I love squash. Squash squash squash. Squash is the tomato of Fall. Don't you think???
It is one of the easiest, most versatile vegetables to cook with. You can roast it, sauté it, puree it, eat it raw in a salad or dipped in hummus. You can throw it on a pizza, throw it in some chili or soup. A wonderful source of Vitamin A and C, and quite easy to buy locally grown, which is really important!
I tried a Delicata Squash for the first time this year. The great thing about Delicate squash is that you don't have to peel it, all you have to do is scoop the seeds out. Also called the 'sweet potato squash', it is creamy, soft, and a little bit sweet. They have beautiful green and orange stripes with lovely scalloped edges. Try to buy them from a local farmer if you can.
Squash is also one of the main ingredients in a dish I recently had at Spoon and Stable. The Autumn Vegetable Salad. Which I haven't stopped thinking about since.
As soon as I got back from Minnesota, I started gathering ingredients and we had it for dinner that very night.
Pictures this: spelt berries, with roasted squash, sliced figs, sprinkled with pecans, all on top of a buttermilk ranch drizzle. A pleasant conglomeration of textures and tastes.
Easier than you would think for such a delicious salad! The hardest part is probably peeling the butternut squash, a job I am not super fond of. You can leave the skin on the acorn squash and delicata squash. There are parts of the recipe you can do ahead, which is really nice too, especially if you're cooking multiple things for a group! Both the Buttermilk Ranch Dressing and the Spelt Berries and be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.
I couldn't find any fresh figs here in Nashville, so I've tried it with dried figs and fresh apples. I like them both! The fresh apples add a nice texture and crisp to the mix!
Such a beautiful, healthy, colorful salad! Super easy to make and a creative way to incorporate lots of vegetables into a meal!
Go ahead and make this salad in celebration of FALL and all of the beautiful colored leaves! Let me know what you think! Leave me a comment below! Take a pic of your beautiful creation and post it on Instagram, tag me @corrielanderson and use #itsallofit!
Autumn Vegetable Salad
Recipe Author: Corrie Anderson, inspired by Spoon & Stable's Autumn Vegetable Salad
Recipe Type: Vegetarian, Entree or Side
Serves: 3 - 5
- 1 cup spelt berries or farro, rinsed
- 2 - 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and sliced into wedges
- 1 acorn squash, sliced into wedges
- 1 delicata squash, sliced
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- fresh thyme, oregano, or rosemary (optional)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly shaved
- pecans, chopped
- 8 - 10 fresh or dried figs, sliced or 1 apple, chopped
- 8 - 10 fresh basil leaves (optional)
- Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, recipe below!
- Rinse spelt berries or farro under water. Soak in enough water to cover the grains for at least an hour, or increase cooking time to 65 - 80 minutes. Add the grains and the vegetable stock to a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover pot, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 45 - 60 minutes, or until grains are chewy.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a pan by covering it with a sheet of parchment paper. Cut vegetables into slices, about 1/2 inch thick. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. If you have fresh herbs, you can sprinkle those around too! Roast for about 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Add the onion slices to the pan when rotating.
- To serve, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of Buttermilk Ranch dressing onto a plate in thin lines. Place a big scoop of grains onto the plate. Add slices of roasted vegetables, sprinkle with pecans and figs (or apples). Top with large, freshly shaved flakes of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with fresh basil leaves (optional).
Serving Size: 1 Cals: 363Fat: 11g St.Fat: 1g Carbs: 63 g Sugar: 16g Sodium: 308 mg Fiber: 12 g Protein: 9g Vit. A: 107% Vita. C: 37% Iron: 19%
BUTTERMILK RANCH DRESSING
Recipe Author: Corrie Anderson
Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 cup buttermilk, or whole milk plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- handful of basil leaves
- sprinkle of kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
1. Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until ingredients are well incorporated! Keep refrigerated. Will last about a week in the refrigerator.