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Butternut squash salad with greens, walnuts, and feta.
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5 from 3 votes

Butternut Squash Feta Salad

This Butternut Squash Feta Salad recipe is healthy and perfect for fall! It's roasted and tossed with arugula, maple dressing, and walnuts.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Keyword: roasted butternut squash salad, butternut squash arugula salad, butternut squash salad with walnuts
Servings: 6
Calories: 321kcal

Equipment

  • Baking Sheet

Ingredients

For The Salad:

For The Dressing:

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

How To Peel and Cut The Butternut Squash:

  • Remove the top and bottom of the squash with a sharp knife and discard in the compost or trash bin.
  • Cut the butternut squash in half. Place each half, flat side down, on the cutting board. 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 5-6 heaping cups of cubed butternut squash.

For The Salad:

  • Place the cubed butternut squash onto a large baking sheet. Drizzle 2 Tbsp. olive oil over the butternut squash and toss to coat. Alternately, you can spread the butternut squash out across two smaller baking sheets.
  • Sprinkle 1 tsp. each smoked paprika and garlic powder, along with ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper over the butternut squash. Toss until completely combined.
  • Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast the butternut squash for 22-25 minutes, or until tender. Baking times may vary slightly.
  • The squash should be tender, but not mushy, and easily pierced with a knife when done. Remove the pan when finished and set aside to cool.

For The Dressing:

For The Walnuts:

  • Place a small cast iron skillet or small pan on the stove top. Pour ¾ cup of unsalted walnuts (or nuts of choice) into the pan.
  • Heat to medium-low and toast the nuts for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them from burning. Remove the pan from the heat after the walnuts are toasted.

Assemble The Salad:

  • Place 5 oz. of your favorite hearty greens (such as arugula, spinach, kale, or Swiss chard) in a large mixing bowl.
  • Drizzle as much or as little of the dressing as you like over the salad and toss until completely coated.
  • To Serve: Pour the dressed salad out onto a serving platter or into a large serving bowl. Place the roasted butternut squash on top of the greens. Add the ¾ cup toasted walnuts and ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese on top of the salad.

Notes

Feel free to substitute any kind of salty cheese you like such as Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, goat cheese, blue cheese, or Gorgonzola or omit if you would like to keep the recipe vegan.
Substitute any type of unsalted nuts you like such as pecans, hazelnuts, pine nuts, or almonds or leave out altogether if you are allergic. Alternately, you can sub seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 414mg | Potassium: 741mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 17123IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 225mg | Iron: 2mg