Fall Harvest Salad With Cranberry Vinaigrette

This colorful fall harvest salad recipe is a mix of seasonal flavors: roasted butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, and cranberry vinaigrette. It’s a great side dish to add to any holiday table.

The mixture of warm and cold elements is what really makes this autumn harvest salad shine.

It has a lot of great textures, which are the key to a hearty salad. The best part is how customizable it is. You can add in any of your favorite fall ingredients depending on what’s available at your local grocery store or switch out the harvest salad dressing.

Ingredients

This colorful salad is made with just a few simple ingredients.

• Butternut squash – this gets thinly sliced and roasted until fork tender.
• Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) – add a crunchy, salty component to the salad.
• Pomegranate seeds – add a nice pop of color, texture, and a little sweetness.
• Spring mix – the base of the salad. Feel free to use any kind of fresh greens such as hearty kale or bitter greens such as arugula, etc.
• Cranberry vinaigrette – a combination of red wine vinegar, dried cranberries, extra virgin olive oil, dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt, and black pepper.

How To Make Fall Harvest Salad

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC.

Step 2. Peel the squash, cut it just above the ‘butt’ end that houses the seeds. Then cut the neck of the squash in half and cut each half in half before slicing it into roughly ¼ inch slices. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cook until fork-tender but still holding their shape, about 20-25 minutes.

Step 3. Make the vinaigrette. Add the dried cranberries to the vinegar in a small bowl and let soak for 10-15 minutes. Add the soaked cranberries along with the vinegar they’re soaking in, to a blender with the rest of the dressing ingredients. Blend until completely smooth. Adjust the salt to taste.

Step 4. Add the greens and roasted butternut squash slices to a large shallow bowl. Toss with a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette before topping the salad with the toasted pumpkin seeds and pomegranate seeds. Serve with more vinaigrette on the side.

Make It Your Way: Ingredient Substitutions

Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.

How can you make this fall harvest salad using what you already have? Here are some ideas…

• No butternut squash? – you can use another variety such as honey nut, acorn, kabocha, etc. or if you can only find orange sweet potatoes, I think those would also work
• No pepitas? – use another nut or seed such as hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
• No pomegranate arils/seeds? – use dried cranberries or cherries.
• No red wine vinegar? – you can also use white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, sherry vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. Or you could serve it with a different dressing altogether such as balsamic vinaigrette, poppy seed dressing, or a simple shallot vinaigrette.
• No dried cranberries? – use dried cherries, black currants, or goji berries.
• No maple syrup? – use raw honey instead.
• Add-ins – thinly sliced Honeycrisp apples, red onion, dairy-free feta cheese (or regular), crispy bacon, oven baked crispy prosciutto, or sliced chicken breast to turn it into a main course, wild rice, candied nuts, etc.

Helpful Tips

Cook all of the squash, even though you’ll only need two cups of the sliced squash. This helps reduce unnecessary food waste. Eat the extra roasted squash as a side for another meal or add it to a dragon bowl or vegan butternut squash risotto.

You can cut the squash into any shape. If you’re not feeling the thin slices, cut the squash into cubes or whatever shape you want. Just know that the cubes will require a bit more cooking time.

Not serving the salad right away? Assemble the salad, but don’t dress it. Only toss with the dressing right before serving, otherwise, the greens get soggy.

More Fall Salad Recipes

• Roasted Carrots And Dates With Pistachios
• Beet and Butternut Salad
• Persimmon Salad
• Baby Kale Salad With Crispy Quinoa and Squash