Treat yourself to this colorful, healthy and vegan roasted butternut squash salad. The sriracha lime dressing adds a great kick! 219 calories and 2 Weight Watchers SP

If you're anything like me - and by that I mean stocking up on healthy recipes, like this roasted butternut squash salad, before the holiday season hits - you're likely hoping to dream up ways to keep healthy eating interesting while the tempation of holiday treats lurk around each kitchen corner. For me, that means plenty of greens, brightly colored veggies, lean protein...you know, the works!

A butternut squash has been sitting in our pantry for the last week, challenging me to cook with it. I thought of pureeing it into our favorite Winter Vegetable Soup or making a triple batch (seriously, it's that good) of my Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa. Both good options, but I couldn't seem to silence the call of a great salad with lots of "stuff" in it.

I can never resist the juxtaposition of sweet with salty, tangy or spicy flavors. The flavors dance from one part of my tongue to another, curbing cravings for candy and chips all at the same time. The sweetness of the butternut squash was begging for a dose of heat and tang. That's where the sriracha chili sauce and lime juice comes in.

The 5-ingredient dressing can be whisked up while the butternut squash is roasting. Also take advantage of that time to toss the arugula, black beans and toasted pepitas in a serving bowl.

It will all be ready to go once the cumin-spiced butternut squash is perfectly tender.

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SALAD RECIPE:

These are the main components need for this recipe (affiliate links included)…

Butternut Squash: Using a vegetable peeler, peel the squash, scoop out the seeds and cube the squash. Alternatively, you can buy squash that has been peeled and cubed. You can find these at Costco in the or in the produce department of many grocery stores.

Black Beans: For convenience, I use canned black beans, but dried and cooked beans work well too. If using canned beans, drain and rinse them well.

Arugula: I love the light peppery flavor of arugula, but spring mix or baby spinach would work well, too.

Pepitas: Starting with raw pepitas, toast them in a small skillet set over medium heat. Watch carefully so they don't burn!

Dressing: This is a simple vinaigrette - extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, sriracha hot sauce and a few other ingredients.

A Helping of Healthy

These fall veggies are powerhouses! In my Sweet Potato Hash with Baked Eggs post, I talked about the many health benefits of sweet potatoes. It turns out that butternut squash are keeping up with their fall veggie friends, stride by stride.

Butternut squash is a fantastic source of carotenoids, which are shown to protect against heart disease. Specifically, it boasts high levels of beta-carotene, which is a carotenoid that turns itself into Vitamin A in the body. Good for the eyes and for helping with breast cancer prevention.

With 2.8 grams of fiber per 1 cup of cubed butternut squash, this gourd is a great way to make steps towards reaching the daily fiber recommendations (25 grams for women and 38 grams for men).

If you're struggling to meet the daily Vitamin C recommendations, 1 cup of butternut squash will get you halfway there.

It's also a good source of B6 and potassium.

Other healthy butternut squash recipes:

Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa
Low-Fat Butternut Squash Soup with Spiced Pepitas
Vegetarian Butternut Squash Chipotle Chili {Cookie + Kate}
Butternut Squash, Chickpea & Lentil Moroccan Stew {Ambitious Kitchen}

Printable Recipe

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Sriracha Lime Dressing Recipe

Treat yourself to this colorful, healthy and vegan roasted butternut squash salad. The sriracha lime dressing adds a great kick!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Entrees, Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Meatless Monday, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Servings: Servings

Calories: 219kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

The Dressing:

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sriracha
½ teaspoon agave nectar or honey
pinch of salt
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

The Salad:

1 pound peeled & cubed butternut squash
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
4 cups arugula
¾ cups black beans drained & rinsed
¼ cup pepitas lightly toasted

Instructions

The Dressing:

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, sriracha, agave nectar and salt. While whisking slowly pouring in the olive oil.

The Salad:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the butternut squash on the tray. Sprinkle the olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper over the squash and toss to coat.
Roast the squash until tender when pierced with a fork, 25 to 30 minutes.
In a serving bowl, toss the arugula, black beans and pepitas. Add the roasted butternut squash and the dressing, and toss again.
Serve immediately.

Notes

Weight Watchers Points: 2 (Freestyle SmartPoints), 6 (Points+)

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

This was was originally published on November 2, 2014 and updated on November 7, 2019.

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Comments

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SALAD RECIPE: