Roasted Butternut Squash Fall Harvest Salad

This delicious Roasted Butternut Squash Fall Harvest Salad was inspired by the True Food Kitchen Seasonal Market Salad. Mixed greens, roasted butternut squash, roasted cauliflower, quinoa, pistachios, and chopped dates tossed in a homemade creamy apple cider vinaigrette dressing and sprinkled with vegan feta cheese.

My hubby and I went to True Food Kitchen a couple of weeks ago for lunch. I ordered their Seasonal Market Salad and it was SO good. There’s not much there that isn’t delicious, haha, but this salad really stuck with me and I wanted to create my own version at home so I can enjoy this scrumptious combination of flavors whenever I want! I ended up adding quinoa to my version of this salad for some plant-based protein and to hardy it up a bit, swapped out the roasted carrots for roasted butternut squash, and used vegan feta cheese instead of dairy feta cheese. I actually made this for Thanksgiving and it was a BIG hit! I mean, one family member said it was “the best salad they’ve ever had”! 🤩 So thank you True Food Kitchen for the genius inspiration 😉🫶🏻.

If you’re a fan of True Food Kitchen also, check out my Copycat True Food Kitchen Tahini Harissa Cauliflower!

What Is a Harvest Salad?

A harvest salad usually refers to a fall inspired salad that includes seasonal ingredients, such as squash, apples, cranberries or whatever seasonal produce you have on hand.

The Salad Ingredients

Mixed greens. I like to use a spring mix lettuce blend, but you may use whatever lettuce you’d like.

Butternut squash. You will need 1 large butternut squash to roast in the oven and then cut into medium-small pieces.

Cauliflower. Fresh cauliflower florets work best in this salad recipe. You will roast the cauliflower in the oven and then toss into the salad.

Olive oil. Olive oil is used to drizzle over the butternut squash and cauliflower prior to roasting in the oven.

Salt & pepper. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the butternut squash and cauliflower prior to roasting in the oven.

Quinoa. You will need half a cup of uncooked quinoa cooked in 1 cup of water. I used tricolor quinoa in this salad but you can use any variety of quinoa you’d like.

Pistachios. I just threw whole, shelled pistachios into this salad to cut back on prep time. Feel free to use chopped pistachios if preferred.

Dates. You may buy pre-chopped dates, but I just chopped my own pitted dates. You will need approximately 10 large medjool dates, or 1 cup of another variety of chopped dates.

Feta cheese. Of course I am using vegan feta cheese made by the Follow Your Heart brand. If you can’t find it, this salad is still delish without it.

Homemade Creamy Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing

Apple cider vinegar. You will need 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar to use in the dressing. I suggest pouring this in your blender first to help move it along.

Olive oil. Use a good quality olive oil with a mild taste for best results.

Maple syrup. Pure maple syrup is used as a natural sweetener in this homemade dressing. Feel free to modify as you’d like.

Mayonnaise. I use a vegan, egg-free mayo alternative from Follow Your Heart. Their Vegenaise is by far my favorite plant-based mayonnaise. I also use it in my Vegan Caesar Dressing as well as my Creamy Vegan Hashbrown Potato Casserole if you’re looking for more ways to use it.

Dijon mustard. Dijon mustard is very commonly used in dressings and it gives this vinaigrette the perfect amount of zing.

Garlic. I used pre-minced garlic that you buy in a jar for meal prep ease, but feel free to mince your own garlic clove.

Salt & pepper. For the dressing I used 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper. Add more to taste if you want.

You will have leftover dressing. Keep it stored it in an airtight container (preferably glass) in your fridge and use within a few weeks.

How To Make This Fall Salad

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Drizzle each half with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place the squash halves flesh side down on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes. 

Alternatively you can peel the skin off the butternut squash, slice it in half, remove the seeds, and cut the squash into cubes. Read more on how to cut a butternut squash. Roast the squash in the oven for 25-30 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Boil the cup of water and cook the quinoa according to package directions.

While the squash is roasting, place the cauliflower florets on the other baking sheet, drizzle with the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. When there’s 25 minutes left on the squash, place the cauliflower in the oven. Flip it halfway through for even roasting.

Make the dressing while you’re waiting. Add everything to a blender and blend until well combined or you can whisk together all of the ingredients in a bowl. 

Two Ways To Serve

For a larger crowd. Add the lettuce to a large bowl. Chop the dates and add them to the salad. Allow the squash, cauliflower, and quinoa to cool slightly, maybe about 10 minutes, then right before serving add it to the salad along with the pistachios and vegan feta cheese if using. Toss the salad and serve into bowls. Serve the dressing on the side.

For a smaller party. I would suggest making each salad in separate bowls to keep the leftover ingredients for another time or for another meal. Add lettuce to each bowl, top with slightly cooled squash, cauliflower, quinoa, dates, pistachios, and feta. Serve the dressing on the side.

I suggest serving the salad and then adding the dressing individually in case you have leftover salad and per individual preference.

How To Store Leftover Salad

I prefer to enjoy this salad with warm butternut squash, cauliflower, and quinoa mixed in with the cool and crisp greens. In the case you like the same, I suggest keeping those items stored separately so you can reheat them by roasting in the oven, heating them in a skillet, or in an air fryer oven. If you don’t care, you can keep the salad pre-mixed when stored.

NOTE: the pistachios will get soggy if stored with the rest of the salad ingredients, so adding those on top of the salad separately may be the way to go if you like crunchy pistachio nuts.

How To Use Leftover Ingredients

This salad is big enough to feed 6-8 people, maybe more depending on portion sizes. If you’d like to make this for yourself, or 2-4 people you will most likely have leftover butternut squash, quinoa, and cauliflower, but that’s meal prep at its finest! Use the leftovers to make Butternut Squash Pesto Quinoa Buddha Bowls or serve alongside a plant-based burger, chicken, or steak.

This yummy, filling salad makes a great side dish, lunch or dinner. It’s a great hardy salad for a full meal to eat on its own or with some added crispy tofu.

Let me know what you think about this Roasted Butternut Squash Fall Harvest Salad recipe down below in the comments section as well as giving it a five rating  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover a vibrant and healthy salad recipe. Be sure to tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest if you make it!

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