Roasted beets and butternut squash are served over spicy arugula and topped with crunchy pepitas, creamy goat cheese, recent herbs, and a easy balsamic French dressing. This lovely salad is a easy gluten-free recipe full of vitamin and taste. Get pleasure from it for lunch, dinner, or as a colourful facet dish in your fall and winter vacation meals.

This colourful, easy, and tremendous nutrition-packed salad goes out to all of the individuals searching for tasty methods to eat extra veggies, particularly roasted greens. And to those who similar to consuming lovely salads.
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I really feel like salads are all the time the afterthought to a meal. Actually, at a latest vacation gathering with my household (which was smaller than regular cuz good day 2020) the poor salad that was served was fully forgotten and overshadowed by the entire different dishes served. And it was forgotten once more the subsequent day when all of the leftovers got here out for a second spherical of noshing.
However this salad catches the attention. The colours seize our consideration and the roasted veggies on prime layered with toasted pepitas and crumbles of creamy goat cheese shout taste and engaging fall/winter vibes.

Table of Contents
Why you may love this recipe
This salad is really easy to like as a result of:
- It is easy. There’s slightly roasting within the oven, slightly slicing, after which some easy salad arranging.
- It is vegetarian and might simply be made vegan by swapping out the goat cheese in your favourite mushy and creamy vegan ‘goat’ cheese. This salad will test off many of the bins for any sort of meals intolerance that joins your desk.
- It may be prepped forward. Roast the veggies forward of time so they’re able to go once you wish to rapidly toss collectively the salad. This makes your easy salad much more easy.
- It is lovely. We eat with our eyes first. This colourful salad is difficult to disregard with its brilliant, vibrant colours. It might additionally be a magnet for your co-workers at lunchtime so be able to share the recipe.
- It is tasty. The #1 requirement for a recipe to make it onto Move Me Some Tasty. Roasted winter veggies, spicy arugula, crunchy pepitas, tangy goat cheese, and a beneficiant drizzle of balsamic French dressing undoubtedly move the tasty take a look at.
Recipe substances

- Butternut squash – If you cannot discover butternut squash swap it out for any of those interchangeable winter squashes: acorn, kabocha, Hubbard, or sugar pumpkin.
- Beets – I exploit pink beets on this recipe just because I like their lovely distinction subsequent to the intense orange roasted butternut squash however golden beets and even stripey-fleshed Chioggia beets could be simply as nice.
- Pepitas – Also called pumpkin seeds. Haven’t got them readily available? Swap them out for chopped walnuts, toasted sliced almonds, or roasted pistachios.
- Purple Wine Vinegar – Sherry vinegar can be utilized as nicely.
- Recent Herbs – I like including slightly one thing additional to my salads by utilizing recent herbs. On this salad, I exploit recent chives and Italian parsley however be happy to play with the flavors by making an attempt different herbs like tarragon, mint, or basil.
- Goat Cheese – A high-quality, mushy, and creamy goat cheese is what we’re going for. Undecided which one to make use of? Simply ask your pleasant grocery retailer cheesemonger for a suggestion. Feta cheese or a mushy vegan cheese are additionally nice choices.
- Arugula – Swap out this spicy inexperienced for child spinach or combined greens.
Step-by-step directions

Step 1: Wrap washed beets in aluminum foil.
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Step 2: Peel the butternut squash and slice off every finish.

Step 3: Slice the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Minimize every half once more lengthwise after which slice to about ½” thickness.
Step 4: Place the sliced butternut squash on a parchment-lined baking pan and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Step 5: Spread the butternut squash out evenly on the baking sheet and place it, along with the aluminum wrapped beets, into the oven to roast.
Step 6: Add the balsamic vinaigrette ingredients to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and give it a good shake. If you have any kids running around nearby, they love doing this part.

Step 7: Once the beets have cooled enough to be able to handle, peel their skins. Or you can also use a paper towel to rub off the skins.
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Step 8: Slice the beets.

Step 9: Arrange the salad by alternating the beets and butternut squash (this makes it super pretty) on top of a bed of arugula. Generously sprinkle pepitas, goat cheese, and fresh chopped herbs over top. Finish it off with a yummy drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.
Step 10: Who’s ready to eat?!

Recipe tips
- Peeling beets and butternut squash – Let’s be honest. If ever there were two veggies that are a major pain to peel, it would be beets and butternut squash. Agree? So to make this a little bit easier on our veggie-peeling sanity know that: 1.) Roasted beets are definitely easier to peel after they have been roasted and 2.) A really good veggie peeler makes a BIG difference. I have been really happy with my super old veggie peeler (which I can’t find online anymore to link to for you) but if I were to upgrade I would go either with this Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler or this OXO Good Grips Y Peeler.
- Protect your cutting boards and countertops. Beets are great at staining the surfaces they are cut on so be sure to use a plastic cutting board, which can easily be washed and bleached, versus a wooden cutting board. And definitely don’t cut beets on light-colored or marble surfaces (unless you like the color pink). If you don’t have a plastic cutting board protect your cutting surface with a couple of sheets of parchment paper. Also, if you’d like your hands to remain stain-free, throw on some cheap latex gloves before handling or slicing your beets.
- Eat it warm or cold. I personally enjoy this salad both ways. However, if you have extra roasted beets and butternut squash hanging out in your fridge and you’d like to make this salad with the veggies warmed, just lay them out on a baking sheet and give them a quick re-roast in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 12 to 15 minutes.
- It doesn’t matter how you slice (or dice) the beets and squash. If you’d like smaller bite-sized veggies on your salad, dice the beets and squash into cubes. The aesthetic of the salad is up to you!

Recipe FAQs

Straightforward, tasty, and exquisite is how we roll.
Aren’t colourful winter salads the perfect? My style buds say sure. ♡
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