Acorn Squash Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing

Acorn Squash Salad makes getting in your daily dose of veggies a treat. You are going to love this Fall and Winter salad recipe. Featuring roasted Acorn Squash, purple cabbage, thinly sliced red onion, spring mix and a delicious four-ingredient Maple Tahini dressing. This is the perfect salad to serve for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

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This Acorn Squash Salad  with Maple Tahini Dressing recipe started out as a “clean out the fridge” salad. I am sure you have done that before. You have random veggies in the fridge that need to be eaten, so you mix them all together in a big salad.

I had some Acorn squash rounds that I roasted over the weekend. I wanted a salad that was hearty and filling as well as healthy. So, I threw together some greens, shredded purple cabbage and red onion. Then, I topped all of that with roasted squash and the toasted seeds from the squash. I can’t tell you how good it was! It’s the perfect flavor explosion for Fall, while being super hearty, even for a salad.

Can we talk about the Maple Tahini dressing? It’s just a few ingredients mixed up to make the BEST tahini-based salad dressing ever. It’s creamy and dreamy, but there is no dairy involved here. You will be making this dressing to put on salads, drizzle over stuffed sweet potatoes and even dip fresh veggies in. What a beautiful way to enjoy a gluten free, dairy free Autumn salad!

Ingredients needed for Acorn Squash Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing

This dish calls for fairly simple ingredients. Most of them are fresh! I tend to keep tahini and maple syrup on hand, so that makes the dressing super easy to whip up.

• Acorn Squash: You can cut your squash into pretty rings or cut the squash in half and then, make half-moon shape cuts. Honestly, half-moons are easier, but I really wanted to do try making rings. Save the seeds because we will be roasting those to give this salad a good crunch!
• Purple Cabbage: It’s so good for you and I love the color it gives this salad.
• Red Onion: One of my favorite salad ingredients.
• Salad Greens: I used Spring Mix because that is what I had on hand.
• Cilantro: I keep cilantro in fridge all the time. It stores great in a glass of water.
• Tahini: Aka sesame butter. Tahini is the base for the dreamy dressing. I have my favorite tahini linked below.
• Lemon Juice: Fresh is BEST! But I do try to keep a good bottled juice in the fridge.
• Maple Syrup: Use pure maple syrup for this recipe.
• Water: You will need just a tiny bit to thin out the dressing.
• Salt & Pepper: As always, use these to your taste. I suggest putting it in the dressing, putting it on the Squash before roasting it. Then sprinkling some on your finished salad as needed.

How to make this Acorn Squash Salad recipe

You will be so amazed at how easy it is to make this salad. The hardest part is cutting the squash into rings. Just be sure to use a sharp knife and have a sturdy surface, such as a kitchen towel under the squash.

• Pre-heat your oven and get some olive oil ready. You will need that to brush on the squash before you roast it. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Carefully cut your squash into 3/4″ rings. Remove the seeds to a colander. Place the rings on the baking sheet.
• Brush the squash with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt. Then pop into the oven to roast. Roast the squash for about 25 minutes until it is tender. I like to flip the rings about halfway through roasting.
• Meanwhile, rinse the seeds and dry them thoroughly with a kitchen towel. Brush the seeds with olive oil. Then place them on a single layer on the other baking sheet. Put the seeds in the oven to roast. Watch them carefully because they will brown quickly. Burnt seeds are NOT tasty.
• While the squash is roasting, mix up the dressing.
• Once the squash and and the seeds are ready, the salad is SUPER easy to assemble.

Variations on this Acorn Squash Salad:

Here are some yummy ways to change up this salad. I’d love to see how you make it your own. Feel free to tag me on social media (Instagram or FaceBook) if you make this dish and add your own spin to it!

• Substitute roasted sweet potato chunks for the squash.
• Use your favorite salad greens. Arugula, water cress, romaine, etc.
• Add dried fruit such as cranberries, cherries or golden raisins.
• Use honey in the dressing.
• Add a little heat by adding a bit of chipotle pepper to the dressing. Or add fresh jalapeño to the salad.
• If you love cheese, I think crumbled goat cheese or feta would be delicious!
• Shaved parmesan cheese would be tasty as well.
• I think chick peas would be amazing in this salad and would add a little more plant protein.

Serve this salad with your Thanksgiving meal and your friends and family will LOVE it! We are having a traditional roasted turkey, a host of delicious side dishes, this yummy Acorn squash salad and Pumpkin Hand pies for our Turkey Day feast. I am also planning to make up Cranberry Moscow Mules this year. Yum!

What’s on your Thanksgiving menu this year?

Print Recipe

Acorn Squash Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6

Ingredients

For the Salad

• 2 acorn squash
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 tsp coarse salt, divided
• 1 small red onion, cut into thin rings
• 5 oz salad greens, such as Spring Mix
• 1/2 head of purple cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves

For the Maple Tahini Dressing

• 1/2 cup tahini`
• 3 TBSP lemon juice
• 3 TBSP maple syrup
• 2 TBSP water
• 3/4 tsp coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

Roast the Acorn Squash and the seeds

• Pre-heat your oven to 400°. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Carefully cut your squash into 3/4″ rings. Remove the seeds to a colander. Place the rings on the baking sheet.
• Brush the squash with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt. Then pop into the oven to roast. Roast the squash for about 25 minutes until it is tender. I like to flip the rings about halfway through roasting.
• Meanwhile, rinse the seeds and dry them thoroughly with a kitchen towel. Brush the seeds with olive oil. Then place them on a single layer on the other baking sheet. Put the seeds in the oven to roast. Watch them carefully because they will brown quickly.

Mix up the Maple Tahini Dressing:

• In a small bowl combine tahini, lemon juice, water, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth.

Assemble the salad:

• For each serving, place some salad greens, red onion, purple cabbage and cilantro on a plate. Top with roasted acorn squash and seeds.
• Drizzle with dressing.

Other tasty salads you might love:

• Cauliflower Salad, a crunchy, tasty all-season salad
• Broccoli Salad, a classic from my childhood
• Citrus Salad with a delicious vinaigrette