Autumn Salad with Creamy Pumpkin Dressing

There’s one more week until Thanksgiving which means I still have time to squeeze in one last pumpkin recipe, right?!

Do you make salad for Thanksgiving? I feel like a lot of people skip the salad for Thanksgiving given all the many more traditional and carb-heavy side dishes. But, this autumn salad! This salad was made for fall and made for Thanksgiving. Sometimes it’s nice to have some crunch and green in your Thanksgiving spread!

Let’s break this salad down. First, you are going to roast some acorn squash. It’s delicious and adds a perfect golden color to the salad. I like to use arugula for this salad, but you can use whatever greens you prefer. Spring mixes would also work well.

Then you need a couple of honey crisp apples sliced nice and thin as pictured. Of course, any apples will do, but honey crisp are my absolute favorite and truly scream fall to me. I also mix in some pepitas (pumpkin seeds). I find them in the bulk section in my grocery store. I also bought pomegranate seeds to toss in and then proceeded to forget about them when I took these photos. Oops! So pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries are also a great addition!

Finally, we also have to talk about the creamy pumpkin dressing! The creaminess comes from just plain Greek yogurt! Then I whisked in some pumpkin puree, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and a touch of maple syrup (or honey).

It’s a simple salad to prepare, but looks pretty and festive. You can also roast the squash and make the dressing in advance for faster prep the day you plan to serve the salad!

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Yield: serves 4-6

Autumn Salad with Creamy Pumpkin Dressing

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Autumn Salad with Creamy Pumpkin Dressing - This perfect Thanksgiving salad is made with roasted acorn squash, honey crisp apples, and homemade creamy pumpkin dressing!

Ingredients

For the creamy pumpkin dressing:

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt to taste

For the salad:

• 1 acorn squash
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• salt to taste
• 6 cups baby arugula (or spring mix)
• 1 large honey crisp apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pepitas
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (or dried cranberries)

Instructions

For the creamy pumpkin dressing:

1. Add the yogurt, vinegar, olive oil, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and garlic powder to a bowl. Whisk until smooth and combined. Add salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the salad:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the acorn squash then cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and discard. Slice each half into thin slices (about 1/4-1/3-inch thick). Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Sprinkle the the olive oil on top of each slice and season with some salt (you can also sprinkle some cinnamon if desired!). Roast the squash until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
2. In salad bowl, layer the baby arugula. Arrange the apple slices and roasted squash on top. Sprinkle the pepitas and pomegranate seeds. Pour in dressing and toss until combined. Serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

about 1 heaping cup of the salad with dressing
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 240Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 219mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 4gSugar: 14gProtein: 8g

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