This Mediterranean Roasted Butternut Squash Salad might just be THE salad to prove that salads don't have to be boring. Roasted chunks of lightly seasoned butternut squash, paired with olives and sun-dried tomato and shavings of cheese. A flavour packed salad that is perfect for lunch, dinner, or batch cooked for a BBQ side.
Oh hello delicious salad! We are obsessed with this squash salad at the moment and roasted butternut squash in general. This colourful and vibrant salad is a lovely mixture of texture of creamy and crunchy.
A little saltiness from the olives and extra sweetness from the sun-dried tomatoes and you have a salad that has a little bit of everything. This butternut squash salad is for people that think salad is boring.
Looking for more salad recipes? Why not try our Watercress Salad, Aubergine Salad, Halloumi Salad or Asparagus Salad.
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Ingredients needed
- Butternut Squash - this really is the star of the salad and it gets lovely and crispy. You could swap it for sweet potato if you prefer.
- Olive oil - you could use sunflower or vegetable oil instead.
- Dried oregano and parsley - if you don't have these dried herbs, you could use others like marjoram or basil.
- Cumin and garlic powder - this adds lots of flavour, but really you could use any spice mix like Cajun or Fajita.
- Lettuce - we used a mixture or spinach, rocket and watercress, however any combination will work. Kale would add a nice iron boost and romaine would give it some crunch.
- Lemon - this adds a nice freshness to the salad.
- Olives - why not add a bit of spice to the salad by using chilli olives.
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Hard cheese - something like parmesan works well. Or you could grill some halloumi and use that. The creaminess will go really well with the butternut squash.
- Balsamic vinegar - Use the best quality you can, as you will be able to taste the difference.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make Butternut Squash Salad - Step by step
Prep: Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
One: Chop the butternut squash into 2cm cubes.
Two: Put the cubed squash into a bowl and mix with the oil, herbs, spices and salt and pepper.
Three: Put onto a baking tray and spread out (a). Roast for 30 minutes (b).
Four: Put the salad leaves into a bowl and dress with the lemon juice.
Five: Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and top with the roasted butternut squash, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and cheese.
How to chop a butternut squash
I know they look a bit intimidating, especially if you have not chopped one up before, but it is actually pretty easy. First you want to chop off the top and bottom ends of the squash, so that both ends are flat.
Slice it in half around the middle and using a heavy duty peeler or knife, peel off the skin in downwards strokes. You want to peel until you see orange flesh (no green lines left).
Once you have peeled both halves, slice the flatter half in two to reveal the seeds. Take a spoon and scoop out the seeds (keep them to roast too - great as a snack). Chop the butternut squash into cubes.
For a full tutorial, see this comprehensive guide on How To Peel and Cut A Butternut Squash.
Variations
Sun-dried tomatoes and olives really add to the Mediterranean feel of this salad, and the parmesan adds some creaminess that pairs beautifully with the creaminess of the butternut squash.
Other topping options include some pomegranate to add lots of colour and flavour, without adding a lot of calories. If you want to add some crunch, then some pine nuts of flaked almonds are are good choice. Make it a more filling salad by stirring in some cooked wild rice.
There are lots of options to add extra protein here. A delicious vegetarian way to do this is to add some Roasted Chickpeas. It's also a great way to use up leftover Slow Cooker Whole Chicken.
Serving Suggestions
This salad has enough going on that it can be the main dish. However, it also goes well with lots of other things too. Add it on the table at any BBQ and you will have very happy guests. We also like to do something a little bit different for our Sunday lunch and serve this with a roasted leg of lamb and couscous or our Pulled Lamb.
This butternut squash salad also goes well with grilled chicken, steak or even just some extra roasted vegetables. It's a super versatile salad. Why not try it with one of these recipes:
FAQs
You know how important I think a salad dressing is - it really can make or break the salad. We wanted to bring the sweetness of the butternut squash out even more, so we used a balsamic based dressing.
You could add a little honey and Dijon mustard. It's subtle, but full of flavour.
A salad isn't necessarily healthy, as it's easy to load it with calorie packed toppings and dressings. However, it is a good opportunity to have a nutrient dense meal, and that is what we have tried to do with this roasted butternut squash salad.
Try to make sure that you have a good mix of salad greens in the base. We went with rocket, spinach and lambs lettuce, as there is lots of different flavours and they are iron rich.
Butternut squash is a good source of vitamins A, B, C and E, as well as being a good source of fibre, calcium, magnesium and zinc. Three tablespoons of cooked butternut squash also counts as one of your five-a-day.
We used a balsamic based dressing, rather than a creamy one and this saves some calories and fat.
I never used to be a huge fan of butternut squash. Well, I am stubborn and I refuse to accept that there is a vegetable that I don't like. So, I challenged myself to come up with ways that I could enjoy it and of course the best way to do that is to roast it in lots of herbs and spices. Herbs and spices change everything!
Roasting it really brings out the sweetness, and makes it nice and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. It really is butternut squash perfection, and only takes about 25-30 minutes.
Butternut squash is a really good value vegetable, which is another reason why I wanted to like it so badly. We can roast up a batch at the beginning of the week and then use it in tacos, salads or throw it into pasta dishes. I have a butternut squash lasagna recipe coming soon too.
Extra tips
• We used a mixture of baby gem, rocket (arugula) and watercress as the base of this salad, but you could add spinach and kale for an added vitamin boost.
• If you want some added crunch on your salad, then a sprinkling of pine nuts or chopped pecans would work well.
• Serve with roasted leg of lamb, grilled chicken or steak.
• You can roast the butternut squash in advance and then build the salad when you are ready to eat it.
More butternut squash recipes
If you’ve tried this butternut squash salad recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Mediterranean Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
Ingredients
- 400 g (3 cups) Butternut squash - cubed
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil - for the squash
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil - for the salad dressing
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Dried rosemary
- 0.5 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 300 g (4 cups) Mixed lettuce leaves
- 1 Lemon - (juice only)
- 10 Olives
- 6 Sun-dried tomatoes - chopped
- 30 g (1 oz) Hard cheese - shaved
- 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C(fan)/350°F/Gas 4.
- Chop 400 g Butternut squash into 2cm cubes.
- Put the cubed squash into a bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon Olive oil, 1 teaspoon Dried oregano, 1 teaspoon Dried rosemary, 0.5 teaspoon Cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper.
- Put on a baking tray and spread out.Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Put 300 g Mixed lettuce leaves into a bowl and dress with the juice of 1 Lemon, 1 tablespoon Olive oil and 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar.
- Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and top with the roasted butternut squash, 6 Sun-dried tomatoes, 10 Olives and 30 g Hard cheese.
Recipe Tips
- We used a mixture of baby gem, rocket (arugula) and watercress as the base of this salad, but you could add spinach and kale for an added vitamin boost.
- If you want some added crunch on your salad, then a sprinkling of pine nuts or chopped pecans would work well.
- Serve with roasted leg of lamb, grilled chicken or steak.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Rachel says
Butternut Squash and cheese go so well together but ive never thought of putting them in a salad x
Francesca says
How funny... i've been sitting here trying to figure out what I can make for a healthy lunch today and I have all these ingredients!!!! Love butternut squash so its great to be able to try something new with it! Thanks for sharing tbe recipe!!
Nicky says
Roast squash and hard cheese is one of my favourite salad combos!! Such gorgeous colours.
I may have to leave out the olives - they're one of those things I keep trying to love, but I'm not grown up enough yet :-)
Melanie Treamer says
I ate so many sundried tomatoes when I was pregnant, that I haven't eaten them much since. I am definitely going to be making this though.
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
Sounds delicious Dannii
Laura ~ RYG says
No, I have not tried roasted butternut squash in taco's yet....but I like the idea! And the salad is gorgeous, bright, daring and fun. Love this =)
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes says
Yum! I'm always looking for ways to make my salads more exciting.. I end up making the same salads over and over again. Butternut squash is delicious!
Liz Mays says
I love this! I could really go for a nutritious salad like this right now. I love butternut squash!
Emma Bee (@Emmabuzzybee) says
i really need to start eating more healthily, this look s yummy actually, but I am such a coward when it comes to try new foods:) having said that i have tried butterney squash and love pumpkin! I want to try that cheese too.
Manali @ CookWithManali says
What a colorful salad Dannii! Love it!
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
This looks soooo good!!! I love sun dried tomatoes too.
Fashion and Style Police says
My salads are always so boring. Thanks for inspiring me with this recipe.
GiGi Eats says
Nowwwwww you've got me craving butternut squash dang it!!!
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says
I don't know why I never have butternut in the summer? I eat pumpkin all year long, so why not the butternut too? This salad certainly looks like the perfect place to start!
Dave says
Another one of your amazing salads. So full of flavour and anything that has sun dried tomatoes in it gets my seal of approval!