So, did you gobble till you wobble’d?
I know I did.. between having a houseful of teenagers on Wednesday, Thanksgiving, and dinners out to celebrate a birthday, my pants are feeling a wee bit snugger than they did at the beginning of last week. It definitely “tis the season” – which for me means I need to lighten up between between all the bouts of celebratory meals headed my way. Is this sounding just a little familiar? Yeah, I thought so.
So, what do you do to lighten up your eating?
For me, I try to keep it simple…. and manageable.. and stuff that my family will not only eat, but actually enjoy.
Which means that I make more hearty salads and soups for dinner. I love that I can prep everything ahead and put them together right before we eat – which is always a good thing but even better at this time of year when it seems there simply aren’t enough hours in the day and cooking takes a back seat to other demands for my time. So, I am always looking for new combinations and riffs on the classics to keep it interesting… and nutritious! This salad is a great example of what I’m talking about. It’s hearty enough without meat but also pairs well with a roasted chicken.. which is also a great thing to make during this time of the year …. but that’s another story!
To make this even easier, use pre cut chunks of butternut squash. If you can't find marcona almonds, pecans would be delicious in the salad as well. I used arugula but you could also use watercress. Radicchio would also be a great addition to this salad.
Adapted from Roasted Panzanella With Chili Croutons b y David Suarez
Ingredients
- Croutons
- 6 cups day old baguettes, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. chile powder
- salt
- Salad
- 3 small shallots, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
- 4 cups peeled and seeded butternut squash, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (cremini, shitake and or oyster)
- 1/2 cup marcona almonds
- 6 cups arugula, washed and dried
- 6 Tbsp. crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese
- 6 Tbsp. olive oil
- 4 Tbsp. sherry wine vinegar
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- To make the croutons, pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray. Add the cut up baguette cubes and toss with 3 Tbsp. olive oil and season with chile powder and salt. Bake croutons until crisp and brown, about 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
- Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray. Add the butternut squash and mushrooms. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until the squash is tender and the mushrooms are brown, about 25 minutes. While the squash is roasting, combine the shallots and sherry vinegar in a medium bowl. Add the remaining olive oil to the sherry vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
- To make the salad combine the arugula, butternut squash, mushrooms, arugula and croutons in large salad bowl. Drizzle with the sherry vinegar dressing and toss thoroughly to coat. Divide mixture among plates/shallow bowls. Garnish with the marcona almonds and the goat/feta cheese. Serve.
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{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
“Eat but actually enjoy” is something that I strive for daily not only at home, but also at work in recipe and meal recommendations for clients. This is a lovely salad. Beautiful to look at and undoubtedly delicious to eat. Last Autumn I used roasted butternut and garlic, caramelized red onions, basil and seeded bread cubes. I like this twist AND have all the ingredients at home… think I’ll sprinkle a few pomegranate arils over top!
Cheers,
*Heather*
Hi Heather!! Love that motto!!! Butternut squash and caramelized red onions?? Now that is a fabulous combination!!! The pomegranate seeds would be delicious with this!!!
I am always searching for new ways to make healthy and enjoyable meals for my family. I LOVE this salad! I <3 butternut squash and cannot wait to make this. I hope your holiday was lovely, Nancy. xx
Hi Lora!! I had an absolutely amazing Thanksgiving.. my oldest was home from college and we celebrated my other son’s birthday!! It isn’t always easy to make meals that are nutritious and enjoyed by everyone in the family is it??
I love any meal that you can prep ahead of time. Love this!
Me too Carrie!! I always feel so virtuous when I’ve got dinner all ready to go hours before we are ready to eat!!!
Lovely salad! The way I cut back is to only eat one pie myself and banish the rest of the leftover pie from my abode. That way I only go up one pants size!
ROFLMAO!! I love it!! I was able to resist the pie this year… but the pear tart? No go… I think I ate about 1/2 of it…. oye….
What a lovely panzanella for winter time. I always think of panzanella as a summer salad, but this takes that classic to another, most delicious, level. This is definitely on the to-try list for me!
I hope you like it Lana!! I’ve always thought of panzanella as summer salad too but when I thought about it, this makes perfect sense. One of those “why didn’t I think of this” moments!
What a gorgeous salad Nancy!! I love this idea!! Adding this to the list to make for sure (I still have 12 more butternuts from this years harvest). Thank you for sharing!
Heather
I am so jealous… fresh butternut squash… sigh…
I hope you enjoy the salad!!
Gorgeous colors and flavors in this panzanella! If it’s healthy, delicious, and can be prepped ahead of time – I’m all in
Thanks Priscilla!! This time of year I need all the recipes like this I can get!
I just love your blog! You’re recipes, one after another, have me drooling!
Hi Julia!!
Thank you for such a sweet comment!!! I am so glad that you enjoy it – it is such a pleasure for me to share my obsession with others who love food too!!!
shallots and day old bread – you kind of can’t go wrong with those two ingredients! this looks great, Nancy!
I totally agree Susan!!! My son kept snitching croutons off the sheet pan….. fortunately, I made lots!!
I love a salad that is satisfying enough to be a meal – this looks like the perfect salad for me – although I would swap in some blue cheese instead of the goat cheese (not a fan!)
Oooh… blue cheese would be awesome in this salad!!! My waistline wishes I did not love goat cheese… sadly, I’ve never met a cheese I didn’t like….
Just the mention of butternut squash means I’m in! I have a large butternut squash on my counter waiting for another round of soup, but I will definitely save some of the roasted squash for a salad like this. Can’t wait to try it Nancy! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
You too Lori! it was a truly wonderful holiday – having my oldest home from college was truly special!!
How interesting… I was searching for an autumn or winter panzanella last night. Too bad I didn’t check my RSS reader!
I landed on a Food Network recipe made with roasted butternut squash, brussels sprouts, red onion and parsley. I prepared some components last night, but I am serving it this evening. We shall see how it turns out
Oooh… can’t wait to see it on the blog!! Sounds delicious – I love every single component!!
Roasted butternut squash is so good! Now that’s my kind of meal right there.
Me too Sylvie!! I hope one of these days we meet in person… we’ve got such similar tastes!
This look fabulous Nancy; I did not over indulge for the holiday but I always love a dish like this for dinner; something light and flavorful and even meatless. LOVE!
Good for you Barb!! Wish I could say the same but between the holiday and birthday…. there was simply no hope!
I am a huge fan of hearty soups and salads this time of year.
Hopefully I’ll have some other great ones to share soon!
How much sherry vinegar? It is not listed in the ingredients.
Hi Emily!!
It’s 4 Tbsp. – I went back and amended the recipe so if you print it out now, it will have the sherry vinegar included!! Thanks for catching that… can’t believe that I missed it!
how much sherry vinegar do you use? i couldn’t see it in the ingredients list.
Hi Justine!! Ooops!!! It is 1/4 cup… I went back and amended the recipe!! Thanks for the catch.. I definitely need a good proofreader!!
Nancy! This looks gorgeous! Cannot stop drooling over the pictures. One of the best salads I’ve come across lately. Using it on my next tapas dinner for sure!
Thanks Juan!! Hope you enjoy it!!
This looks so delicious Nancy!
Hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving
Aww.. thanks!!! Had a wonderful Thanksgiving and hope you did too!!
A butternut panzanella salad is so creative! Love this idea Nancy…and the lighter touch
Thanks Marla!! I thought you might like this one!
Nancy, this butternut panzanella looks and sounds fabulous. I also like that it’s filling at the same time it’s better for you than all those Thanksgiving leftovers!
Much and all as I love my mom’s potatoes hashed in cream, you are right… it’s not nearly as “good” for me as this!
Oh, this looks like a breath of fresh air after all of that Thanksgiving food! I love how you’ve used fall/winter flavors of butternut squash, yet it is still light and refreshing. I think I’ll make this for dinner tonight… with some roasted chicken on the side.
Hi Emily!! That sounds like a fabulous idea!!! I truly love all the dishes associated with Thanksgiving but I definitely needed a break after all that indulgence!!
Marcona almonds are a favorite of mine! What a great idea to put them in salads. This is definitely a fancy and “grown up” salad, and also perfect for fall
Season and delicious. If it is a bit lighter too. All the more room for dessert. Might as well stretch the limits on those pants, huh? GREG
Beautiful salad! I didn’t gobble as much as I thought I would but there’s always Christmas!