Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Shallot Dressing and Bacon
This Roasted Butternut Squash Salad is our go-to fall salad, packed with autumnal flavors and fun textures. Roasted squash, salty bacon, nutty pecans, tangy goat cheese, a maple-shallot vinaigrette, and crispy bacon-fat croutons come together for a fresh and tasty dish that's great as a main or hearty side.
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
- 12 ounces butternut squash cubed (about 2-3 cups)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt to taste
- Cracked black pepper to taste
- 7 to 8 cups mixed greens, baby lettuce, or chopped green leaf lettuce
- ½ cup raw pecans
- 5 strips bacon thick cut
- 4 oz crumbled goat cheese
Bacon Croutons
- 2 ½ cups baguette or ciabatta chopped into bite-sized cubes
- 2 to 3 tbsp rendered bacon fat or olive oil, if preferred
- Salt and pepper, to taste if needed
Shallot Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 medium shallot roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
Roast the Butternut Squash
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the squash on the sheet and toss it with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake it for 20 to 25 minutes or until it’s soft but not mushy. Remove the squash from the oven to cool, but leave the oven on for the croutons.12 ounces butternut squash, 1 tbsp olive oil, Salt, Cracked black pepper
Make the Bacon and Croutons
- While the squash is roasting, place the bacon in a cold frying pan and turn the heat on to medium. Cook for about 8 to 12 minutes for thick cut bacon (if using thin cut, it’ll take less time), flipping over every couple of minutes. Remove the bacon from the frying pan and place onto a paper towel lined plate. Set aside the rendered bacon fat to use on the bacon croutons later. Once the bacon has cooled, roughly chop it.5 strips bacon
- In the same oven where you roasted the squash and the same temperature, you're going to roast the bacon croutons. Toss the cubed bread in the rendered bacon fat (or olive oil, if using instead), then arrange on a baking sheet. If your bacon isn’t that salty, you can season the bread with salt and pepper too. Bake the croutons for about 10 to 12 min or until desired crispness.2 ½ cups baguette or ciabatta, 2 to 3 tbsp rendered bacon fat, Salt and pepper, to taste
Make the Dressing
- Make the vinaigrette by adding the ingredients to a high sided container and blend with an immersion blender. Taste for seasoning and sweetness (if you want it sweeter, add a bit more maple syrup). Note: alternatively, you can blend everything in a food processor, but it won't get it as emulsified and smooth.1/3 cup olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 1 medium shallot, 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp spicy brown mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
Finish and Assemble the Salad
- If your pecans aren’t already toasted, toast them in a dry pan until they begin to smell nutty, about 3 minutes.½ cup raw pecans
- Assemble the salad by mixing the lettuce with the roasted squash, pecans, bacon, goat cheese, and croutons. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to combine.7 to 8 cups mixed greens, baby lettuce, or chopped green leaf lettuce, 4 oz crumbled goat cheese