Beef Free Roasted Squash Salad with Pomegranate and Pepitas
Warm, spiced squash meets peppery arugula, jewel-bright pomegranate arils, and crunchy pepitas in a salad that feels genuinely celebratory without requiring much effort. The butternut cubes get tossed with turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger before hitting a hot oven, and those warm spices are what make the whole dish sing — sweet, earthy, and just a little exotic. A creamy tahini-lemon dressing ties everything together, its nuttiness balancing the tartness of the pomegranate and the bite of the greens beautifully. Every single component here is plant-based and naturally free of any meat, so there's zero substitution required and nothing to second-guess at the grocery store. It's the kind of salad that works as a stunning starter or a satisfying main, especially when you pile on the warm squash right before serving so the arugula just barely wilts at the edges. The contrast of textures — silky squash, crisp seeds, juicy arils — makes every forkful interesting from start to finish.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the roasted squash
- 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 lb), peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- 2–3 tbsp water, to thin
- ¼ tsp salt
For the salad
- 5 oz baby arugula
- ¾ cup pomegranate arils (from about ½ medium pomegranate)
- ⅓ cup dry-roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
In a large mixing bowl, toss the squash cubes with 2 tbsp olive oil, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between pieces.
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