Roasted Butternut Squash Salad – {Perfect Fall Salad}

Once September rolls around, butternut squash starts showing up in my cart almost every week. I use it for everything from Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash to tacos, but adding it to a big salad is one of my favorite ways to turn it into something fresh enough for these early fall days!

For this version, I roast the squash with garlic, smoked paprika, and cinnamon, then pile it onto arugula with crisp apples, shallots, goat cheese, dried cranberries, and salted pecans. The maple-Dijon dressing has just enough sweetness to balance the apple cider vinegar, and all those different textures make this salad really satisfying.

It works as a simple side dish, lunch, or holiday salad, and you can easily add chicken, turkey, or grains when you wantto make it more substantial. If you like my Arugula and Apple Salad with Goat Cheese and Pecans, this is a great one to make once squash season gets going.

Before You Get Started

There are a few easy shortcuts and swaps that work especially well in this fall salad.

• Butternut squash: Peel and cut the squash into fairly even cubes so they roast at the same rate. Pre-cut fresh squash is an easy shortcut when you don’t feel like wrestling with a whole squash.
• Arugula: I love its peppery flavor with the sweet squash and apples. Spinach or mixed greens also work, or use kale when you want a salad that holds up better for meal prep.
• Apples: Choose a crisp apple that won’t turn soft once sliced. Tart or sweet-tart varieties are especially good with the maple dressing and cranberries.
• Goat cheese and pecans: Creamy goat cheese and salty toasted pecans add a lot of contrast. Feta or blue cheese can replace the goat cheese, and walnuts or pumpkin seeds work in place of pecans.

How to Make Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

Most of the work is roasting the squash. Once that’s done, the rest of the salad is quick to assemble!

1. Roast the Butternut Squash

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss the cubed butternut squash with olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Spread it out in a single layer and roast for 30-35 minutes until tender with browned edges.

Let the squash cool slightly while you finish the rest of the salad.

Pro tip: Give the squash some room on the sheet pan. Crowded cubes hold onto more moisture and won’t brown as well around the edges.

2. Make the Maple-Dijon Dressing

Whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper until the dressing is well combined.

You can also blend the dressing if you want it especially smooth and emulsified.

3. Toss the Greens

Add the arugula, sliced apples, and thinly sliced shallot to a large bowl.

Pour in about two-thirds of the dressing and toss gently until everything is lightly coated.

4. Finish the Salad

Top the greens with the roasted squash, goat cheese, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans.

Drizzle the remaining dressing over the top and serve right away.

Recipe Tips and Variations

There’s plenty of room to adjust this salad depending on dinner, the season, or what you already have.

• Slice the shallot really thin: You still get that sharp onion flavor, but it blends into the salad much better than larger pieces.
• Toast the pecans: Toasting brings out more of their nutty flavor and gives the salad better crunch. Salted pecans are especially good with the sweet squash and cranberries.
• Make it heartier: Add quinoa, farro, lentils, or another cooked grain when you want to turn this into a more filling lunch.
• Add protein: Grilled chicken, turkey, chickpeas, or roasted tofu all work well with the maple-Dijon dressing.
• Keep the arugula fresh: Don’t assemble or dress the arugula version until you’re ready to serve since the leaves wilt pretty quickly. For meal prep, swap in chopped kale and massage some of the dressing right into the leaves so the salad holds up much better in the fridge.
• Change up the fruit: Pears, pomegranate seeds, or dried cherries all work nicely with roasted squash.
• Dress it up for the holidays: Add crispy bacon and swap the regular pecans for caramelized pecans when you want something a little richer for Thanksgiving or another fall dinner.
• Use another winter squash: Acorn, delicata, or kabocha can all work here. Just adjust the roasting time based on the size and density of the pieces.
• Make it ahead: Roast the squash and mix the dressing a day or two ahead, then store them separately. When you’re ready to eat, all that’s left is slicing the apple and shallot and tossing everything together!

How to Choose a Good Butternut Squash

Picking a good squash makes a noticeable difference once it’s roasted. Here’s what I look for at the store:

• Look at the skin: Choose a squash with firm, matte beige skin and no soft spots, deep cuts, or major bruising.
• Pick it up: A good butternut squash should feel heavy for its size.
• Check the shape: A longer, thicker neck gives you more solid squash flesh and fewer seeds to work around.

If peeling and chopping isn’t happening that day, I fully support buying the pre-cut cubes and moving on with dinner!

What to Serve with Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

This salad has enough going on that I usually pair it with a fairly simple protein. It’s especially good with cozy chicken, pork, beef, or turkey dinners once fall gets going.

• Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork: Cranberry pork and this salad share those sweet-tart fall flavors, and the cool arugula is a nice contrast to the tender slow-cooked pork.
• Baked Turkey Tenderloin: Maple-Dijon turkey fits right in with the apples, cranberries, squash, and goat cheese. This would be my pick for a smaller holiday dinner!
• Rosemary Chicken: Lemon, garlic, rosemary, and honey keep the chicken simple enough to let the salad do most of the talking.
• Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef Roast: The rich balsamic beef is especially good with the tart apple, peppery greens, and creamy goat cheese.

Storage & Reheating

Arugula is the ingredient that decides how well this salad stores, so keeping the components separate makes a big difference.

• Storage: Keep the roasted squash, dressing, arugula, apples, and toppings in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. Assemble and dress the salad right before serving so the greens stay crisp.
• Freezer: Freeze extra roasted butternut squash on its own if needed, but don’t freeze the assembled salad.
• Reheating: This salad doesn’t need reheating. If you prefer the squash slightly warm, heat it separately and let it cool for a few minutes before adding it to the greens.
• Leftovers: Use extra roasted squash, apples, cranberries, goat cheese, and pecans to build a grain bowl the next day. They would also fit right into these Honey Balsamic Roasted Vegetable Bowls with quinoa or another grain.