Fall Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
Roasted beets and butternut squash served over spicy arugula & spinach then topped with crunchy apple slices, pomegranate seeds, and toasted pepitas with a simple maple dijon vinaigrette.
This is literally a clean-out-my-fridge salad that I recently made for lunch. I simply roasted the butternut squash and beets then once they were cooled, I tossed them together with spinach, arugula, apple slices, pomegranate arils, toasted pepitas, and feta cheese. I served it with a simple maple dijon vinaigrette and the flavors were wonderful together. I think this fall salad with maple dijon vinaigrette will be a beautiful addition to our Thanksgiving feast or Christmas dinner this year.
How to Make a Fall Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Roast the beets by scrubbing and trimming the ends of the beets then cutting them into quarters. Place the yellow beets on a piece of tin foil and the red beets on a separate piece of tin foil. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil on the beets then wrap them in a foil packet. Place the packets on a small baking sheet then roast for 60 minutes, or until fork-tender. Open the foil packets and let them cool. Peel then slice.
Roast the butternut squash by peeling, deseeding, and dicing the butternut squash then place it in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and season with a bit of sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Toss well to coat evenly. Pour butternut squash onto a baking sheet and place in the oven to roast at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through bake time. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely.
Make the maple dijon vinaigrette while the beets and squash are roasting. Whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, real maple syrup, and minced garlic in a small jar. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Set aside to allow flavors to mingle.
To serve salad, toss the baby spinach and arugula together in a bowl. Drizzle with some of the well-whisked vinaigrette, to taste. Toss until well coated and then top with roasted beets, butternut squash, apple slices, pomegranate arils, feta cheese crumbles, and toasted pepita seeds. Season with lots of freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.
Serve immediately with additional maple dijon vinaigrette on the side. Enjoy.
Equipment
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 small red beet
- 1 small yellow beet
- ½ small butternut squash
- Olive oil, to taste
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 3½ cups baby spinach
- 1½ cups arugula
- ¼ apple, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp pomegranate arils
- 2 tbsp feta cheese crumbles
- 1 tbsp toasted pepitas
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp real maple syrup
- 1½ tsp dijon mustard
- 1 small clove of garlic, minced
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Roast the beets by scrubbing and trimming the ends of the beets then cutting them into quarters. Place the yellow beets on a piece of tin foil and the red beets on a separate piece of tin foil. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil on the beets and then wrap them in a foil packet.
- Place the packets on a small baking sheet then roast for 60 minutes, or until fork-tender. Open the foil packets and let them cool. Peel then slice.
- Roast the butternut squash by peeling, deseeding, and dicing the butternut squash then place it in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and season with a bit of sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Toss well to coat evenly.
- Pour butternut squash onto a baking sheet and place in the oven to roast at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through bake time. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely.
- Make the maple dijon vinaigrette while the beets and squash are roasting. Whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, real maple syrup, and minced garlic in a small jar. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Set aside to allow flavors to mingle.
- To serve salad, toss the baby spinach and arugula together in a bowl. Drizzle with some of the well-whisked vinaigrette, to taste. Toss until well coated and then top with roasted beets, butternut squash, apple slices, pomegranate arils, feta cheese crumbles, and toasted pepita seeds. Season with lots of freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately with additional maple dijon vinaigrette on the side. Enjoy.
Such a colourful and flavourful harvest salad! Love maple dijon dressing too.
I love cleaning out my refrigerator when I’m making salad! Never know what I’ll come up with. Really glad you came up with this beauty — looks SO good. Such a nice combo of flavors, too. Thanks!
This looks like a salad I would love to have for dinner.
So many tasty components in here! And I love the sound of that vinaigrette.
I am hooked I have to make this despite the fact we are moving from Salad to soups with the colder weather. It looks so delicious.
Cheers Diane