Butternut Squash Arugula Salad is a great salad to meal prep and eat all week. Sweet butternut squash is roasted and topped on arugula with asiago cheese, candied pecans and homemade croutons! This Butternut Squash Arugula Salad looks and tastes like a salad that you would order at a restaurant. It is super simple to meal prep to have for a light, healthy lunch all week!
This winter, I have been really into butternut squash. Truthfully, I love all orange foods: sweet potatoes, carrots, clementines, Cheez-Its, to name a few. Roasting butternut squash is my preferred method of cooking. I like over-roasting it a tad to get that charred outer edge. I use roasted butternut squash in salads, bowls and dinner sides. To all of the mamas out there, butternut squash is a great baby/toddler side dish!
I have been in New York City for work this week and all healthy eating was thrown out the window. Between COVID restaurant closures/restrictions and the 18+ inches of snow that covered Manhattan on Monday and Tuesday, this trip was not the glamourous NYC dining that I love. This mama (and baby) got hungry and had to eat what was available (junk food). Three days of bad eating has me craving greens and ready prepped meals.
I made this Roasted Butternut Squash Arugula Salad a few weeks ago and will be making this again when I get home. Sweet butternut squash is roasted and then topped on a bed of peppery arugula. I added freshly shredded asiago cheese and candied pecans. The saltiness of the cheese balances out the sweetness of the nuts. I then topped the salad off with homemade croutons. While you can use store bought croutons, homemade croutons are easy.
Let's Make the Roasted Butternut Squash Arugula Salad!
In our house, we either have no bread at all (not intentional) or we have 3 different loaves that are near expiration. I use these loaves for croutons and bread crumbs for soups and salads. The thicker the bread the better for croutons (think: sourdough, French loaf, ciabatta). First, cut the bread into 1" chunks. I heat a pan over medium heat and add about 2 tablespoons of EVOO, season with salt and pepper. Feel free to season with whatever seasonings will compliment your dish. Sauté croutons on all sides until crisp about 1 minute per side. Let cool on a paper towel lined plate.
Now for Roasted Butternut Squash
Start by preheating the oven to 425. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Put chopped butternut squash on baking plan. I like to roast an entire butternut squash at a time. This will give you 3-4 cups of chopped squash depending on the size. This recipe will use 2 cups of squash. Save the leftovers for something else. Ahhhh, the beauty of meal prepping.
Top the squash with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Feel free to add whatever spices you enjoy. I like to add smoked paprika and a bit of cayenne pepper. Bake butternut squash for 40 minutes flipping the squash half way through. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Time to toss the Arugula Salad...
This is super simple. I used 9 oz pre-washed arugula. Top this with ¼ cup shredded asiago cheese, ¼ candied pecans, ¼ cup croutons and 2 cups butternut squash. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette on top!
You can either pre-assemble a big salad or individually package up lunches for the week. Regardless, I would store the dressing on the side.
If you try this recipe, please share on instagram @delmarvaliciousdishes and comment!
Butternut Squash Arugula Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut Squash- Chopped
- 9 oz Arugula
- ¼ cup Asiago Cheese- Shredded
- ¼ cup Candied Pecans
- ¼ cup Homemade Croutons
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
Homemade Croutons
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add butternut squash to baking sheet and mix with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Roast butternut squash in oven for 40 minutes flipping halfway through.
- Toss salad together. To the arugula, add asiago cheese, toasted pecans, croutons and butternut squash.
- Top with balsamic vinaigrette before serving.
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