This is butternut squash and pomegranate salad is anything but boring! It has levels of soft, crunchy, sweet and tart and can be easily modified!
The moment the mandate to stay home came, my fiancé took the role of doing the groceries and any errands while I still had to go to work. As a research scientist, we were given leeway to finish up running experiments before shutting down.
Now, 6 days into working solely from home, my kitchen has (more than ever before) become where I experiment, where I stress cook and bake, and where I wonder to get away from my makeshift desk in our dining room. So expect more recipes in the coming days, weeks, (and hopefully not) months while we are all being socially responsible and physical distancing. Plus I have great light to snap a few pictures on my lunch break!
Why I Love Butternut Squash & Pomegranate Salad
It’s sweet, tangy and filling all at the same time. Plus it’s a great work from home AND take to work lunch (just keep the vinaigrette one the side).
As an added plus this butternut squash and pomegranate recipe is very versatile. Ingredients can be swapped in and out based on what you have in your fridge and pantry – which is basically how the creation of this recipe came to be!
Recipe Notes
You can use an oven or air fryer. To roast the butternut squash I opted to use an air fryer over the an oven. This is because my oven takes forever to heat up, whereas my air fryer heats to 370F in 4 minutes. If you want to use an oven 400F for 10-15 minutes will do the trick!
You can use frozen pomegranate seeds. Recently I’ve discovered frozen pomegranate seeds, and while freshly shelled seeds are still my favorite, I use frozen for convenience and ease. They are such a salad life saver!
Feel free to switch things up. Don’t have one of the ingredients? Don’t worry. Spinach can be swapped for spring mix, arugula, etc. The same can be said for the nuts and you can even swap butternut squash for sweet potato.
Don’t have pomegranate molasses? Don’t fret! In our current world situation we can’t just run to the grocery store or specialty store to get one ingredient. The good news is that with people becoming more curious about worldly cuisines, pomegranate molasses is carried by many supermarkets (like Walmart!) and can be added to your next grocery haul. If not. increase the red wine vinegar to 1 tablespoon and add a 1/2 tablespoon of honey.
Hope you enjoy!
BUTTERNUT SQUASH & POMEGRANATE SALAD
This is butternut squash and pomegranate salad is anything but boring! The sweetness of roasted butternut squash and the tartness of ruby pomegranate buds is just the perfect pairing.
INGREDIENTS
Butternut Squash & Pomegranate Salad:
- 2 cups butternut squash cut into ½-inch cubes (about 300g)
- 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups baby spinach
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds (thaw if using frozen)
- ¼ small red onion, sliced
- ½ cup crumbled feta
- salt and pepper, to taste
Pomegranate Molasses Vinaigrette:
- 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. pomegranate molasses
- ½ tbsp. red wine vinaiger
- ½ tsp. dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced
INSTRUCTIONS
-
Heat air fryer to 370°F and toss cubed butternut squash with 1 tsp. of olive oil. Roast until a little charred around the edges, about 10 minutes shaking the basket half way through.
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Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette by mixing 3 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. pomegranate molassas, ½ tbsp. red wine vinegar, ½ tsp. dijon, and minced garlic clove in a jar.
-
Place 3 cups spinach, ¼ cup walnuts, ¼ cup pomegranate seeds, ½ cup feta and sliced red onion in a salad bowl. Add roasted squash and toss with vinaigrette in small portions until desired coating. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
RECIPE NOTES
You can use an oven or air fryer. To roast the butternut squash I opted to use an air fryer over the an oven. This is because my oven takes forever to heat up, whereas my air fryer heats to 370F in 4 minutes. If you want to use an oven 400F for 10-15 minutes will do the trick!
You can use frozen pomegranate seeds. Recently I’ve discovered frozen pomegranate seeds, and while freshly shelled seeds are still my favorite, I use frozen for convenience and ease. They are such a salad life saver!
Feel free to switch things up. Don’t have one of the ingredients? Don’t worry. Spinach can be swapped for spring mix, arugula, etc. The same can be said for the nuts and you can even swap butternut squash for sweet potato.
Don’t have pomegranate molasses? Don’t fret! In our current world situation we can’t just run to the grocery store or specialty store to get one ingredient. The good news is that with people becoming more curious about worldly cuisines, pomegranate molasses is carried by many supermarkets (like Walmart!) and can be added to your next grocery haul. If not. increase the red wine vinegar to 1 tablespoon and add a 1/2 tablespoon of honey.
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