This roasted squash and arugula greek salad is made with maple chili roasted winter squash, peppery arugula and is loaded up with fresh herbs, kalamata olives, red onion and feta cheese. So much flavor and veggies make this a winning a salad!
Alright! I think it’s about time for a new blog post, don’t you?! This is a recipe I made a while ago, but haven’t had the time to polish and share. But here it is! Finally ready! And I’m so excited for you guys to try it because it’s so DELICIOUS! Turns out that roasting squash + and loading it up with arugula all the fixings of a greek salad is a really really really good idea 😉
The type of squash you use is totally up to you. Pretty much any thin skinned variety that you can roast in segments would be A+.
By choosing a thin skinned variety you accomplish 2 things.
- YOU DON’T HAVE TO PEEL YOUR SQUASH! (raises hands in the air) – peeling squash can be difficult, time consuming and dangerous.. welllll maybe exaggerating on the dangerous part but I have definitely cut my fingers peeling some awkwardly shaped thick skinned squash 😣
- It will hold up a lot better to being tossed into a salad. The skin, though delicate enough to eat, does the work of holding your roasted-until-tender pieces of squash together, so you don’t have to worry about it getting all mushy. I mean, I’m sure it would still taste good, but the presentation might not be as lovely.
I chose carnival squash, because it’s so colorful and pretty! But delicata, acorn, or honeynut squash also be excellent choices.
And because you sometimes you just want to capitalize on that super succulent umami bomb flavor that you get from roasting, I drizzled my squash pieces with a little mixture of melted ghee, grated garlic, maple syrup, chili flakes and sea salt. YES. You guys. So much yes for that roasting sauce. It gets kind of crispy and caramelized and compliments the flavor of deeply roasted squash PERFECTLY. You could totally just roast the squash pieces straight up with whatever oil you prefer + sea salt, but I’m begging you to try this roasting sauce first. I highly doubt you will regret your choice.
It takes this greek salad to the NEXT LEVEL. Take that 2017 💪🏼
Once the squash is roasted, you can let it cool slightly before layering it with arugula all the greek flavor making magic of this salad
- feta cheese
- lots of fresh herbs – chives, parsley, cilantro are all great choices
- kalamata olives
- red onion
- arugula
- olive oil + lemon juice
YES! Magic. I promise.
Make it a meal!
Try adding some pan seared chicken, greek marinated prawns, or grilled skirt steak to turn this flavorful salad into a meal!
equipment used for this recipe
Calphalon Nonstick Bakeware, Baking Sheet, 2-Piece Set
Print
Roasted Squash and Arugula Greek Salad {vegetarian + paleo friendly}
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
This roasted squash and arugula greek salad is made with maple chili roasted winter squash, peppery arugula and is loaded up with fresh herbs, kalamata olives, red onion and feta cheese. So much flavor and veggies make this a winning salad!
Ingredients
- 2 carnival or acorn squash, seeded and cut into slices
- 2 tablespoons melted ghee or coconut oil
- 1 clove of garlic, grated or very finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 oz feta
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoon chives or green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, thinly sliced
- 1/4 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
- a few handfuls of arugula
- olive oil
- a big squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Melt ghee or coconut oil with garlic, chili flakes, maple syrup and sea salt.
- Toss squash slices with mixture and spread evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet, giving slices as much space to themselves as possible so they roast and crisp up instead of steaming.
- Roast for 20 minutes, flip and roast another 5 minutes until caramelized and tender.
- In a small bowl mix together crumbled feta, parsley, and chives.
- Plate a few handfuls of fresh arugula and top with roasted squash slices.
- If you have some crispy garlic + chili bits on your roasting tray gather them up and break apart with your fingers and crumble over the top of the squash slices. SO MUCH FLAVOR!
- Top with herbed feta, sliced olives, red onion and drizzle with a little olive oil and a big squeeze of lemon juice.
- Finish with a few grinds of black pepper and serve!
Notes
Make it a meal by topping with pan seared chicken breast, greek marinated prawns or grilled skirt steak!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! when you rate my recipes and leave feedback it helps me continue to improve. you can leave me a comment below, or snap a picture and post it to instagram with the tag @nyssaskitchen or hashtag #nyssaskitchen! xo
Nick @ GreekBoston.com says
Salads tend to be associated with the warmer months, but there’s never a wrong time to enjoy a salad! This one takes a bit longer to put together than some but well worth it in the end. Not a boring salad that’s for sure!
Nyssa Tanner says
Totally! I’m team never a boring meal over here!
Albert Bevia says
This is like the next-level Greek salad! I love everything about it, from the roasted squash to the maple syrup, what an incredible combination of ingredients, thank you for the recipe 🙂
Nyssa Tanner says
Yes you’re so welcome! I’m always about the next level. Just makes food so much more tasty! 😉