Acorn Squash Salad

Roasted acorn squash is the star of this delicious salad, featuring tahini dressing, mixed greens, dried cherries, almonds, and goat cheese. It's the perfect vegetarian salad for fall or winter.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings 3-cup servings

Calories 399kcal

Author Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN

Ingredients

Acorn squash salad

1 large acorn squash or 2 small, about 2.5 to 3 pounds total
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
5 ounce mixed baby greens about 8 heaping cups; I used 50/50 baby spinach and spring mix
½ cup unsweetened dried cherries
4 ounce goat cheese crumbled
½ cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon maple syrup
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

Tahini dressing

¼ cup tahini
1 lemon juiced; about ¼ cup
1 tablespoon maple syrup
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 to 4 tablespoons water to thin the dressing

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F/204 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Prepare the squash for roasting. Cut off the stem, then carefully slice the squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds with a spoon and discard. You can leave the skin or peel it if you prefer. Slice into ½-inch thick wedges about 2 inches long.
Transfer the squash to the baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread out in a single layer. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes until the squash is fork-tender.
In the meantime, prepare the other salad ingredients. To make the maple almonds, heat the tablespoon of maple syrup with the cinnamon and salt in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the slivered almonds, stir to coat, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes until the almonds are sticky, browned, and fragrant (but not burnt). Transfer to a plate to harden.
Next, make the dressing by whisking together the tahini, lemon juice, other tablespoon of maple syrup, and salt. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it's thinned to your liking.
When the squash is finished roasting and all of the ingredients are ready, assemble the salads. I prefer to divide the greens across 4 or more plates, top with the squash, and sprinkle each one with the maple almonds, dried cherries, and crumbled goat cheese. Then, drizzle each salad with dressing. This is a better way to enjoy the salads. If you try to mix everything together in a bowl, the goat cheese will clump, the squash may break, and some of the fix-ins will go to the bottom of the bowl.
Serve the salads and enjoy!
Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!

Notes

Make ahead: Make all of the components and keep in separate containers in the fridge. Assemble the salads when ready to serve. Some of the components, like the dressing, squash, and maple almonds, can be made up to a few days in advance.
To make vegan, omit the goat cheese or use a vegan version. For a nut-free version, use pumpkin seeds in place of almonds.
Feel free to sub other types of winter squash, such as delicata or butternut.

Nutrition