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Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Salad with Lemon-Honey Vinaigrette

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Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Salad with Lemon-Honey Vinaigrette is a little fall fest in itself! It just might make it to your Thanksgiving table! 

Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Salad | The Mediterranean Dish. An easy, comforting and bright salad! Try it for lunch or add it to your dinner or even to the Thanksgiving feast!

Butternut squash, or any kind of winter squash, tastes great simply roasted with a little butter and brown sugar or your favorite spice. One of the season’s staple ingredients, and the kind of comfort I look forward to every year.

And cauliflower?

The story with cauliflower goes something like this: most grew up eating it raw, on its own or with a little dressing or dip of sorts. Some perhaps went a step further to a basic steamed cauliflower–easy and filling, neutral enough to share the table with other dishes.

But let’s be honest, is plain steamed cauliflower a dish you might crave?

The story changes once you try cauliflower roasted. When roasted, the tender florets’ earthy and subtle sweetness comes through. Suddenly cauliflower is transformed from blah to addictive.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Salad | The Mediterranean Dish. An easy, comforting and bright salad! Try it for lunch or add it to your dinner or even to the Thanksgiving feast!

The beauty of this roasted butternut squash and cauliflower salad is that it combines the simple comforts of roasted fall ingredients with fresh, crisp greens in the form of kale and baby spinach–all dressed in a delightfully bright lemon-honey vinaigrette.

A couple of small notes: In this recipe, you want to roast the butternut squash and cauliflower long; at least 45 minutes. They should be quite tender, caramelized and nicely blistered! Also, there are many recipes where the “garnish” is simply there for decor and you can easily omit it. Not this time. Please do not skip the garnish of goat cheese, nuts and raisins. They add richness, texture and flavor you do not want to miss out on.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Salad | The Mediterranean Dish. An easy, comforting and bright salad! Try it for lunch or add it to your dinner or even to the Thanksgiving feast!

If I were the planning type, I’d file this roasted butternut squash and cauliflower salad under “Thanksgiving side dishes.”

Here is the step-by-step for today’s roasted butternut squash and cauliflower salad:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Salad | The Mediterranean Dish. An easy, comforting and bright salad! Try it for lunch or add it to your dinner or even to the Thanksgiving feast!
Spread the cauliflower florets and the cubed butternut squash on one large lightly-oiled baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper and sumac. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Roast for 45 minutes, or until done and well caramelized (If needed, broil ever so briefly to get more char).

Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Salad | The Mediterranean Dish. An easy, comforting and bright salad! Try it for lunch or add it to your dinner or even to the Thanksgiving feast!
Meanwhile prepare the lemon-honey vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Salad | The Mediterranean Dish. An easy, comforting and bright salad! Try it for lunch or add it to your dinner or even to the Thanksgiving feast!
In a salad bowl, mix the kale and spinach together with 2 tbsp of the lemon-honey vinaigrette. Transfer to a serving platter.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Salad | The Mediterranean Dish. An easy, comforting and bright salad! Try it for lunch or add it to your dinner or even to the Thanksgiving feast!
Pour the remaining vinaigrette over the warm roasted butternut squash and cauliflower; carefully toss to coat.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Salad | The Mediterranean Dish. An easy, comforting and bright salad! Try it for lunch or add it to your dinner or even to the Thanksgiving feast!

Now add the roasted butternut squash and cauliflower on top of the kale and spinach mixture. Garnish with the goat cheese, nuts and raisins. Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Salad | The Mediterranean Dish. An easy, comforting and bright salad! Try it for lunch or add it to your dinner or even to the Thanksgiving feast!

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Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Salad | The Mediterranean Dish. An easy, comforting and bright salad! Try it for lunch or add it to your dinner or even to the Thanksgiving feast!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Salad with Lemon-Honey Vinaigrette

★★★★★

4.7 from 7 reviews
  • Author: The Mediterranean Dish
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4-6
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 whole head cauliflower, cut into small florets of equal size
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp sumac
  • 4 oz chopped kale
  • 4 oz baby spinach

Lemon-Honey Vinaigrette

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp good quality honey
  • Salt and Pepper

Garnish

  • 3 oz goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1-2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
  • 1-2 tbsp slivered almonds
  • 1-2 tbsp walnuts
  • 1 tbsp black raisins

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Spread the cauliflower florets and the cubed butternut squash on one large lightly-oiled baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper and sumac. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Roast for 45 minutes, or until done and well caramelized (If needed, broil ever so briefly to get more char).
  3. Meanwhile prepare the lemon-honey vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper.
  4. In a salad bowl, mix the kale and spinach together with 2 tbsp of the lemon-honey vinaigrette. Transfer to a serving platter.
  5. Pour the remaining vinaigrette over the roasted butternut squash and cauliflower; carefully toss to coat.
  6. Now add the roasted butternut squash and cauliflower on top of the kale and spinach mixture. Garnish with the goat cheese, nuts and raisins. Enjoy!

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Easy Butternut Squash Recipe with Lentils and Quinoa

Cream of Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew- Holy Land Inspired

 

 

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  3. It’s an explosion of flavor on my mouth. I bought precut butternut squash at my local store so it was easy to toss into the oven with the cauliflower and I didn’t have goat cheese so I used feta. I loved the garnish and the dressing just elevated it. Beyond wonderful and thank you!

    Reply

  4. I made this tonight and didn’t have the kale, spinach or cheese and we still loved it!!! Great ? recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  6. What a lovely recipe! The veggies get so sweet when roasted, and the simple sumac, salt, and pepper bring out their flavors without overpowering them. The vinaigrette is heavenly as well – very smooth and not too tart. I’m not sure how I’ll enjoy the raw kale, but that’s personal preference, and I think gently reheating will cause it to soften, which is how I like it.
    Thanks for sharing!

    ★★★

    Reply

    • Hi Candace! Thanks for your sweet feedback. When the kale is mixed in with a bit of the dressing and left briefly, it wilts nicely. But if you like it warm, feel free! Enjoy!

      Reply

  12. Hi Suzy

    I can’t remember the last time I saw such an amazing salad. This is my perfect mix of vegetables, nuts, cheese and dressing. It will be getting made this week without doubt.

    Reply

      • Hi Suzy

        Salad was delicious, I didn’t have sumac so used a combo of ras-el-hanout and zatar. Your salad dressing is similar to a dressing I use for potato salad. I use walnut oil and walnuts together with the lemon and honey, then throw some warm spuds in. Surprisingly a taste sensation.

        Have a nice day.

        Dave

        Reply

  13. Thank you Suzy, this will be on our family table for Thanksgiving. I know I will not wait for Thanksgiving, I am going to prepare this soon…

    Reply

    • Stormie, so glad you liked this recipe! It will make my Thanksgiving table too! But you’re right, don’t wait to try it. My family had it for lunch last weekend, it was one of the quickest-devoured lunches in a while! Can’t wait to hear how you like it.

      Reply

    • Great, Vicki! I am glad you like this idea…a little different. There is the comfort of fall still, but combined with the crisp of kale and spinach. And the lemon-honey vinaigrette brings it all together nicely. You can serve this warm or at room temp.

      Reply

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