Beet & Butternut Squash Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette

This Beet & Butternut Squash Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette is a perfect combination of fall flavors featuring root vegetables and squash, both roasted and raw, and adorned with a next-level vinaigrette.  Earthy and sweet roasted beets are paired with thin, wide, raw squash ribbons that have been marinated and placed on top of a bed of peppery and crunchy greens and topped with crunchy pistachios and pomegranate seeds.  Perfect for this time of year, this salad will take you long into the winter months.

If there’s one rut that people get into and complain about, it’s a salad rut!

I hear this from people ALL the time! And I get it. We already have to make decisions about what to make as the main part of our dinner, the last thing we want to think about is salad.

But I’ve got your back.

This is to get you thinking a little outside the box. Shaved raw butternut squash is different and unexpected and a perfect way to change things up.

I just know this is going to become a fall favorite!

And if you want another showstopper salad recipe – check out this Roasted Pear Salad with Arugula and Spiced Maple Vinaigrette!

Or if you’re looking for more fall main dish recipes, try this Cast Iron Ribeye with Pears, Pumpkin Orzo with Bacon and Rosemary, Ground Pork and Apple Meatballs with Apple Cider Sauce, Creamy Mushroom Pappardelle Pasta, Roasted Salmon and Butternut Squash, or this Skillet Chicken with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions!

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this easy fall salad recipe:

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

The ingredients to make this simple butternut squash salad with beets are easy to find and readily available at most grocery stores. I highly recommend grabbing the beets, squash, and greens at your local farmer’s market for the best flavor if you can.

Here are a few ingredient notes:

Beets: Beets provide a sweet and earthy taste to this salad that is a nice contrast to the spicy arugula and the punchy orange-ginger vinaigrette. Roasting causes the beets to release their natural sugars, providing that sweet flavor. Use a combination of golden and red beets if you can.

Butternut squash: The butternut squash in this salad is unusual in that it is left raw and shaved into thin ribbons, making it crunchy, a little sweet, and an entirely different butternut squash experience!

Greens: Spicy arugula and little gem lettuces are used in this recipe as the base to the salad, but you can easily substitute other leafy greens like lacinato kale (aka dinosaur kale), romaine lettuce, escarole, and spinach.

Oranges: The juice and zest of fresh oranges are the vinaigrette’s base, providing both sweetness and tanginess and pair nicely with both earthy beets and raw butternut squash. Lemon juice can be used as a substitute with apple cider vinegar. However, the flavors will need to be rebalanced, as the lemons are much more tart.

Vinegar: A small adder to help balance the sweetness of the oranges, the vinegar is key in this dressing. I used champagne vinegar, but you could substitute a white balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.

Dijon mustard: The mustard in the vinaigrette, not only acts as an emulsifier (keeping the vinaigrette mixed), but also adds dimension to the flavor of the vinaigrette. Whole grain mustard would be a good substitute.

Fresh ginger: Fresh ginger adds a nice warmth to the vinaigrette without adding heat from chilies and complements the beets, butternut squash, and orange flavors.

Crystallized ginger: Any good vinaigrette is about a balance of flavors. This vinaigrette features some powerful savory flavors, which call for something sweet for balance. You could certainly substitute honey, maple syrup, or white or brown sugar, but why not up the ginger flavor ante and use crystallized ginger?! Crystallized ginger, by the way, is just ginger cooked in simple syrup and then rolled in sugar. This is such a fun way to add a touch of sweetness, but also add another dimension of ginger flavor.

Goat cheese: A perennial favorite of mine, I love the earthy funky flavor of goat cheese and it just goes SO WELL with roasted beets. Use as much as you like, but if you don’t like goat cheese, consider substituting with feta, ricotta salata, or any kind of blue cheese.

Red onion: Red onion, a little sweeter than yellow or white onions, adds a bit of crunch and another layer of flavor to the salad. Shallots would be a great substitute. If red onions are too strong for you, soak them in ice water for 10 minutes before adding them.

Pistachios: Pistachios have such a rich, buttery taste and add another level of crunch to this recipe. Use them toasted or not, or substitute with crunchy walnuts or hazelnuts for the best flavor pairings.

Pomegranate: Optional, but adding the last pop of flavor and texture, pomegranate seeds (arils) add such a bright tanginess to the finished salad. Crunchy pepitas, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds, although different, would make good substitutes.

Let’s Make This Beet & Butternut Squash Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette Together: STEP BY STEP

Steps 1, 2 & 3:

First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees, trim the tops and bottoms of the beets, and place them on a roasting pan. Cover the beets with aluminum foil and roast for 45-60 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife.

Second, start the vinaigrette by zesting the oranges and grating the garlic and ginger into a bowl.

Steps 4, 5 & 6:

Third, add the orange juice, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper and whisk until the salt is dissolved (or shake in a small mason jar). Then, add the olive oil and stir in the crystallized ginger.

Steps 7, 8 & 9:

Next, tackle the butternut squash by trimming the top and bottom and peeling the entire squash. Cut it in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Peel each half of the squash into wide, thin ribbons and place them in a bowl.

Finally, pour half of the vinaigrette over the squash ribbons and set them aside to marinate.

Steps 10, 11 & 12:

While the squash is marinating, slice the onions, chop the pistachios and parsley, and remove the seeds from the pomegranate. Then add the onion and parsley to the marinating squash and gently stir everything until combined.

When the beets are done and cool enough to handle, carefully peel them.

Steps 13, 14 & 15:

Cut the beets into wedges and continue to cool.

In the meantime, dress the salad leaves and then spread them out on a platter and top with marinated butternut squash. Place the beets all over the salad and dot with goat cheese. Finally, sprinkle pistachios and pomegranate seeds all over and drizzle with any remaining vinaigrette.

Serving Suggestions

• This can be served on its own as a light dinner with some delicious Pumpkin Soup or Creamy Carrot and Red Lentil Soup and a glass of wine.
• A perfect side dish, along with these insanely good Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta, for your upcoming holiday gatherings – it’s fresh, delicious, and a bright spot on any holiday table!
• Serve it alongside this incredible One-Pan Chicken with Mushrooms or with these Juicy Meatballs for a perfect fall or winter dinner.

Storage

Store this salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Please note that the greens, especially the arugula, will wilt, but the butternut squash and beets will hold up longer.

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