This Roasted Butternut Squash and Prosciutto Salad is definitely not just all greens and has some real bite to it and will keep you fuller for longer than most salads. A warming and comforting salad, that still feels really light and fresh. It's a salad that even people that don't really love salads will enjoy.
You could make this for lunch, or you could make a big ole' bowl of it and serve it up as a side dish at a BBQ. I think that salads are usually an afterthought at a BBQ and people just throw a bag of lettuce in to a bowl. Why not wow your BBQ guests with this instead. Creamy butternut squash, crunchy and creamy cheese and salty prosciutto make this salad a serious taste sensation.
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Why should I try it?
- A filling salad
- Easy to adapt
- A delicious way to use prosciutto
- Easy to double
What you will need
- Butternut squash
- Prosciutto
- Oil
- Cumin, ground coriander and paprika
- Lettuce leaves
- Balsamic vinegar
- Lemon
- Dijon mustard
- Parmesan
Step by step
One: Put the butternut squash cubes in a large bowl with the oil and cumin, coriander, paprika, salt and pepper and mix well. Put on a greased baking sheet in a preheated oven at 190°C/375°F/Gas 5 for 25 minutes.
Two: Mix the balsamic vinegar with the lemon juice and mustard and mix with the salad greens and divide between two bowls.
Three: Top with the cooked butternut squash, prosciutto and Parmesan and serve.
What is prosciutto?
Prosciutto is a type of very thinly sliced Italian ham that has a lightly sweet flavour to it. It has a melt in your mouth buttery texture, with a slice saltiness. It comes from the hind leg of a pig and Italian prosciuttos are labelled according to their city or province of origin.
Preparing 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 in to cubes.
Take a look at this full guide on How To Peel And Cut A Butternut Squash which takes you through the process step by step.
How to adapt it
The great thing about salads is that they are so easy to adapt. A good fridge raid meal, so you can use up what you have an reduce waste. Here are some other ingredient that we think go well in this salad:
- Mozzarella
- Peach slices
- Olives
- Burrata
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Sunflower seeds
- Pine nuts
- Sliced pears
Salad Dressing
The flavours of the butternut squash, prosciutto and parmesan are quite strong, so we kept it simple when it came to the dressing. We mixed together some olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic and Dijon mustard and then seasoned it.
But, a really good quality store bought honey and mustard dressing would work too. We wouldn't recommend a creamy dressing, as it might be a bit too heavy.
What to serve it with
We think this is a really filling meal on its own. However, if you are serving it up to guests and want a few dishes on the side, then we have some recommendations:
FAQs
If you can't find prosciutto in your supermarket, then you could use any other type of ham. Try to buy the best quality you can, as you really will be able to taste the difference.
If you have leftovers of this salad, then it can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Don't dress the salad, and store the dressing separately, as the salad will get soggy.
Extra tips
- You can use any salad greens you like. Use romaine for lots of crunch, and rocket (arugula) if you want to add a peppery flavour. Give the salad an iron boost by using spinach and kale.
- Keep the dressing simple with the balsamic based dressing recipe we have included. We wouldn't recommend using a creamy dressing, as this is quite a rich salad recipe as it is.
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Recipe
Roasted Butternut Squash and Prosciutto Salad
Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 0.5 teaspoon cumin
- 0.5 teaspoon ground coriander
- 0.5 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
- 200 g mixed lettuce leaves
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- lemon (juice only)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 6 slices prosciutto halved and rolled in to flower shapes
- 30 g Parmesan shavings
Instructions
- Put the butternut squash cubes in a large bowl with the oil and cumin, coriander, paprika, salt and pepper and mix well. Put on a greased baking sheet in a preheated oven at 190°C/375°F/Gas 5 for 25 minutes.
- Mix the balsamic vinegar with the lemon juice and mustard and mix with the salad greens and divide between two bowls.
- Top with the cooked butternut squash, Prosciutto di San Daniele and Grana Padano and serve.
Notes
- You can use any salad greens you like. Use romaine for lots of crunch, and rocket (arugula) if you want to add a peppery flavour. Give the salad an iron boost by using spinach and kale.
- Keep the dressing simple with the balsamic based dressing recipe we have included. We wouldn't recommend using a creamy dressing, as this is quite a rich salad recipe as it is.
Tami
This salad popped up in my Facebook memories, perfect timing for the menu for an upcoming camping trip!!
Amy
I can't seem to get enough butternut squash these days - I've even started using sheets of it in my lasagna! This looks like a great recipe.
Joanna
I'm not usually a fan of salads however this looks delicous. I've never had butternut squash with salads before.
danasia fantastic
Prosciutto is my favorite! This recipe looks so good!
Rachel
Oooh this looks absoltuly delcious! Perfect for a Summer lunch! xo
Sally Akins
Oh my goodness, this looks so good! I absolutely love prosciutto and I can just imagine it goes really well with the sweet butternut squash
Madeeha
It is perfect light dish for lunch. Looks yummy
Jenni
This looks incredible, perfect for the weather we have at the moment x
Nadia
Haha I know what you mean regarding the weather! It's so confusing at the moment, isn't it? Sounds yummy and the flowers look really cute :)
Cassandra Mayers
Looks amazing! I think if I served that to my guests at next week BBQ they would be very impressed
danasia fantastic
This looks incredible! Anything with Prosciutto tastes amazing to me.