A fresh winter salad featuring delicata squash, pomegranate, arugula, and pepitas tossed in a maple balsamic vinaigrette. Perfect for holiday gatherings.
We are officially one week away from my favorite holiday of the year – Thanksgiving! Well, it’s actually a tie for first with Christmas, but that’s aside from the point 🙂 Thanksgiving is a special holiday for my family. We always celebrate with my mom’s side of the family in Wisconsin. This side of our family LOVES to cook and entertain. This is definitely where I get my love of cooking from!
The Thanksgiving menu is planned out months in advance and my aunts and uncles have weekly check-in calls to bounce ideas off of each other. They mean serious business.
Typically, our menu includes a huge green salad with granny smith apples, dried cranberries, pecans, and a balsamic based dressing (it’s one of my favorites), roasted vegetables and sweet potatoes, two types of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing (obviously), butternut squash bake, pumpkin pie, cranberry fluff (this is my Great Grandma’s recipe!), and a signature cocktail.
Since I have been plant-based for 2 years now, I stick to the salad and vegetables – and to be honest, I don’t feel like I’m missing out! This year, I’m bringing mini vegan pumpkin cheesecakes for dessert because what’s Thanksgiving without having something pumpkin-y. Stay tuned for that recipe – it’s going to be a good one.
Now, let’s talk about this salad, shall we?
Since you can never have too many greens, I’m also going to make this Roasted Delicata Squash and Pomegranate Seed Salad for Thanksgiving because it’s AMAZING. It’s so good that I ate about half of the entire salad after I photographed it 🙂
The beauty of this salad definitely comes from the colors. I just can’t get enough of the vibrant pink pomegranates and the golden Delicata Squash. It’s true that beautiful food makes you feel beautiful!
I knew that I wanted to use Arugula as the base of this dressing because of its nice peppery flavors that pair well with the sweetness of the pomegranate seeds and squash. Arugula also has some surprising health benefits for more energy, disease prevention, and a healthier appearance.
10 Health Benefits of Arugula:
- Cancer protection
- High in Vitamin K for your heart, bones, and skin
- Eye nutrients
- High in antioxidants
- High in Vitamin C
- Rich in Folate and B Vitamins
- High in Minerals
- Rich in Chlorophyll
- Potential Aphrodisiac
- Low in calories
Now, let’s talk about this dressing. I make this on a regular basis because it’s so versatile. Want to know a little hack? Tripple the recipe and store the dressing it in a glass mason jar in the refrigerator for a quick lunch or dinner salad. To prevent the arugula from getting soggy, I recommend mixing in the dressing right before serving.
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Roasted Delicata Squash and Pomegranate Arugula Salad
Ingredients
Squash
- 2 medium-sized Delicata Squash
- 1 Tbs Coconut or Avocado Oil
- ¼ tsp Salt
Salad
- 4 heaping cups Arugula
- ⅔ cup Pomegranate Seeds
- ⅓ cup Pumpkin Seeds
Dressing
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
- 2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wash the squash thoroughly. Slice the squash into ½-inch wide rounds. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds from each round.
- Drizzle the squash with a generous tablespoon of avocado or coconut oil and a sprinkle of salt. Use your fingers to lightly coat all surfaces of the squash with oil.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until the squash is tender and golden, flipping halfway.
- In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, toast the pepitas, stirring frequently, until they are fragrant and lightly golden on the edges. Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and Dijon mustard with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Once the squash has had a few minutes to cool, combine the arugula, pomegranate seeds, pepitas and squash in a serving bowl.
- Toss with enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves. Serve immediately.
