This time of year is perfect for harvesting and sampling the wonderful world of the pumpkin and squash. These multi-coloured vegetables are absolute powerhouses of nutrition. They are an excellent source of immune-supportive vitamin A and vitamin C, and are also a very good source of dietary fiber.
There are also SO many different varieties available nowadays. Butternut squash is the most common variant, but you can also get the Crown Prince Squash, Green Kabocha Squash, and Spaghetti Squash (to name only a few). I must admit too that I become fairly obsessed with them in Autumn and try to include them in as many of my recipes as possible!
With this in mind, please find below my step-by-step guide to preparing one of my go-to Autumn squash salads; an easy and nutritious salad to rustle up the night before work or even for a dinner party. Enjoy!
Serves 2 / Prep Time 5 Minutes / Cooking Time 20 Minutes
Ingredients
- 1 x Small Squash sliced into 1cm wide wedges (in the photos I used a Baby Bear Pumpkin)
- 1/3 Red Cabbage Sliced
- 4 Sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
- Large handful of mixed salad leaves
- Small handful of cherry tomatoes
- 2 x fresh mackerel fillets (tinned is also fine): I particularly like the hot smoked variety
- Drizzle of white wine vinegar
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- Sprinkling of sea salt and black pepper
Optional Extras/Replacements
- Small handful of walnuts
- Small handful of pumpkin seeds
- Crumbled goats cheese
- If you are not a mackerel fan this is also particularly tasty with grilled chicken breast sliced
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 180 Degrees (200 Degrees for fan ovens)
- Halve and deseed your squash
- Slice squash into 1cm wide slices and place in a big bowl
- Season with salt and pepper, add in chopped rosemary and olive oil and toss together
- Place in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until squash is nice and soft with slightly darkened/crispy edges
- Whilst in the oven prepare your salad:
- Thinly slice your red cabbage into ribbons
- Mix salad leaves, red cabbage, and tomatoes together (this is where you would add the pumpkin seeds and/or walnuts too) with your extra virgin olive oil and white wine vinegar
- Crumble your mackerel fillets on top
- When your squash is cooked place on top
- Crumble goats cheese on if you wish
- Pull up a pew and get stuck in!
And that’s it: nutritious, delicious, easy to prepare and great for either a work lunch or a beautiful starter at a dinner party! Try making it with as many different varieties of squash as you can to find out which is your favourite! You may surprise yourself!
Did you enjoy this Autumn squash recipe? If so, make sure you check out my sumptuous Chocolate Avocado Mousse HERE
