, maybe research driven, or maybe my artistic side peeking out, but I’m a firm believer that food simply tastes better when it looks beautiful. You tend to savor each bite a little more, take care to get each ingredient in every bite, and taste each flavor individually. This salad is certainly no exception, and the beautiful pop of color helps make this a star for any holiday! Not only color though, but the deep tones of balsamic on the creamy squash and goat cheese, provide the perfect balance for the sweet kick of each pomegranate, held together by the subtle nuttiness of pecan. It really is a flavorful rainbow!

Textures are key! We’ve all been in the situation where you are served a salad, and everything tastes…similar-all crunchy basic veggies or soft textures. Just screaming for a crunch, and not just a crouton thrown on top! What I love about this salad is the variety of all things it brings together in a way that seems a perfect fit, not the vastly different mix it is. The warm squash is a fun addition to an otherwise cold salad, and with its perfect roasting, it should melt in your mouth, which is broken up by the crunch from the pecans. The goat cheese may melt slightly from the squash, but that enhances the dressing and balances the sweet seeds from the pomegranate. Easy to become a family favorite!

I’d love to hear your feedback if you try this out! A fun part of sharing food recipes is also enjoying the variety of how each kitchen cooks-what did you do differently?!

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Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Pomegranate and Goat Cheese

Hannah

This delicious fall salad is a great way to eat your harvest and tastes just as good as it looks!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine French, Mediterranean

Servings 2

Equipment

• Baking sheet
• Kitchen knife
• Mixing bowl

Ingredients

  

• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 small Delicata Squash
• 1/4 cup Pomegranate Seeds
• 1/4 cup Pecan Halves
• 2 ounces Goat Cheese
• 3 handfuls Mixed Greens Could sub Arugala
• 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar Preferably reduced
• Salt

Instructions

 

• *This step can be done the day before for easy preparation.

  Preheat oven to 350. Slice the delicata horizontally, creating round saucers. Using a spoon, carve out the inside seeds to create rings.
• Place in mixing bowl and coat with half of the olive oil and some salt. Toss to coat evenly and place on baking sheet in the oven. Cook for roughly 30 minutes, turning half way. If making ahead of time, store in the refrigerator and warm prior to serving.
• In mixing bowl, add lettuce and toss lightly with olive oil and salt. Assembly on a serving platter and top with delicata rings, pomegranate seeds, pecans and crumbled goat cheese.
• Drizzle with reduced balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!

  Variation: for a sweeter dish, you could candy the pecans.

Keyword Butternut Squash, Fresh, Goat Cheese, Healthy, Pecans, Pomegranate