A fall and winter salad made with roasted kabocha and acorn squash, leafy greens, shallot, pistachios and goat feta cheese. The salad is dressed with an acid-forward vinaigrette to bring out the sweetness of the squash.

It is hard to play favourites with vegetables, because they are all amazing to me, even the weirdos like artichokes or kohlrabi. But I think the veg that’s easiest to love (besides corn) is winter squash. There are so many varieties, most of them incredibly tasty, and as a cook I am intrigued by all their possibilities:

• roast them, and add them to a grain bowl, or a salad
• blend them into soup
• use with pasta either as a lush sauce or as soft nubs scattered among spaghetti tangles
• spiralize them into baked nests to hold an egg each
• steam, mash and add flour to turn them into pillowy gnocchi
• shred spaghetti squash into noodle-like strands and eat with a vegetarian ragu

Besides the savoury applications, there are all the sweet options of course. Not just pie, but also cookies, pumpkin butter, or the delicious pumpkin lattes you can make to warm your belly in the fall and winter months – the list really is endless.

Kitchen notes

This salad is in heavy rotation in my house from fall all the way until spring has really settled in. And since it’s still winter here, it still feels timely that I share it. I’m using two kinds of squashes, kabocha and acorn. Both have edible skin, but you may peel the kabocha if you prefer – most people do. They both roast into silken wedges, slices or cubes. 

It is then very little work to toss the roasted squash with some greens, a thinly sliced shallot (don’t omit it, it delivers a welcome “onion spiciness” to the dish), some nuts for crunch, and a little feta, and you’ve just created a textured salad that’s a joy to eat. I normally serve this with a thick slice of seeded sourdough bread, but marinated beans, or cooked grains are both good options too.   

The dressing is an acid-forward vinaigrette, and that’s because you need something sharp (like acid and salt) to counter the mellow sweetness of the squashes. When composing salads, I always think of the balance of salty, bitter, sweet and acidic, and then play with textures like creamy versus crunchy, to achieve an interesting result that delivers variety in every bite.

Styling notes

As I do with most salads, I assemble and dress it just right before bringing it to the table. The dressing can quickly start to break down the greens, so I postpone tossing it together until the last minute. When I serve salads, I bring to the table extra seeds or garnish, so people can add more if they like theirs super crunchy or more heavily topped.

When I style for the camera, the assembly is more intentional and the tossing much, much less vigorous. I add very little dressing, and before mixing things, I set aside the nicest slices of squash, and the crispest greens. Once gently tossed, I’ll start arranging on the serving plate I’m shooting them on. For the shallots, I place them with my fingers, or tweezers, where I want them on the plated salad. Rather than scattering the pistachios and feta all over, which can look messy, I “group” toppings so they are visible, but the salad looks more “composed” rather than “thrown together,” if that makes sense. 

I keep the dressing handy throughout the shoot, to touch the leaves up here and there as necessary. Salads require quick work, and are trickier to capture well. Unlike a muffin that can stay on set for hours looking the same, salads fizzle out quickly. This is where preparing the shoot ahead of time (sketching your composition, determining the angles you will shoot, having a shot list, or a strong mood board) can be really valuable.

Roasted winter squash and greens salad

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Cuisine Mediterranean, Vegetarian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 small kabocha squash 1 lb. (500 g) peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 medium acorn squash (350 g) washed, seeded, quartered, and cut into ⅓ inch slices
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil divided
• ¼ to ½ tsp fine sea salt divided
• 2 medium shallots peeled and sliced very thinly (on a mandoline, or with a sharp knife)
• 6 cups (150 g) mixed greens a blend of spinach, arugula, baby kale, baby chard, escarole
• ⅓ cup (50 g) shelled roasted pistachios coarsely chopped
• 4 ounce (100 g) piece of goat feta cheese crumbled coarsely

For the dressing:

• 3 tbsp (45 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 3 grinds of black pepper freshly ground
• 1 tsp mild honey

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line two large (half-sheet) baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, toss the kabocha squash chunks with 1 tsp of the olive oil, and ¼ tsp of the fine sea salt, until thoroughly coated. Empty the squash pieces onto one of the baking sheets and arrange them in a single layer. In the same bowl, now empty, toss the acorn squash slices with the other 1 tsp of olive oil and remaining ¼ tsp salt. Arrange on the other baking sheet, then put both in the oven and roast for 35 minutes, or until deep golden and completely soft when pierced with a fork.
• While the squashes roast, prepare the vinaigrette. Whisk the lemon juice, salt and honey together in a small bowl. Take care that the honey has melted into the dressing, and has not collected in the bottom of the bowl. Add the olive oil and whisk again, then set aside until ready to dress the salad.
• When the squash is roasted, pull from the oven and let it cool down slightly. In a large bowl, toss together the greens, the shallots, and the warm squash. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of dressing, and toss to coat. You likely will not need all the dressing. Taste the salad, and adjust for salt if necessary, remembering that you’ll add the salty feta as a garnish too.
• When the salad is ready to be served, sprinkle with the nuts and feta, and serve. Offer small bowls of extra dressing, chopped nuts, or feta crumbles for those who want to add more. I like to serve alongside thick slices of sourdough bread, focaccia, a good, grainy baguette or a ficelle (like a baguette, but slimmer).

Notes

The roasted squash, as well as the vinaigrette can be prepared ahead of time, but assemble only right before serving.
Any additional leftover vinaigrette can be used with other salad greens, or even on cooked grains, like cooked spelt grains or wheat berries.

Keyword roasted squash salad, salad