Description

This Curried Butternut Squash Salad is a vibrant and flavorful autumn-inspired dish featuring spiralized butternut squash, crunchy apples, and red onions tossed in a warm, aromatic spice blend with a hint of sweetness from maple syrup and Medjool dates. Roasted to tender perfection and garnished with pecans and fresh parsley, this salad is perfect served warm as a hearty side or light main.

Ingredients

Scale

Main Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
2 large Granny Smith apples
1 large red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger (minced)
1/2 teaspoon yellow curry powder
1/8 teaspoon allspice
Fresh pepper, to taste
1/4 cup pecans (finely chopped, plus more for garnish)
1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley (roughly chopped and packed)
1/3 cup Medjool dates (pitted and roughly chopped)

Instructions

Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) to prepare for roasting the salad.
Prepare Squash: Cut off the bulbous end and the top stem of the butternut squash to keep the straight middle section. Peel or cut off the skin, then chop the squash in half to make spiralizing easier.
Spiralize Squash: Using a large or ribbon noodle blade, spiralize the butternut squash into thick noodles and place them in a large mixing bowl.
Spiralize Apples: Cut apples in half, core them, and slice a small flat disc on the domed side to stabilize for spiralizing. Spiralize each apple half using the large noodle blade, then add the apple noodles to the bowl with the squash.
Spiralize Onion: Trim ends off the red onion, remove the papery skin, then spiralize it using either the large or smaller noodle blade. Add to the bowl with the other noodles.
Season the Noodles: Toss all the spiralized noodles with olive oil, maple syrup, sea salt, cinnamon, minced fresh ginger, yellow curry powder, allspice, and freshly ground pepper. Mix thoroughly to evenly coat all ingredients in the spices and seasoning.
Transfer to Baking Dish: Move the noodle mixture to a large baking or casserole dish, scraping down the bowl to include all the dressing. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of finely chopped pecans.
Bake: Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Stir the mixture to redistribute. Continue baking for another 10-15 minutes until the squash noodles are fork-tender and the apples and maple syrup have caramelized.
Add Toppings: Remove the dish from the oven and immediately stir in the chopped parsley and roughly chopped Medjool dates.
Cool and Serve: Allow the salad to cool for about 5 minutes before serving warm. Garnish with extra chopped pecans if desired.

Notes

This salad is best enjoyed warm but can also be served at room temperature.
Use a large or ribbon noodle blade on your spiralizer to get thick noodles that hold up well to roasting.
Pecans can be substituted with walnuts or almonds if preferred.
Adjust the curry powder and spices according to your heat preference.
Ensure to core apples properly to avoid tough bite in the noodles.
For a vegan and vegetarian friendly dish, ensure maple syrup is sourced accordingly.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Category: Salad
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: curried butternut squash salad, spiralized vegetables, autumn salad, roasted squash salad, healthy salad recipe, vegetarian fall recipe