Butternut Squash, Cherry and Hazelnut Salad is a delightful salad filled with a variety of textures and flavors. I like to roast butternut squash and add it to this salad along with dried cherries, chopped hazelnuts and crumbled goat cheese. Dress it with a simple vinaigrette made from sherry wine vinegar and you’ve got perfection! The acidity of the dressing pairs wonderfully with the sweetness of the butternut squash and dried cherries. Hazelnuts add a nice earthiness and the goat cheese is creamy and tart.
I enjoy the variety of hard squashes that become available in the fall
Fall is the time of year that I enjoy using the many different types of squashes available. Butternut squash is very versatile. I like to roast it for this salad, but it is also delicious simply mashed.
Butternut squash is probably my favorite, but I also like acorn, spaghetti, pumpkin and delicata squashes. Well, any squash for that matter! Since butternut squash has become so popular, you can now find it already diced in the supermarket. You’ll need to dice it a little smaller for this salad, but if you’re just roasting or boiling it you can use it as is.
I like to buy a butternut squash and use it for a couple of recipes. This time, I used some of it for this salad and some for my mashed butternut squash recipe.
Butternut Squash, Cherry and Hazelnut Salad makes eating your veggies easy!
Making interesting seasonal salads is a fun way to eat my veggies. This salad is so good, you’ll want to eat it a couple days in a row. As long as you don’t dress the whole salad, you can do that (of course you’ll need leftovers).
When our guests come over for dinner they look forward to the different types of salads that I make. Its nice to know that the extra effort to make a special salad does not go unnoticed.
Roasted Butternut Squash, Dried Cherry and Hazelnut Salad
6
servings10
minutes20
minutes30
minutesButternut Squash, Cherry and Hazelnut Salad is a delightful salad filled with a variety of textures and flavors that are perfect for fall.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups butternut squash, cut into a 1/2″ dice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
6 cups assorted salad greens, such as romaine, endive and radicchio
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
- Sherry Vinaigrette Dressing
1 tbsp sherry wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 450F. Cut the butternut squash into a 1/2″ dice. Toss the butternut squash with 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper on a baking tray. Roast for 20 minutes until browned, turning occasionally. Set aside to cool.
- While the squash is in the oven, put the hazelnuts on the baking sheet and put in the oven to toast. This should only take about 3 minutes.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a bowl.
- Chop the roasted hazelnuts. Add the salad greens, dried cherries, hazelnuts, goat cheese and butternut squash to a medium sized bowl. Toss with the dressing and serve.
Notes
- You can roast the butternut squash, toast the hazelnuts and make the dressing the day before. When you’re ready to eat, just assemble and serve.
