It's meals like this that become comfort food for me. A slightly warm arugula salad with a mix of flavors that feels these like salad and more like a hearty meal. The feta softens and the pecans add a bit of crunch (without adding the traditional crouton). This is my perfect salad.
PrintRoasted Butternut Squash, Quinoa, and Arugula
- Yield: 2-3 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups ¼" cubed butternut Squash
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ cup diced scallions
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- ¼ cup pecan pieces
- 2-3 cups arugula
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚. Toss butternut squash with olive oil, black pepper, and sea salt. Spread into a single layer in a roasting pan or on a baking tray. Bake until butternut squash is tender and lightly browning, 30-35 minutes.
- Remove from oven and toss butternut squash with honey and scallions until butternut squash is coated. Add in quinoa and pecans and stir.
- In a large bowl, combine arugula with butternut squash mixture and feta. Drizzle with olive oil and toss everything together.
Eileen says
Warm, hearty grain salads are one of my favorite fall dishes! This would be so good for Thanksgiving.
Millie | Add A Little says
This looks amazing Ella - I love all the ingredients!
Millie | Add A Little says
Ahh I mean Erin!!! Sorry <3
Sam @ PancakeWarriors says
im pretty sure this salad would make even the pickiest eaters happy. Love the flavor combo and the honey to add that little bit of sweetness with the butternut squash. Yum! Love this salad 🙂
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
This is definitely my kind of comfort food too. Looks lovely Erin!
Catherine says
This looks great. I don't understand the obsession with peeling butternut squash before baking because you can bake it with the skin, just like other squash. So much easier!
erin says
Hi Catherine, I like the consistency of the cubed/roasted butternut squash and while I know some people choose to eat the skin of the squash, I just find it's tough and detracts from the meal! (but that's just me!)
shawna says
Beautiful post! I am wondering what peeler you use as mine is not effective at removing the skin from winter squash.
jenna @ just j.faye says
This looks fantastic! I love anything with butternut squash.
Katie @ Whole Nourishment says
This is comfort food for me too. Love the additions of scallions, pecans, and feta in this salad.
Ksenia @ At the Immigrant's Table says
I entirely agree with you - a bowl of a grain-based, squash salad in fall/winter has become my idea of comfort food as well. Before, I wouldn't think twice about craving a grilled cheese sandwich or carby pasta, and now... It's funny how being more mindful about what you eat can really change habits and tastes. Thank you for this!
sophie | lucky star anise says
Love this - I got all the ingredients today and look forward to having this tomorrow. I guess one could also roast the squash in the oven first, before cutting and peeling it? Thanks for posting this recipe.
erin says
You could- I always forget the squash for too long and it becomes a bit softer so that I end up with puree rather than chunks (which is why I peel first!)
cheri says
Hi Ella, what a beautiful salad, I could eat this all day long.
Linda @ Veganosity says
This salad is beautiful! I love the idea of squash in a salad. The photos are stunning!
Sandypo says
I made this salad and left the feta out of my husband's because he hates it. We loved it. I plan to make it again and take it to potlucks as well. Really yummy!
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[email protected] says
This salad looks fantastic. I love that you used pecans in place of croutons - so much healthier!
Marybeth says
I just made this with left over quinoa that had dried fruit in it . It was so yummy!
Kate @ ¡Hola! Jalapeño says
Wow! What a delicious combination of flavors and textures! This looks perfect for Thanksgiving!
Sus @ roughmeasures.com says
I've been looking for a new salad idea! This looks lovely, can't wait to test it out!
stacy di says
I LOVE this recipe! I have made it 3 times, and even got my finicky brother to try quinoa for the first time. It's fall food perfection!
I'm new to your site, and now officially a devoted reader. Yep. Because of a squash recipe. 🙂
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Betsy says
I added some dried cranberries to this, plus a little balsamico and some pumpkin seed oil, and it was DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!
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Courtney says
This was delicious! Made it for dinner tonight and it was so good. Thanks for sharing!!
rachel says
does the arugula need some kind of light dressing at the end when its mixed with the qionoa?
erin says
I didn't find that it did- the olive oil was enough for me. However, you could easily mix up a simple balsamic dressing and add it!
Mary-Jo Howland says
I work for a catering company, this is one of my favorite recipes to serve and our clients love it. We did add balsamic vinegar, it really bumped up the flavor.
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe!!!
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Joanna says
I haven’t made this in a few years, but I’m so happy I had pinned the recipe. It’s as delicious as I had remembered. I add some red pepper flakes to the roasting squash and a drizzle of balsamic on the platter. Super lovely, thank you!