Fall Harvest Salad With Cranberry Vinaigrette

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This fall salad has a mixture of warm roasted winter squash mixed with leafy greens, pomegranate seeds, roasted pepitas, and a cranberry vinaigrette that are sure to brighten up any tablescape with its vibrant colors and flavor.

The mixture of warm and cold elements is what really makes this fall harvest salad shine. It has plenty of textures, which is the key to a really great salad. Not only is it delicious, but it's also really beautiful because of all the seasonal fall ingredients.

What I love most about it though is how adaptable it is. It doesn't matter if you don't have a specific ingredient. You can just switch several of the ingredients out with whatever you have or can find at your local store or maybe even your own garden.

Ingredients

Salad

• butternut squash
• pepitas (pumpkin seeds) - when toasted they add a really nice crunch
• extra virgin olive oil
• pomegranate seeds - add a nice pop of color, texture, and a little sweetness
• mixed greens - anything works here, just choose something you enjoy and make sure it's cut into smaller pieces if it's not already

Dressing

• red wine vinegar
• dried cranberries - these get soaked in the vinegar to rehydrate and soften them before blending
• extra virgin olive oil
• dijon mustard
• maple syrup
• salt + pepper

How to Make Fall Harvest Salad

STEP 1

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Peel the squash, cut it just above the ‘butt’ end that houses the seeds. And then cut the neck of the squash in half and cut each half in half before slicing into ¼ inch (ish) slices and arrange in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Brush or spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook until fork-tender but still holding their shape, about 20-25 minutes.

STEP 2

Get started on the vinaigrette. Add the cranberries to the vinegar in a small bowl and let soak for at least 10-15 minutes (or longer if your blender isn’t very powerful) before adding those ingredients to a blender with the rest of the dressing ingredients. Blend until completely smooth and adjust salt to taste.

STEP 3

Add the pepitas to a baking sheet and toss with 1 teaspoon of oil and a pinch of salt. Roast at 400 for 7 minutes (can do this while the squash roasts). Remove and let cool before adding them to your salad. You likely won’t use all the roasted pepitas, but you’ll be happy to have some extras.

STEP 4

Remove the pomegranate seeds. The easiest way to do this is to cut it in half and place them in a bowl of cold water. Then you can go in with your hands and pop out the seeds. This is both therapeutic and also helps prevent the ruby-colored juice from squirting everywhere, like on your white t-shirt, but I wouldn’t know anything about that.

STEP 5

Toss the mixed greens with about 3-4 tablespoons of the dressings, add the toppings and then add a couple more tablespoons, toss and serve. It's nice to serve the salad with the extra dressing as well.

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 honeynut, acorn, kabocha, etc. or if you can only find orange sweet potatoes/yams, I think those would also work
• No pepitas? ➝ walnuts, pecans or almonds would also be great
• No pomegranate seeds? ➝ sub dried cranberries or cherries
• No red wine vinegar? ➝ white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, sherry vinegar, or apple cider vinegar would all work well
• No dried cranberries? ➝ sub dried cherries
• No maple syrup? ➝ use raw honey instead or another sweetener

Helpful Tips

COOK ALL THE SQUASH

Especially if you're using butternut, which has more flesh than other varieties. Even though you'll only need two cups of the sliced squash (you can add more if you want). This way there's less of a chance of it going bad in your fridge later and not getting used at all. Sometimes it's easy to think "Oh, I'll just cook that later", but then we usually forget, and later becomes never.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SHAPE

Sometimes cutting a vegetable differently feels like a nice change from how you usually do it. If you're not feeling the thin slices, cut them into cubes or whatever shape you want. Just know that the cubes will require more cooking time.

DRESSING THE SALAD

Only toss with the dressing right before serving, otherwise, the greens get soggy.

Tools Needed

• chef knife
• vegetable peeler - the easiest way to remove the skin from a butternut squash
• blender - essential for blending the dried cranberries into a smooth dressing
• baking sheet
• liquid measuring cup
• measuring spoons

More Dairy-Free Salads You'll Love

• Roasted Broccoli Caesar Salad
• Easy Massaged Kale Salad
• Simple Butter Lettuce Salad With Lemon Honey Vinaigrette

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5 from 3 votes

Fall Harvest Salad With Cranberry Vinaigrette

This fall salad has a mixture of warm roasted winter squash mixed with leafy greens, pomegranate seeds, roasted pepitas, and a cranberry vinaigrette that are sure to brighten up any tablescape with its vibrant colors and flavor.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Author: Lindsey Jenkins

Ingredients

Salad

• 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and sliced thin or substitute
• ½ cup pepitas or substitute
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper
• ⅓ cup pomegranate seeds or substitute
• 5 cups mixed greens

Cranberry Vinaigrette

• 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar or substitute
• 3 tablespoons dried cranberries or substitute
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or substitute
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Step 1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Peel the squash, cut it just above the ‘butt’ end that houses the seeds. And then cut the neck of the squash in half and cut each half in half before slicing into ¼ inch (ish) slices and arrange them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Brush or spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook until fork-tender but still holding their shape, about 20-25 minutes.
• Step 2. Get started on the vinaigrette. Add the cranberries to the vinegar in a small bowl and let soak for at least 10-15 minutes (or longer if your blender isn’t very powerful) before adding those ingredients to a blender with the rest of the dressing ingredients. Blend until completely smooth and adjust salt to taste.
• Step 3. Add the pepitas to a baking sheet and toss with 1 teaspoon of oil and a pinch of salt. Roast at 400 for 7 minutes (can do this while the squash roasts). Remove and let cool before adding them to your salad. You likely won’t use all the roasted pepitas, but you’ll be happy to have some extras.
• Step 4. Remove the pomegranate seeds buy cutting the pomegranate in half and placing it in a bowl of cold water. Then you can go in with your hands and pop out the seeds. This is both therapeutic and also helps prevent the ruby-colored juice from squirting everywhere, like on your white t-shirt, but I wouldn’t know anything about that.
• Step 5. Toss the mixed greens with about 3-4 tablespoons of the dressings, add the toppings and then add a couple more tablespoons, toss and serve. It's nice to serve the salad with the extra dressing as well.

Notes

• Serves 4 as a side.
• Dressing the salad. Only toss with the dressing right before serving, otherwise, the greens get soggy.
• 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 honeynut, acorn, kabocha, etc. or if you can only find orange sweet potatoes/yams, I think those would also work
  • No pepitas? ➝ walnuts, pecans or almonds would also be great
  • No pomegranate seeds? ➝ sub dried cranberries or cherries
  • No red wine vinegar? ➝ white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, sherry vinegar, or apple cider vinegar would all work well
  • No dried cranberries? ➝ sub dried cherries
  • No maple syrup? ➝ use raw honey instead or another sweetener