I had some awesome meals while in Australia last month. One of my favorites was a spinach salad with pumpkin and beets at the restaurant in the Cradle Mountain Lodge in Tasmania. I enjoyed it so much I couldn’t wait to get home and recreate it to eat again! This Spinach Salad with Butternut Squash, Beets & Feta is my version of that yummy salad from down under.
The original salad had diced pieces of roasted pumpkin which was really good but I’m substituting butternut squash today. It was lightly dressed with balsamic vinaigrette which was delightful. Today I’m using a white balsamic glaze and its just as tasty. Feel free to lightly toss the spinach with a bit of balsamic vinaigrette if you prefer. I don’t like much dressing on my salads so a drizzle of balsamic glaze is perfect for me.
To further simplify this salad I purchased already cooked/prepared beets and just heated them up in the oven while the butternut squash was roasting. The squash and beets are arranged on top of the spinach while still warm and the heat gently wilts the spinach a bit and slightly melts the feta. The combination is just so darn good. I thought it would be nice to add a little crunch so I added some toasted, chopped hazelnuts. I really liked the addition of a bit of crunchy nuts to this salad.
This spinach salad with butternut squash, beet & feta is really easy to make plant-based simply by substituting the feta cheese for your favorite alternative.
PrintSpinach Salad with Butternut Squash, Beets & Feta
Roasted butternut squash and beets are served warm on top of spinach with feta and light drizzle of balsamic reduction (or vinaigrette). Delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 sm. bag spinach
- 1 15oz. container pre-diced, peeled butternut squash
- 1 Tbls. olive oil
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 6.5oz. pkg. cooked beets, rinsed
- 1/2 C. crumbled feta cheese (use vegan, if desired)
- 1/4 C. chopped, toasted hazelnuts (or any preferred nut)
- Drizzle of balsamic glaze or vinaigrette, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425º F
- Toss butternut squash with olive oil and a little salt & pepper. Place on cookie sheet and roast until squash is tender (about 15-20 minutes).
- Meanwhile, cut beets in half if small or wedges if larger. Place on small baking sheet and place in oven with the squash the last 5 minutes of cooking to heat them up.
- On serving platter, arrange a bed of spinach. Top with the warm butternut squash and beets, feta cheese and nuts.
- Drizzle balsamic glaze over top to taste (or lightly toss the spinach with vinaigrette first, if desired)