Valentina Ablaev
This butternut squash salad is the most incredible fall salad. The salad has roasted butternut squash and crispy prosciutto nestled over a light spring mix salad. The finishing touch is a sprinkle of homemade candied walnuts and crumbled feta!
Summer salads are the best for parties and potlucks, and this butternut squash salad has quickly become a classic, just like our broccoli cheddar salad recipe!
This butternut squash salad is the perfect fall recipe. Not only is this salad incredibly healthy, but it’s also filling! If you’re like me, then you aren’t the biggest squash fan, but I have to say I’ve been coming around to it this year! I was convinced to make this salad, especially after trying our butternut squash pasta! I must admit, the sweetness of butternut squash is great in just about any dish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This autumn salad recipe is not only visually stunning, but it is also incredibly easy to prepare and delicious! The salad can be made in advance, then the dressing is added, and the salad is tossed before serving.
Ingredients for Butternut Squash Salad
The ingredients for this salad are simple:
- Squash – Butternut squash is roasted to perfection and is the key ingredient in the salad.
- Prosciutto – The prosciutto is cooked to a crisp in the oven and adds the perfect light protein to the salad.
- Salad – The base of the salad is spring mix and thinly sliced red onions.
- Nuts – You can use regular walnuts or almonds, but we love the addition of candied walnuts and even candied almonds.
- Cheese – A finishing touch of crumbled feta cheese takes this salad over the top, just like our at-home greek salad!
- Dressing – A simple homemade dressing loaded with fresh garlic and zesty lemon, much like our greek salad dressing.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
I like this simple salad as is, here are some add-ins, substitutions, and variations to the recipe you can try.
- Add more protein: Toss in air-fried bacon bits and even slices of air-fryer chicken breast.
- Swap out the dressing: Though we love this zesty dressing, a creamy caesar dressing would make this salad super delicious.
- Add fruit: We love tangerines and blueberries, just like we do in our kale salad recipe. You can also add apples, dried cranberries or pomegranate seeds when in season!
- Add seeds: If you love a little extra crunch, add sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for a great flavor and crunch.
How to Make Butternut Squash Salad
- Cut the butternut squash into cubes to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and black pepper, and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.
2. After 15 minutes, add the prosciutto to the sheet pan and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes. The butternut squash is ready when it’s fork-tender.
3. Mix together all the dressing ingredients.
4. Add the spring mix, sliced onions, walnuts, and goat cheese to a large salad bowl. Top with the cooled squash and pieces of prosciutto. Finish with the dressing and gently toss the salad to combine.
Expert Tips:
- Keep salad fresh: When assembling this salad, wait until you are ready to serve it before tossing it in the dressing. This will ensure that your salad won’t get too soggy.
- Adding dressing: Add about ¾ of the dressing and toss to combine, then see if you need to add the rest. You don’t want the salad soupy with dressing.
Serving Suggestions
- Sandwich and salad: Pair this salad with a classic italian sub sandwich for the perfect meal!
- Soup and salad: This salad would taste delicious with homemade chicken noodle soup or our easy potato soup.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, we peel the squash and cube it before roasting it.
The squash needs to be cooked for this recipe.
Butternut squash and sweet potato are very different, and although both are delicious, butternut squash is irreplaceable in this salad. We love sweet potatoes for making homemade sweet potato fries or even a sweet potato breakfast skillet!
Store & Reheat
- Storage. Although this salad is best enjoyed immediately, you can store leftovers in the fridge for about a day before it gets too soggy.
- Freeze. We don’t recommend freezing this salad.
More Salad Recipes
If you enjoyed this salad recipe, be sure to try our other incredible salad recipes; here are some of our favorites:
If you tried this roasted butternut squash salad recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Butternut Squash Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 4 oz prosciutto
- 5 oz spring mix
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup candied walnuts or plain
- 4 oz feta cheese or goat cheese
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp mayo
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the squash to the baking sheet, drizzle with the oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 15 minutes. Add the prosciutto to the squash and roast for about 6-8 minutes until the squash is tender and the prosciutto is crispy. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, add everything to a mason jar for the dressing and shake to combine.
- To assemble the salad, add the spring mix, onion, walnuts, cheese, butternut squash and break up the prosciutto.
- Drizzle with the dressing and gently toss to combine.
Notes
- When assembling this salad, wait until you are ready to serve it before tossing it in the dressing. This will ensure that your salad won’t get too soggy.
- Add protein like chicken to the salad for a hearty lunch or dinner.
- Storage. Although this salad is best enjoyed immediately, you can store leftovers in the fridge for about a day before it gets too soggy.
