I always find it interesting that we associate solid salads with the heat of summer, when in reality, greens are at their best in the cool months of fall and spring. The combination of greens and winter squash is such a delightful hit for me. As such, this winter squash salad has everything I look for in a hearty, cool-weather lunch.

Winter Squash Salad

This winter squash salad is one of the recipes I made while I was camping, using a couple of items I prepped ahead of time—the roasted red kuri squash and the black pepper walnuts. I like to plan meals around these components as it makes prep a bit lighter and cooking a bit quicker.

The squash in this recipe can be easily replaced with other winter squash, pumpkin, or roasted sweet potatoes. I like the earthy, slightly sweet addition of any of these vegetables paired with the dill, but there are options!

Black Pepper Walnuts

One of my favorite ways to add texture and flavor to salad is to roast nuts or seeds and toss them in with the salad. These black pepper walnuts are about as simple as you can go, but big on flavor. Also, you’ll notice I add the black pepper after roasting—this keeps the flavor more prominent and reduces the chance of burnt spice flavor.

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Winter Squash Salad with Dill-Walnut Dressing

Black Pepper Walnuts

• 1 cup (120 g) raw walnut pieces
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 teaspoons neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper

Roasted Squash

• 1 medium 2 lbs thin-skinned winter squash ( such as red kuri, kabocha, or delicata)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Dill-Walnut Dressing

• 1/2 cup (12 g) loosely packed chopped dill
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Salad

• 1 large head of butter lettuce or roughly 8 handfuls of loose lettuce leaves
• ½ cup grated parmesan (for serving)

1. To make the walnuts: Preheat oven to 325˚F. On a small sheet tray, combine the walnut pieces with the maple syrup, oil, and salt. Toss to coat, then place in the oven. Roast for 15 minutes, until the walnuts have slightly darkened in color and are fragrant. Remove from the oven and set the oven to 425˚F.
2. To roast the squash: cut off the stem and bottom of the squash, cut in half and scoop out seeds, cut into 1” thick wedges. Place on a sheet tray and toss with olive oil and kosher salt. Place each wedge cut side down on the tray.
3. Roast at 425˚F for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the wedges, and return to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes. Squash should be tender but not falling apart, and have a good browning color. Let cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
4. Assemble the salad: Place the black pepper walnuts on a cutting board and finely chop until most of the nuts are in small pieces. Place about ¾ of the walnuts in a large bowl, then add the dill, olive oil, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine, then add the squash, tossing to coat.
5. Roast the walnuts, then roughly chop. Add to the bowl along with the chopped dill. Add the olive oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt, stirring to combine. Roughly cut the squash into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl with the dressing, tossing to coat.
6. Finally, add in the lettuce along with about half the Parmesan. Toss until the salad is well combined and the lettuce is coated with the dill-walnut mix. Taste and adjust flavors as desired.
7. Divide the salad into four bowls and finish with the remaining walnuts and parmesan before serving.

Notes

You can roast the walnuts alongside the squash but the nuts will roast quite quickly—I typically set a timer for a few minutes and check often so they don’t burn.

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