Pear, Pomegranate and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sesame Vinaigrette

Pear, Pomegranate and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sesame Vinaigrette

Since we’re in the crucial weeks of the “New Year, New You” phase, I’m sure...

Pear, Pomegranate and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sesame Vinaigrette

Since we’re in the crucial weeks of the “New Year, New You” phase, I’m sure you’re all getting pretty tired of salads.

Or maybe you love salads and could eat a salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I definitely could, especially if they looked like today’s salad.

Pear, Pomegranate and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sesame Vinaigrette

When I say I could eat salads for b/l/d, let me preface that by saying that my salads aren’t really salads. They’re basically meals with some lettuce thrown in.

I remember the first time I told Lu I was making salads for dinner, after we first moved in together. He did the whole, “Salads? Won’t I be hungry after?”

Pear, Pomegranate and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sesame Vinaigrette

Just like he is in a spin class when he grabs the 5 pound weights instead of the 2s or 3s, he was proven wrong: he couldn’t finish his plate, just like he can’t finish the arm routine!

Anyway, my point is this: salads don’t have to be dreaded and the typical toppings don’t need to be used – who says you have to use tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers? Why not use pear and butternut squash noodles instead?

Pear, Pomegranate and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sesame Vinaigrette

By adding spiralized veggies and fruits to your salads, your brain thinks “oh, I’m eating pasta, not salad!” and your taste buds will be overjoyed.

Now, this maple-sesame vinaigrette. Don’t change a thing about it – it’s honestly the tastiest vinaigrette. The sweetness in the squash and the pears bring out its sweetness, while the saltiness of the soy sauce and savoriness of the sesame oil balance everything else out for the perfect, well, umami.

Pear, Pomegranate and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sesame Vinaigrette

The walnuts and pomegranates make this winter-friendly and add even more color, texture, flavor and nutrients.

I mean, isn’t this “salad” just beautiful? I may even make it my iPhone home screen background.

Pear, Pomegranate and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sesame Vinaigrette

What are your favorite spiralized veggies and fruits to add to a salad?

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Pear, Pomegranate and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sesame Vinaigrette

Inspiralized

Pear, Pomegranate and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sesame Vinaigrette

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 3

Ingredients

  • 1 medium butternut squash peeled, Blade B, noodles trimmed
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 large asian pear
  • 5 oz container of arugula
  • ¾ cup pomegranate seeds
  • 3/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts
  • For the vinaigrette:
  • 1 tablespoon real maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 garlic clove crushed and then minced

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out the butternut squash noodles. Coat lightly with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper and roast for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through but still al dente.
  • While the squash cooks, combine all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette and set aside.
  • Spiralize the pear and add to a large mixing bowl with the arugula and walnuts. Once butternut squash is done, add it to the large bowl, drizzle over the vinaigrette and toss thoroughly.
  • Serve immediately.
with love, Ali

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Recipe Rating




comments

  • Wow, that is so beautiful! Putting pomegranate on my grocery list!
  • OMG Yes!
  • Is maple syrup supposed to be on the vinaigrette ingredient list twice?!
  • This salad looks amazing! 1Tablespoon of Maple Syrup appears twice in the ingredients for the dressing. Is this a typo or is it 2 Tablespoons?
  • I just got an update from Amazon...your cookbook is shipping end of February!! Congrats again, and can't wait for it to arrive...
  • Yes, also very excited to learn of earlier ship date for cookbook! Also wondering about maple syrup 1 or 2 Tablespoons?
  • Aldo wondering about the maple syrup
  • Oh my! This looks and sounds delicious! I will definitely have to try it!
  • YES! Been waiting for this recipe! Soooo cannot wait to make it...dressing sounds awesome! And like you, I could eat sald for B/L/D! YES!
  • I tried to spiralize part of a butternut squash the other night and it was a mess. The veggie is so hard I couldn't get the device to hold it properly. At this rate, one of my biceps is going to be so huge I'll look like Popeye! lol How do you spiralize the hard veggies? (I managed to do a sweet potato, but it was very difficult. The butternut squash was just impossible.) Thanks!
    • I'm glad I'm not the only one that finds the butternut so hard to spiralize. I actually got tendinitis in my wrist from trying to do it. I've managed all other veggies just fine.
    • I broke my first spiralizer with a butternut squash (it was 2 years old and owed me nothing!) ... but I spiralized one last night (for making this recipe today) and nearly broke the crank mechanism again. I wish they would make the spiralizer crank arm a little stronger!
    • I used a fine blade mandolin for both the pears and small honey nut squash for more like medium egg noodle size. It was perfect.
  • Made this yesterday and it was excellent. Took some time, but most could be done ahead, except for spiralizing the pear and tossing it all together. I hadn't seeded a pomegranate before and didn't know how much it would yield. It was 1 1/2 cups of seeds from one pomegranate.
  • This salad is so amazing! It is my new go-to salad for impressing guests. I recently made it for a baby shower at work and people were gushing! And many had to rush out to buy spiralizers. Also, I'm a little obsessed with butternut squash noodles. So YUM!
  • I cannot wait to serve this for family this weekend! Not sure if you'll be able to answer this before then, but I'm just wondering if the butternut squash is ok to do before hand and serve cooled? Thanks in advance!
  • This was the perfect "wow" dish for the Thanksgiving dinner I cooked for my parents! They are world travelers with gourmand leanings, and this passed muster: It tasted amazing, and looked beautiful, too.
  • 16!!!! Smart Points, calculated from the nutritional info given!!!!!
  • How can I make this lunch box friendly? Won’t the pear turn if not in dressing? Thanks. Love this!!
  • Recipe instructions don’t mention what to do with the 3/4 cup of pomegranate seeds in the ingredient list. perhaps it’s obvious to cooks with a little more experience than me or to everyone but me.May I ask when to add.
    • You can just toss them in when you dress the salad!