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Butternut and Beetroot Salad

Butternut and beetroot salad on a large, oval shaped, white serving platter, on top of a gold fringed napkin, with a bowl of dressing in the top left and a silver spoon in the bottom right.
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5 from 1 review

Roasted butternut squash and beets are tossed with creamy goat cheese, candied pecans, fresh greens and thinly sliced red onion. This appetizing and festive salad is the perfect side dish to serve in the fall and winter months. 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 large butternut squash
  • 2 large beets or 4 small beets
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 4 ounce container salad greens
  • 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 ounces goat cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.  Use a vegetable peeler to peel the butternut squash and the beets.  Trim the ends off of the beets and the squash.  Slice the squash in half lengthwise and clean out the guts on the inside.  Chop the squash and the beets into bite-sized pieces.  
  2. Place your chopped squash and beets onto a large, rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season to taste with kosher salt.  Transfer the tray to your preheated oven and roast for 45 minutes.  Stir once halfway through cooking time. 
  3. While the vegetables are roasting, prepare your candied pecans.  Melt the butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat.  Stir in the sugar.  Add the pecans.  Use a nonstick silicone spatula to continuously stir the butter, sugar and pecans over medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved and the pecans are fully coated.  You'll notice the butter and sugar mixture start to turn light/medium brown and it will get syrupy and sticky.  This will happen in about 3 minutes.  Immediately transfer the pecans to a sheet of parchment paper.  Spread them out in an even layer and let them cool.   
  4. When your vegetables are done roasting, you can assemble your salad.  Place your salad greens in a large salad bowl, top with the sliced red onion, roasted beets, roasted butternut squash, candied pecans and crumbled goat cheese.  Top with your favorite vinaigrette, serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

  • If you're preparing the salad in advance, then I would wait to add your warm, roasted vegetables until serving time.
  • When making the candied pecans, a skillet is more effective than a saucepan because a skillet has more surface area over the heating element. A nonstick skillet will make cleanup easier. If you see your butter mixture start to turn dark brown/black or you think you smell it burning, remove it from the heat! There is a fine line between perfectly candied and burnt. Once they're burnt, they're ruined.     

Find it online: https://sugarandsnappeas.com/butternut-and-beetroot-salad/