Roasted Butternut Squash and Beetroot Salad with Feta and Walnuts

Sweet roasted butternut squash and earthy beetroot combine with salty pops of feta cheese, crunchy walnuts and a simple balsamic dressing in this delicious warm salad. This easy Roasted Butternut Squash and Beetroot Salad with Feta and Walnuts can be served as a side dish or as a main course with pittas or flatbreads. It can also be served cold and makes a delicious packed lunch!

Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine British

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 526kcal

Author Eb Gargano

Ingredients

Roasted Butternut Squash and Beetroot Salad

500 g beetroot chopped into 1cm / ½inch cubes (no need to peel)
500 g butternut squash peeled and chopped into 1cm / ½inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
50 g walnut halves
180 g mixed salad leaves
100 g feta cheese

Simple Balsamic Dressing

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F.
Place the beetroot cubes on one side of a roasting tray and place the butternut squash on the other side. (See Note 1.)
Drizzle over the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and scatter over a little salt and pepper. Turn the beetroot and butternut squash cubes in the oil, taking care not to stain the butternut squash purple (See Note 1.)
Roast the beetroot and butternut squash in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, remove the beetroot and butternut squash from the oven and turn the cubes in the oil, again taking care not to stain the butternut squash purple. (See Note 1.)
Return the tray to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes , or until fully cooked and lightly tinged with brown.
While the vegetables are in the oven, make the simple balsamic dressing. Place all the dressing ingredients in a clean jam jar (or similar), give the dressing a quick stir then screw on the lid and give the dressing a vigorous shake to ensure all the ingredients are well combined.
Next, place the walnut halves on another roasting tray. Pop the tray of walnuts into the same oven as the veggies and roast for 3 minutes, then remove from the oven. (See Note 2.)
When the vegetables are cooked to your liking, remove them from the oven and assemble the salad. First divide the salad leaves between 4 plates. Next, add an equal portion of the butternut squash and beetroot cubes, on top of the salad leaves, on each plate. Drizzle over a spoonful of the dressing (See Note 3) and then scatter with the feta. Finally crumble over the walnuts and serve immediately. (See Note 4.)
Serve as a main course with pittas or flatbreads. Put the remaining dressing on the table for people to add extra if they wish.

Notes

Try to keep the beetroot and butternut squash cubes separate while roasting or the beetroot will stain the butternut squash purple and the salad will not look so pretty.
The walnuts can be roasted at any time while the beetroot and butternut squash is roasting in the oven. Take care to take the walnuts out after 3 minutes – any longer and they may burn!
I recommend drizzling over the dressing BEFORE adding the feta to make the salad look prettier.
This salad ideally needs to be served immediately. If you cannot serve this salad immediately, keep the leaves separate and mix in at the last minute or they will go soggy.
Not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Nutrition