Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

I hope that you have figured out by now that you never need to buy another bottle of salad dressing ever again! What a giant waste of money! They are so high in fat, salt and sugar! (although this dressing is made with syrup...so it's not much better!) Making your own dressing will save you loads of cash and you never have to throw out another Hidden Valley Ranch from 1996 again! The dressing on this particular salad is one to keep around for other rich fall dishes!

This is a great salad for the fall and winter! I love butternut squash in almost everything, but this is a simple way to serve the autumn fav. The dressing is so good, you'll want to lick the whisk!

Again, this recipe comes straight from the queen of simple cooking, Ina Garten. The salad isn't changed much, but I make the dressing a bit differently.

For 4 salads.

Ingredients:

1/2 Costco container butternut squash, already cubed for you!!

Good Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

4 tablespoons dried cranberries

1/2 cup walnut halves

Arugula or Costco Artisan Lettuce: Purple and Green

Shaved Parmesan

1 sandwich baguette, cubed, drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper and baked into croutons

For the Dressing:

1 shallot or equal part of red onion, minced

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Splash of olive oil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place butternut squash on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Toss the squash to coat. Roast for 15 mins, and add cranberries for the last 5 mins or so. For a total of 20 mins.

While that is roasting, combine the shallot, cider vinegar, and maple syrup in a small saucepan. Cook until boiling until dressing starts to reduce. Heat walnuts in a skillet over med-hi heat for just a few minutes.Once squash is finished roasting, add to bowls containing arugula or lettuce. Divide the squash and cranberries between the bowls. Using a knife, shave parmesan over the salads and add the croutons. Pour reduced dressing over salads along with a small splash of olive oil. Sprinkle with walnuts and toss.