Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Wild Rice
This Butternut Squash Salad with Wild Rice combines a rice blend, oven-roasted squash, cranberries, almonds, and feta in a maple-Dijon dressing. An easy autumn salad that’s delicious warm or cold.
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Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 cup uncooked wild and brown rice blend, rinsed (200 g)
- 1 small butternut squash (up to 1 kg), peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 35 g organic dried cranberries, coarsely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 35 g slivered almonds, lightly toasted (about 1/4 cup)
- 50 g feta, crumbled (optional, or more to taste)
For the dressing:
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (or ground cumin)
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (organic unfiltered)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- sea salt, to taste
Method
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Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°F (180°C fan-assisted) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Cook the rice: Bring 625 ml of water (2½ times the volume of rice) to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 40–45 minutes, or until the rice is tender but still slightly firm (or according to package instructions, as varies depending on blend used). Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then transfer to a large serving bowl to cool slightly.
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Roast the butternut squash: Place the cubed squash on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer and roast for 25–30 minutes, flipping halfway, until tender and edges lightly caramelised.
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Prepare the dressing: In small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients (ground coriander, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt) until well-combined.
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Assemble: In a large bowl, combine rice, dried cranberries, parsley, half the almonds and red onions. Pour over the dressing and toss gently. Fold in the roasted squash.
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Finish: Sprinkle over the remaining almonds and crumble the feta on top (if using). Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
- For this wild rice salad recipe, I use rice mix from Rapunzel (unpaid mention) which includes Italian brown long grain rice, French red Camargue rice, and Canadian wild rice. Cooking times vary slightly by blend, so check the package instructions!
- The salad is naturally gluten-free and can easily be made vegan by omitting the feta or substituting with a vegan alternative.
- For extra colour and flavour, add a handful of pomegranate seeds or top with a handful of young arugula leaves before serving.
- This portion size pairs beautifully with mains such as roast chicken, grilled fish, or baked halloumi.
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