Harvest Wild Rice Salad with Butternut Squash

This Harvest Wild Rice Salad if full of autumn flavors! It's made with roasted butternut squash, cranberries, and a maple Dijon dressing.

I love recipes that exemplify a particular season and this Autumn Harvest Salad has everything there is to love about the fall months. It's packed with seasonal ingredients and makes a great side dish.

This salad is basically fall on a plate. It's made with earthy ingredients whose flavors work to complement each other. This salad is a blend of sweet, savory, tangy, and earthy. It's got a great blend of flavors and textures.

It's made with butternut squash that's tossed in olive oil and savory spices like garlic and onion powder along with smoked paprika and roasted in the oven until tender. The roasted butternut squash is tossed with wild rice along with dried cranberry and slivered almonds.

The whole thing is tossed in a sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy dressing prepared with maple syrup, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, and Sriracha hot sauce and garnished with fresh herbs of choice such as chives or parsley for extra color and flavor.

This salad is a great side dish for Thanksgiving or any holidays or served with roasted meats like chicken, turkey, or beef along with mashed potatoes and gravy or any of your favorite fall sides.

Jump to:

• Does Butternut Squash Need To Be Peeled Before Roasting?
• How To Peel Butternut Squash
• Ingredients For Harvest Wild Rice Salad
• How To Roast Butternut Squash
• What Is Wild Rice?
• Do I Need To Soak The Wild Rice Before Cooking?
• How Long Does Wild Rice Take To Cook?
• How To Tell When Wild Rice Is Done Cooking
• How To Make Maple Mustard Dressing
• How To Add Flavor To Wild Rice Salad
• Can I Substitute Any Of These Ingredients?
• How To Make Harvest Wild Rice Salad
• What To Serve With Fall Harvest Salad
• How Long Does This Last In The Fridge?
• Can It Be Made Ahead Of Time?
• Harvest Wild Rice Salad with Butternut Squash

Does Butternut Squash Need To Be Peeled Before Roasting?

Wild rice is the star of this dish but its got a great cast of supporting characters. All of the ingredients are ones that I associate with fall and look forward to enjoying every year.

Butternut squash is one of those quintessential autumn ingredients. It's incredibly versatile and can be used to make everything from soups to salads to pasta.

The skin of butternut squash is quite tough and needs to be peeled before roasting.

How To Peel Butternut Squash

Peeling a butternut squash can seem intimidating but following a few simple steps will help you streamline the process.

It's important to exercise caution when peeling a cutting a butternut squash, because it's often irregularly shaped.

For this reason, it's best to start by cutting both the top and bottom of the squash with a knife so that it can be placed squarely on the cutting board. This will create a flat surface and the squash won't roll around in your hands.

It's always important to create a flat surface when cutting fruits and vegetables so that you have greater control over them when using a knife.

1. To peel the butternut squash, simply remove the top and bottom of the squash with a sharp knife. This will give you a flat surface on both the top and bottom portion of the fruit, which makes it easier to peel and cut.
2. Cut the butternut squash in half. Place each half, flat side down, on the cutting board.
3. Carefully run the knife down the outer surface of each butternut squash half, or peel it with a vegetable peeler. Discard the skins in the compost or trash bin.
4. Cut each half of the squash in half again. Scoop out the seeds and membranes from the bottom portion of the squash with a large spoon, just as you would a pumpkin. Discard the seeds and membranes.
5. Cut each half of the squash into slices and then cut those slices into chunks. It's important that the squash chunks are relatively the same size to ensure that they cook evenly.

This recipe calls for 1 small to medium-sized butternut squash and yields 4-5 cups of diced butternut squash.

If you would like more detailed instructions, check out this post on How To Peel and Cut a Butternut Squash.

Ingredients For Harvest Wild Rice Salad

Here's what you'll need to make it.

• 1 cup Wild Rice
• 4 cups Water
• 4-5 cups Butternut Squash (equals 1 small to medium-sized butternut squash)
• 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil (split)
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
• ¾ tsp. each Kosher Salt and Pepper (split)
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
• 3 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
• 4 tsp. Red Wine Vinegar
• ¼ tsp. Sriracha Hot Sauce
• ½ cup Dried Cranberries
• ½ cup Slivered Almonds (or sliced almonds) (unsalted)

How To Roast Butternut Squash

One of my favorite ways to prepare butternut squash is to cut it into cubes and roast it in the oven. Roasting the squash helps to tenderize it and bring out the natural sweetness.

It also lends it self nicely to all types of herbs and spices.

Roasting times may vary slightly depending on the size of the butternut squash cubes. In general, it takes 24-25 minutes to roast butternut squash in the oven.

The butternut squash should be tender, but not mushy when finished and easily pierced with a fork.

Feel free to roast for an additional couple of minutes if necessary.

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place 4-5 cups of cubed butternut squash onto a large baking sheet.
3. Drizzle 2 Tbsp. of olive oil over the squash and toss until coated.
4. Sprinkle 1 tsp. each of garlic power, onion powder, and smoked paprika over the squash along with ½ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper. Toss until completely coated in the oil and spices.
5. Place the baking sheet in an oven and roast the butternut squash for 24-25 minutes. The squash should be soft, but not mushy and easily pierced with a fork or knife when done.
6. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set aside.

What Is Wild Rice?

It should be noted that wild rice is not actually 'rice'. It's classified as a 'water grass seed'. It consists of a grain that is harvested from 1 of 4 species of grasses. Historically it was eaten in North America, China, and India.

Wild rice is commonly found in Minnesota and the Great Lakes States. You'll find it everywhere if you ever take a trip to northern Minnesota.

Wild rice is incredibly healthy and contains a high amount of protein. It's low in fat and high in antioxidants as well as a good source of minerals and vitamins.

It's nutty and earthy in flavor. I find that it tastes like the earth and the environment in which its grown. Wild rice has a nice, clean taste.

Do I Need To Soak The Wild Rice Before Cooking?

It is not necessary to soak the wild rice before cooking but you can rinse it under cold water first if you like.

How Long Does Wild Rice Take To Cook?

Wild rice takes awhile to cook on the stove top. Cooking times usually fall between 50-60 minutes.

The great thing about this recipe is that all of the other elements can be prepared as the wild rice is cooking.

1. To make the wild rice, place 4 cups of water in a medium-sized sauce pan. Bring the water to a boil.
2. Once the water is boiling add 1 cup of wild rice.
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 55-60 minutes.
4. Once the wild rice is finished cooking, place it in a strainer to drain any excess water and allow it to cool (yields 3-4 cups of cooked wild rice).

Wild rice can also be prepared in the Instant Pot. Check out this Instant Pot Wild Rice recipe for instructions on how to cook it using an electric pressure cooker!

How To Tell When Wild Rice Is Done Cooking

The wild rice will soften and plump up as it cooks but will still retain a little bite. You don't want it to be mushy but softened and slightly chewy.

How To Make Maple Mustard Dressing

The thing that ties this whole Harvest Wild Rice Salad together is the maple Dijon dressing. It's sweet, tangy, and a little spicy and provides great flavor to the dish.

The dressing can be made while the wild rice is cooking and the butternut squash is roasting in the oven.

One of the best ways to prepare this maple mustard dressing is to add all of the ingredients to a small mason jar with a lid and shake until emulsified. You can also place the ingredients into a small bowl and stir until combined with a small whisk or a fork.

1. To make the dressing, place 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 3 Tbsp. maple syrup, 1 Tbsp. olive oil, 4 tsp. red wine vinegar, ¼ tsp. Sriracha hot sauce, and ¼ tsp. each of kosher salt and pepper into a small mason jar.
2. Place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously until the dressing has emulsified.
3. Feel free to place the ingredients in a small bowl and stir with a small whisk or fork until emulsified in you prefer.

A Few Tips

• I recommend using real maple syrup and not syrup that contains any artificial sugars or flavors. Artificial maple syrup would alter the flavor of the dressing.
• Feel free to substitute white wine vinegar or any kind of vinegar you like for red wine vinegar. Avoid using malt vinegar if you are gluten free.
• I recommend using Dijon mustard versus a grainy mustard as this creates a smooth consistency in the dressing.

How To Add Flavor To Wild Rice Salad

For extra color, flavor, and texture, I love to add some dried fruit and nuts to this Harvest Salad.

I added dried cranberries (also known as craisins) and some slivered almonds. You can use sweetened or unsweetened cranberries, depending on your preference and sliced or whole almonds if you prefer.

I recommend using unsalted almonds or nuts of choice so that the salad does not become too salty.

Can I Substitute Any Of These Ingredients?

Yes! This Harvest Wild Rice Salad is super versatile and can be customized according to your tastes.

• The dried cranberries can be substituted with dried cherries, figs, apricots, prunes or any kind of dried fruit. You can even use pomegranate seeds in place of the cranberries.
• Feel free to swap out the almonds for any kind of nuts. Pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts are all great choices. Seeds such as pepitas or sunflower seeds may be used if you have a nut allergy.
• Feel free to add some feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, or any kind of dry, salty cheese if you'd like to add some richness.

How To Make Harvest Wild Rice Salad

Once the wild rice, butternut squash, and dressing are finished all that's left is to assemble the salad.

Any kind of large bowl works great for tossing the salad.

1. Place the cooked and cooled wild rice (yields 3-4 cups) and cooked and cooled butternut squash into a large mixing bowl along with ½ cup dried cranberries (or dried fruits of choice) and ½ cup slivered or sliced almonds (or nuts of choice).
2. Pour the dressing over the salad a bit at a time, stirring it carefully with a large spoon until incorporated.
3. Taste the salad as you add the dressing and only add as much as you like (you may have a bit of leftover dressing, depending on how much is added).

What To Serve With Fall Harvest Salad

This Harvest Wild Rice Salad is great because it's so versatile. It can be enjoyed on its own or served alongside your favorite main dish. I love to add some fresh minced herbs like chives or parsley for extra color and flavor.

This salad makes a great addition to a Thanksgiving or holiday menu. It's perfect paired with Thanksgiving turkey along with side dishes like au gratin potatoes, stuffing, and green bean casserole.

The sweetness and earthiness of the salad pairs well with any type of roasted meats like chicken or beef.

It's also delicious with side dishes like these garlic roasted green beans, roasted garlic mashed kohlrabi, and maple Dijon brussels sprouts.

How Long Does This Last In The Fridge?

This wild rice salad should last 3-4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Make sure all of the ingredients are completely cooled before assembling and moving to the refrigerator for storage.

Can It Be Made Ahead Of Time?

This Harvest Salad can definitely be made the day before you plan to serve it. The flavors actually meld together after sitting for a few hours.

Be sure to store it in the fridge if you decide to make it ahead of time. Stir before serving if it has been stored in the refrigerator.

Looking for more fall side dishes? Don't miss these recipes!

• Butternut Squash Feta Salad
• Wild Rice Fennel Stuffing
• Kohlrabi Gratin
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Roasted Pumpkin Chickpea Salad
• Butternut Squash Quinoa Kale Salad

Looking For More Wild Rice Recipes? Don't Miss These!

Wild Rice Soup with Leftover Turkey

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Wild Rice Pilaf