Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Burrata and Grapes

Roasted butternut squash salad is a great fall salad recipe. With burrata, grapes, and a balsamic based vinaigrette, this salad will excite your taste buds!

If you've been a long-term reader of this blog, you know that we are all about flavorful salads. No bland bowl of lettuce for us! If you are on the same page and want your salads to burst with flavor, today's recipe is for you! Make the most of fall produce with this roasted butternut squash salad. Serve it as a side dish with Italian skillet chicken or Italian beef meatballs for a tasty meal.

This post has been sponsored by McCormick®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Why this recipe works

This is no ordinary bland salad, my friends. This is a salad that will make you go for seconds. And that's because it has all the good traits that a delicious salad needs to have:

• Crunchy: Thanks to walnuts, every bite of this salad has a little bit of crunch.
• Creamy: Roasted butternut squash is crispy on the outside and creamy on the outside. Plus, we have a generous amount of burrata here that makes everything better!
• Sweet: Butternut squash is a little bit sweet on its own and adding McCormick® Ground Cinnamon adds warmth and depth to the flavor.
• Savory: Adding some McCormick® Thyme Leaves to the vinaigrette and the butternut squash perks up the flavors of this salad.

Ingredients

GREENS - I used a packaged spring mix for this recipe, but you can also use lettuce, spinach, arugula or kale.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH- Even just half of a small butternut squash will be enough for this salad. With the remainder, you can make my saffron butternut squash soup.

McCormick® Thyme Leaves AND McCormick® Ground Cinnamon - To roast the butternut squash you need these spices. We use the thyme leaves to make the vinaigrette as well.

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WALNUTS - The walnuts add crunch to the salad. You can use pecans instead of walnuts.

GRAPES - The sweetness coming from grapes goes very well with the roasted butternut squash.

BURRATA - Creamy and fresh, burrata adds a great amount of freshness to the salad. It complements the salad flavors and balances the flavor.

VINAIGRETTE - Made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, McCormick® Thyme Leaves, salt, pepper and garlic, this vinaigrette nicely brings the whole salad together.

How to cut butternut squash

1. Wash and dry the butternut squash and place it on a sturdy cutting board.
2. Slice both ends so they are flat.
3. Using a peeler, peel the skin off the squash and discard the peel.
4. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and spoon out the seeds and pulp.
5. Place the butternut squash cut side down on the cutting board and cut into your desired shape.

How to roast butternut squash

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Place sliced butternut squash on the baking sheet and drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Add your favorite spices to the butternut squash.
3. Using your hands, rub the oil and spices on both sides of the slices.
4. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes. Check to see if they are cooked and soft; if not, roast for another 10 minutes.

Tips for the best butternut squash salad

• Add the vinaigrette to the salad right before serving to avoid soggy greens.
• Instead of burrata, you can use crumbled feta, sliced mozzarella or sliced gouda.
• If using spinach instead of mixed salad greens, it's best to use baby spinach since it's crisper and easier to eat.
• This salad is best eaten as soon as the vinaigrette is added since the greens might wilt and the walnuts could soften.