Hearty Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Salad
Hearty salad recipe with roasted butternut squash and apples, wheat berries, arugula and a gingery dressing! Vegan and easily gluten free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 3, 2024
Can you tell that I just barely had enough light left to photograph this salad? Imagine me in the backyard, trying to stand very still (like, don’t-breathe still) over a plate of salad while Cookie chased squirrels away. Click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click, and after all that, I only got a few photos that weren’t blurry.
Granted, I had all weekend to make this salad, but I just had to wait until mid-afternoon on Sunday to get to work on them. I miss long summer days.
At least my cooking efforts were rewarded with one epic fall/winter salad. I modeled it after my current favorite restaurant salad from The Mixx in Kansas City. I went there for a late lunch after my return flight home from NYC and ordered this beaut.
I took notes on the flavors and on how they don’t peel the butternut squash before roasting—a major time saver. Who likes to peel butternut squash? No one! The skin helps the butternut retain its shape while roasting, but I couldn’t tell that I was eating butternut peel.
I also loved the roasted apples in the salad, which lie somewhere between fresh and dried on the flavor/texture spectrum. They’re a little dehydrated and concentrated in tart Granny Smith flavor. It took me a couple of tries to get those right at home. The trick is to roast them just long enough to make them tender, but not so long that they pop open.
The restaurant listed a honey-sage dressing on the chalkboard menu, but I swear, that day, it tasted like a ginger dressing to me. I loved it, so I made a ginger dressing for my homemade version. I also opted to use maple syrup instead of honey, which means that this salad is vegan!
Their salad includes farro, which is my go-to whole grain for salads, but I haven’t been able to find any at my grocery store. I used wheat berries instead, which are very similar but need an extra twenty minutes or so for cooking.
I should warn you that this salad requires some effort, but it’s a fantastic meal-in-a-bowl and leftovers will keep for a couple of days. If you’re in a hurry, you could use some pre-cooked or leftover whole grains and just toast the pecans.
Hearty Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Salad
This hearty fall through winter salad recipe features roasted butternut squash and apples, wheat berries (or your cooked whole grain of choice), arugula and maple-cinnamon pecans, all tossed in an irresistible gingery dressing! This salad is vegan as written and easily made gluten free. Recipe yields 4 main dish servings.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup hard white wheat berries, rinsed (or your whole grain of choice—farro would be a great substitute; gluten-free options include quinoa or sorghum)
- 1 Granny smith apple, cored and sliced into ½” wide wedges
- One small (2 to 2 ½ pounds) butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 5 ounces baby arugula (about 5 cups, packed)
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
Cinnamon-maple pecans
- ½ cup pecan pieces (or roughly chopped whole pecans)
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Ginger Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To prepare the wheat berries (if you’re using another grain, cook according to package directions): Combine the rinsed wheat berries with 3 ½ cups water in a medium pot. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, or until the wheat berries are pleasantly tender but still have some chew to them. Drain off excess water, return the wheat berries to the pot and stir in ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside to cool.
- To roast the apples: Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line one small and one large baking sheet with parchment paper. On the small sheet, arrange the apple wedges in a single layer. Bake the apple slices on the middle rack for 10 minutes, until they are starting to collapse on themselves but before they have burst open. Let the apple slices cool on the pan before removing.
- Meanwhile, to prepare the squash: Slice off the top and bottom ends of the squash, then slice it in half vertically. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard them. Slice the squash into ½″ wide half-moon shapes. Transfer the squash to the large baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss until the squash is lightly coated in oil and sprinkle with salt. Arrange the squash in a single layer and roast for 30 minutes, tossing halfway, until the squash is tender and caramelized on the edges. Set aside to cool.
- To prepare the pecans: In a medium skillet over medium heat, toast the pecans until they are fragrant, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Add the maple syrup and a generous pinch of cinnamon and salt and cook, while stirring constantly, until the syrup has condensed and mostly evaporated, about 2 more minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
- To prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, ginger, maple syrup, mustard and salt. Whisk until thoroughly blended and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.
- To assemble the salad: In a large serving bowl, add the arugula, cooled wheat berries and apple slices. Before you add the butternut, you might want to slice the larger half-moons in half, so they’re more bite-sized, like I did. Add the butternut, dried cranberries and pecans, then drizzle with dressing (you might not need quite all of it). Toss to lightly coat. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe inspired by The Mixx‘s abruzzo squash salad.
Make it nut free: Substitute pepitas for the pecans.
Storage suggestions: This salad is best served immediately, but leftovers should keep well, refrigerated, for a couple of days.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Beautiful salad!! Really great combo of ingredients!! I love the sound of this ginger dressing too!!! (And your photos are always gorgeous!!!)
Thank you, Deborah! :)
We did not have wheat berries so tried Farro for the first time…was nervous if my friends would like it..but they loved it ! I roasted every ingredients separately the day before, including dressing and Farro ( that I rinsed after cooing to reduce the mushy-sticky )
We were 7 around the table..and 4 mutts dogs..not too far..I shined as a hosted ..thanks to you Cookie and Kate !
PS. I really like to make things the day before so I can relax the day of having friends over.
Thank you, Corinna! I’m so glad your friends enjoyed it. My farro isn’t usually mushy or sticky—you might cook it a little less next time? Love that you made everything in advance. So smart.
This looks like the perfect December lunch salad. I’ve never cooked with wheat berries, but it seems like I have to now.
I need to get my hand on some wheat berries! I love cooking with different grains. This is the perfect winter salad!
Thanks, Emilie! I think you’ll like wheat berries. Spelt berries or farro would work just as well, if you have those!
Hi! Did you eat the squash skin ? Looks beautiful !
Yes, I did! I couldn’t tell it was there.
This salad looks absolutely lovely! Looking forward to making that ginger dressing. And seriously who actually likes to peel butternut squash! I’m really missing those long summer days too, and I am always in utter shock when it’s 4:30 and dark already! I’ve also been plagued with blurry photos!
Ugh, I know, 4:30 is far too early for the sun to go down!
This salad looks fab and the colors are so beautiful! I can’t wait to try this for lunch :)
This looks so delicious and healthy!
Great recipe – as are ALL your fabulous creations. You are helping make me quite popular at get togethers! Thanks ! Xmas delicacies beckon and I will be looking to you for inspiration ! Thanks so much for sharing your heartfelt recipes and snippets of life .
Christine (Australia)
Thank you so much, Christine! I appreciate your kind words. :)
This looks amazing! I’m always on the lookout for delicious seasonal salads and your blog never fails to deliver. Thanks Kate!
Thank you, Odessa! Hope you love the salad!
Love the idea of a ginger dressing with the squash and the apple – so wintery, so delicious!
I have a jar of berries and butternut squash and you just gave me the perfect way to use them!
Thanks
This is so delicious! What a lovely winter salad to enjoy! Love how it’s with roasted butternut too so it has that winter/warm element to it!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog and recipes, but I recently started using my fitness pal to track nutrition and I realized that these recipes do not provide the nutrition info..I am bummed! i follow your blog +minimalist baker for all my entrees and minimalist baker’s blog does provide nutrition info for the recipes. Please consider providing fat+calories+ carbs+ protein- basic info for recipes.
Hi Kesh! I have always been hesitant to include nutrition details because they really vary widely depending on the actual ingredients used. Like for this recipe, say your butternut squash was bigger than mine, and you used quinoa instead of wheat berries, and you didn’t use quite all of the dressing… then my details wouldn’t be accurate, and I don’t want to offer inaccurate details. Then there’s the matter of serving sizes, which can be manipulated to show less calories, etc. per serving than a person would actually eat. I work really hard to get my recipes just right, and the idea of offering potentially inaccurate nutrition details makes me go nuts! That’s a very long explanation, but I hope it makes sense. I wish I could just link over to the recipe on myfitnesspal so you could easily tinker with ingredients and serving sizes, but they haven’t made that an option yet (and I’ve emailed them to request it!).
this is my favorite winter salad I’ve seen! Can’t wait to make it
Thanks, Gaby! xo
Yummmmmm! Definitely going to try this delicious looking salad, thanks for the healthy, refreshing recipe!
Have a great day -xoxo.
So excited to try this one. Thank you for this recipe.
Hope you love it, Jason!
Another win for Cookie & Kate. I made this salad last week and it made my heart and tummy so happy. I used quinoa (because I had some already cooked) and it was fine, though I think the larger “scale” of wheat berries or farro would be quite lovely in this salad. I might double the pecans next time for bonus munching. Thanks, Kate!
Hooray! Thank you, Anne. I’m so glad you enjoyed this one.
Hi from Santa Cruz! This looks great and is on my to-do list. It did inspire me to roast some cubed, unpeeled butternut squash. Wow – all these years peeling that slippery, awkwardly-shaped bulb. Thanks for the tip and for posting lovely and delicious recipes and stories this year. Your blog is at the top of my Chrome bookmark favorites!
Thank you, Anna! :)
This salad was fantastic. I made 3 meal-sized portions (because I eat a lot!) using farro instead of wheatberries and it was perfect. I actually pinned the recipe because I was intrigued by roasting the butternut without peeling, but then as I was preparing the salad I peeled the butternut without even thinking about it because that’s how I’ve always prepared it! I didn’t even realize it until I was flipping the squash halfway through roasting. Next time I’ll have to try leaving the peel on :)
Thanks for the delicious healthy recipe!
Just did this, but without the cranberries, and with a minced shallot instead of the ginger in the dressing. Fabulous! Thank you!
Thank you, Estye!
I made this tonight and it was so delicious. I used mixed greens but other than that no substitutes. I loved cooking the squash without peeling it.
Thank you, Terri! Glad you liked the skin-on shortcut.
Delicious, thank you! Tried it with Bulgar wheat, as I couldn’t find wheat berries… think I’ll try harder to hunt some down next time. Loved the flavours and colours.
It was the first recipe I’d tried from your website – I’ll be back!
Thank you, Rachel! Hope you enjoy my other recipes just as much!
Made this salad last night and it was a huge hit with the crowd! Substituted quinoa for wheat berries because that’s what I had at the time. The best part is eating leftovers for lunch today! Whenever I need some ideas for dinner I check out your recipes and I have loved all of them. Thanks for sharing!
I have made this salad so many times; it’s become a go-to recipe for me. Thank you! I’ve never even roasted apples before! I love that trick.
I just made this for our family Christmas Eve get together. I use ceramic cookware so this issue may be attributable to that, however while toasting the pecans I added the maple syrup by drizzling it over the top. What touched the pan immediately evaporated and burned. So I waited until the end to drizzle over the top of the nuts. Is there a better way? I am using quinoa since I don’t have wheat berries but expect it’ll absorb the flavors well.
It certainly makes a terrific presentation. It’ll be my meal so I hope it’s delicious like it looks.
Love almost every recipe you share. This was not a favorite though.
Loved making it – super easy! I didn’t love the butternut squash. Did not like the peel on it – too tough. Had I baked it longer the squash would have been mush. Maybe roasted sweet potatoes would have been butter. The squash did not work for me nor for my family who I shared it with.
Can’t wait to see your cookbook!
Sorry this one disappointed you, Lynne.
I love this salad, I made it for thanksgiving one year and now it is requested at all holiday parties! I also substitute dried cranberries for the real deal because I find the dried fruit a little too sugary for me! Thanks for another great one, Kate!
Ps-to Lynne who did not like the skin on the squash: a great solution would be to peel it. I actually use precut squash to save myself some time.
I just wanted to tell you that these candied pecans are the BEST I’ve ever had, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
hooray! Thanks, Katie!
This salad is as tasty as it is pretty with all the beautiful Fall colors in it :)) I loved the dressing and especially the pecans! Will definitely make again!
Great! Thanks for commenting, Fiona.
Beautiful and delicious salad. I used Farro instead of wheat berries, and 2 small Honey Crisp apples instead of a Granny Smith. We had this with grilled salmon, but I will enjoy the leftovers as a salad for lunch! Perhaps next time I’ll throw in some pomegranate arils. I didn’t have fresh ginger so I used powdered, but will have fresh ginger on hand next time as I think it will enhance the flavor of the dressing. This one is a keeper. Thanks Kate!
Thank you for sharing your variation, Sandie!
This salad was super delicious! I used farro since that is what I had on-hand. What a terrific fall recipe! I will be making this again for sure.
Thank you, Debbie! I’m glad farro worked for you.
This was so good! I’m still using up butternut squash from my summer garden and I’m so happy I found this recipe. I used raw apples for a little extra crunch but will try roasting them next time. Thanks for another great meal :)
You’re welcome, Stephanie! I’m glad you were able to use some from your garden.
I made this salad for dinner tonight, using farro and delicata squash and we absolutely loved it. Delicious, substantial and satisfying — a meal in itself. Can’t wait to make it for guests. Thank you, Kate!
You’re welcome, Jennifer!
Amazing! I made this minus the wheat berries as a side for Thanksgiving. It was so yummy! I think you are the most talented person when it comes to making veggies taste great!
I made this salad two weeks ago…..and wow!!! we loved it. I took it a few days later to a potluck and it was the nicest looking dish on the table…..so colorful and perfect for the holidays…..and it was one of the few dishes that had no leftovers…..made it with farro and we did peel the squash….the maple glazed pecans could become an addiction……..several requests for the recipe, of course.
I’m happy you loved it! Thank you for sharing, Bunny.
The pecans make this salad! The flavors are rich and varied and make inexpensive ingredients seem refined and special. A delicious fall/winter salad after the decadent holiday meals of the last week.
I’m glad you loved it, Eileen!
Made this salad last night. Amazing!! All four of us loved it and it is my new favorite. Thanks for the continually great recipes.
You’re welcome, Tamara! I appreciate your comment and review.
Very pretty and tasty! Made this using some cubes of squash and cranberries that I had previously frozen. I roasted the cranberries for 5 minutes. Their tang offsets the sweetness of the dressing and pecans. Happened to have all of the ingredients except wheat berries, so I used a wild rice blend. (Also I had plenty of time to cook while staying at home.) This dish will be a great candidate for cold-season potlucks.
One of the best salads I’ve ever made. We added some caramelized onions and goat cheese, complimented the flavors well. This is my new go-to dish for when company comes over.
A bit time consuming, but soooo worth it! It’s fantastic!
I’m glad you thought it was worth it, Cindy!
What a lovely fall salad, thank you for another amazing recipe! I served it out on our deck among the fall leaves. Our company raved about it and doing dishes was easy because all the plates were completely cleaned. That with homemade sourdough bread equals a total winner!!! (the nuts were so good it’s surprising any were left for the salad)
I made this for our Christmas dinner. Even the “no salad for me” guys loved it! Really appreciate all the unique and easy salad recipes you create. The diversity is great when we are trying to eat healthy. This is a winner!
Thank you, Phyllis! I’m excited this one was a hit for you,
This was delicious! I used farro, and added some goat cheese to mine. Thanks for the lovely recipe.
Delicious! I had to cook the squash and apple early in the morning on a hot day. But it all came together beautifully. I used couscous as I had neither wheat berries or farro. I will try these grains too.
Thank you for sharing, Hilary! I appreciate your review.
Thank you Kate for this perfect autumn salad! I brought the prepared ingredients to a picnic with my sister and niece – dining al fresco and assembled and tossed with the dressing onsite. This time I used delicata squash because it’s so cute and perfect bite size. I doubled the apple, used quinoa cooked in vegetable (Better Than Boullion), and had French feta, avocado, and pepitas on the side to dress your own salad. I would definitely double the pecans next time. Beautiful and oh-so nutritious. Served with a homemade foccacia. They loved it!
I’m glad you loved it! I appreciate your review.
We love this beautiful fall salad – I know I’ve found a winner when my partner says “ make that again”! And it’s always your recipes Kate that get that response!
Friday nights are my “make dinner with what’s in the house night” before I get to the market on Saturday.
I substituted pearl barley, little gem lettuces, and dried tart cherries because that’s what I had and the salad was both beautiful and delicious! I also added sheep’s milk feta cheese because I had it and you know, cheese! I’m allergic to ginger, lemon and mustard so added a bit more maple syrup and lime to the dressing and it was still wonderful.
Thanks for creating delicious and beautiful recipes that easily work with on-hand substitutes.
That’s a fun idea! Thank you for sharing, Mary.
This was delicious.Thank you.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Mary!
I made this as a side for Thanksgiving dinner and it was tasty – the instructions weren’t clear about the butternut squash skin so we left it on, which worked ok. The ratio was way too low of arugula to everything else, so next time I would halve the farro (or wheat berries) and increase the pecans. The apples didn’t add anything to the flavor so I’d leave them off next time.
I’m glad you loved it, Allison! Thank you for sharing.
This salad was delicious. What a great idea to roast the apples! As you said, their flavor and texture add a lot to the salad.
Hi Kate, this my first ever appreciation post but thought it was time I finally said thank you for your recipes that just work and are so clear. I read about this one yesterday, made it tonight and struggled to stop eating it – so delish. I used large cous cous, and subbed walnuts for pecans (will be tripling that next time!!!) and roasted pumpkin. Loved the combination of flavours, especially the hit of ginger in the dressing. Have made your lentil soup countless times and many other dishes. Thanks for making being vegetarian more delicious!!! Cheers, Jenny (Glenelg, South Australia)
You’re so kind! I’m glad you have enjoyed my recipes, Jenny. Thanks for taking the time to share!
It’s perfect. Made it for Canadian thanksgiving and it paired beautifully with everything else – this is a very hearty & flavourful salad.
I found it was good to start this one early so everything has time to cool in the fridge before final assembly.
The ginger dressing is superb. Thank you!