The Beetroot and Butternut Squash Salad is Fall on a plate. It features a blend of spicy arugula, beets, butternut squash, farro, and creamy goat cheese, all coated in a delicious maple-dijon dressing.
Fall brings delicious recipes like Air Fryer Apple Crisp, 3-Ingredient Butternut Squash Soup, Healthy Pumpkin Muffins, and holiday favorites like the Sous Vide Thanksgiving Turkey.
Our fall salad is loaded with delicious fall ingredients that are not only delicious but healthy as well.
Roasted beets are a popular way to prepare this colorful root vegetable, but we chose to use this Sous Vide Beet recipe since they come out perfectly cooked every time!
Roasted butternut squash adds a nice sweetness that pairs well with the earthiness of beets. You can oven-roast squash, but we chose to Air Fry Butternut Squash to make it quick and easy!
Arugula is perfect in any fall salad, it's peppery greens complement vegetables like butternut squash and beets.
Make our Maple Dijon Vinaigrette for the most delicious autumn salad dressing. I have seen similar recipes use a Tahini Dressing as well.
Some other ingredients we used were farro, bacon, and creamy goat cheese to finish off this harvest salad!
Don't hesitate to take this salad recipe as a starting point and customize it to your preferences. You can enhance it with delightful extras like pomegranates, Brussels sprouts, quinoa, persimmons, and feta cheese.
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⭐️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Fall salads are the best! Roasted butternut squash and sous-vide beets go together like peanut butter and jelly. Have you tried my Copycat Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl? It's another great fall salad.
- Our Maple Dijon Dressing has the right balance of sweet and tangy for these fall vegetables.
- This beetroot and butternut squash salad is perfect for meal prep. Enjoy this salad all week long for your grab-and-go lunches.
- A great side salad to serve with recipes like my Turkey Lentil Soup.
📝 Ingredient Notes
Here is a visual overview of the Arugula Salad ingredients in this recipe. Scroll to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Butternut Squash - We recommend roasting squash in the oven or air fryer to bring out the natural sweetness. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a touch of cinnamon for that fall flavor! (For more squash recipes, check out my Acorn Squash Stuffed with Apples and Sausage.)
- Beets - Use red beets for the contrast in color. You can roast them in an oven or sous-vide them like we did. Instead of cubing the beets, you can slice them for a different look.
- Farro - This grain offers a nutty flavor and texture to our salad that we love.
- Arugula/ Rocket - This is a spicy salad green that tastes like mustard. If you don't like arugula, turn this recipe into a spinach salad.
See recipe card for quantities.
🥘 Substitutions & Variations
- Farro: You can replace Farro with wild rice or top salad with toasted nuts.
- Vegan: Remove bacon and replace goat cheese with a plant-based option.
- Squash: Swap out the butternut squash Air Fryer Kabocha Squash, Delicata Squash, or my Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes.
- Salad Greens: If you don't like spicy Arugula, try spinach or use mixed greens like in my Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad.
🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
Learn how to make a simple roasted butternut squash and beet salad with these easy-to-follow instructions.
Step 1. Cook the Farro. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a pot with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add Farro, then reduce to a simmer uncovered until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain off the water and set aside to cool.
Step 2. Cook the bacon. Dice bacon and place into a pan on the stove. Cook until crispy, and transfer bacon bits to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the grease.
Step 3. Roast the squash. Preheat your air fryer to 400°F/204°C. Cut butternut squash into 1-inch cubes and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Cook for 10 minutes.
Step 4. Putting it all together. Combine arugula, cooked faro, cooked beets, butternut squash, bacon bits, and goat cheese. Toss salad with a maple dijon dressing (view recipe card for salad dressing recipe).
Tip - We used my sous-vide beets for this recipe, but you can roast beets in the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F/176°C. Wrap beets with aluminum foil, place on a baking tray, and cook for 1 hour.
👨🏻🍳 Chef Tips
- Oven Roasted Butternut Squash: Preheat oven to 400°F/204°C. Toss butternut squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until caramelized and cooked through.
- You can purchase cooked beets at the market, but the flavor don't be as good.
- How to peel cooked beets: The best way to peel beets is with a paper towel. The skin rubs right off! Let the beets cool down for 10-15 minutes so they are not piping hot.
❓Recipe FAQ's
Yes, acorn squash is a great choice! Halve the acorn squash lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and then slice the squash halves into evenly-sized wedges. You might want to shorten the roasting time to approximately 15-20 minutes or until the squash is tender and turns a lovely golden brown. Enjoy!
Yes, starting with frozen butternut squash takes out all the prep. Make sure you separate the cubed pieces so they don't stick. Roast in a 450°F/232°C oven for 20-25 minutes until caramelized.
To determine doneness, insert a metal skewer into the beets. The skewer should pierce the beet with no resistance. That's why we recommend sous-vide beets for a perfect cook every time.
No, the skins hold in the beet's natural moisture while cooking. Wrap beets with aluminum foil and roast in a 350°F/176°C oven for 1 hour. The skins will peel right off with the help of a paper towel.
🍽 Related Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @thefrizzledleek on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
📖 Recipe
Beetroot and Butternut Squash Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups butternut squash peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
- 2 cups red beets diced
- 4 cups arugula
- 4 slices of bacon chopped
- ½ cup farro cooked
- 2 ounces goat cheese crumbled
Maple Dijon Dressing
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
- salt and pepper too taste
Instructions
- Beets: Preheat oven to 350°F/176°C. Individually wrap beets in aluminum foil and place on a baking tray. Bake for 1 hour or until beets are cooked. Using a paper towel, peel off the skins and cut into cubes.
- Farro: Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a pot with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add Farro, then reduce to a simmer uncovered until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain off the water and set aside to cool.
- Bacon: Dice bacon and place it into a pan on the stove. Cook until crispy, and transfer bacon bits to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the grease.
- Butternut Squash: Preheat your oven or air fryer to 400°F/204°C. Cut butternut squash cubes and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Cook 20 minutes in the oven or 10 minutes in the air fryer.
- Assemble the salad: Combine arugula, cooked faro, beets, butternut squash, bacon bits, and goat cheese. Toss salad with a maple Dijon dressing.
Maple Dijon Dressing
- Combine all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Notes
- Beets: In this recipe, we used our Sous Vide Beet recipe to prepare the beets. To roast beets in the oven, preheat to 350°F/176°C, wrap beets with foil, and roast for 1 hour or until beets are cooked through.
- Butternut Squash: You can use the air fryer or oven to prepare roasted butternut squash.
- Farro: Spread cooked farro out on a baking tray to allow it to cool quickly.
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