Roasted Squash and Spinach Salad

By Yasmin Fahr

Published Oct. 8, 2024

Roasted Squash and Spinach Salad
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
50 minutes
Rating
5(106)
Comments
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An ideal salad for chillier nights, this hearty, dinner-friendly salad comes together in the time it takes for the spiced butternut squash to roast. To reduce prep work, the squash is simply halved then roasted, so you can easily scoop out pieces after cooking rather than chopping the firm vegetable beforehand. Cumin and coriander season the sweet squash, adding an earthy, warming flavor to the dish. While the squash roasts, you’ll prepare a simple feta-yogurt dressing that draws on the sweet acidity of freshly squeezed orange juice. The scooped squash and sweet, tender onions are tossed with the dressing and spinach, plus a sprinkle of crunchy sunflower seeds, for a bright and satisfying meal.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 1medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds), halved and seeded
  • 3red onions, halved tip to tip then sliced into 1-inch wedges
  • ¼cup olive oil, plus more as needed
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½cup crumbled feta
  • ¼cup full-fat yogurt
  • ¼cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from 1 small navel orange)
  • 10ounces baby spinach
  • 2tablespoons roasted, salted sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

236 calories; 14 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 714 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 425 degrees. To a sheet pan, add the squash and onions. Use the tip of a sharp knife to pierce the squash all over. Coat everything, including the squash skin, with 3 tablespoons of olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Season the cut side of the squash with the cumin and ½ teaspoon of the coriander. Place cut-side down and surround with the onions.

  2. Step 2

    Roast until the squash skin is blistered, browned and easily pierced with a fork, 25 to 40 minutes, depending on the thickness of the squash.

  3. Step 3

    While the squash and onions cook, prepare the dressing: In a large serving bowl, combine the feta, yogurt and orange juice with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and ½ teaspoon coriander. Season to taste with salt.

  4. Step 4

    Remove the squash from the oven and let cool slightly. Add the spinach to the serving bowl; toss to coat in the dressing. Use a spoon to scoop bite-size pieces of the squash from the skin, placing them on the sheet pan to cool slightly. When done, discard the skin and scrape everything on the sheet pan into the bowl, tossing to combine. Season to taste with salt or more oil. Garnish with the sunflower seeds and a few grinds of pepper and serve warm or at room temperature.

Ratings

5 out of 5
106 user ratings
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Comments

factumpactum

This looks amazing. Will be trying tonight, adding some warm grains, likely couscous or farro, to make it a dinner. Thank you! Butternut squash is one of the most wonderful gifts of autumn.

Suzinsf

Rather than roast the squash whole, to scale this for 2 people, I peeled and cubed the squash, tossed that and 2 onions prepped as instructed with the oil, salt, & pepper, then roasted until the squash was well browned and the onions were tender and starting to crisp on the exposed edges. Then continued with the rest of the salad. Worked great, and as a bonus, there's leftover roasted squash to make into something else! Maybe Squash au vin? There's a good recipe on Epicurious (modified).

Queen

amazing. wouldn't change a thing. reminds me of an Ottolenghi squash recipe from Jerusalem, but I think I like this better!

Marg

Really good. Instead of yogurt I used lime and I think it made all the difference — needed some zing. Also added half an avocado.

AF

Next time, I would cube the squash before roasting. It will cook more quickly, caramelize more thoroughly, and cool faster for assembly. Maybe slightly less dressing as well as it seemed a bit overdressed — although firmer squash might also help with this issue. Very hearty. We had leftovers, which I might toss with some orzo for dinner tonight.

Char

I’m a huge fan of the NYT recipes but this one fell short. The onions and squash were a bit goopy and the colors didn’t pop with the spinach. I think I’d try making this with chunks or slices of Delicata squash which would add more color and texture. I’m not crazy about roasting the squash whole and scooping balls out. Maybe I roasted the veggies for too long.

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