Fresh, bright, and straightforward to put together, Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Cranberry Salad with harrissa Spiced Pecans is a vegan, vegetarian American salad made with large butternut squash, dried thyme or 2 tsp fresh, and salt to taste in about 40 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 25 minutes
- Total time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut:
- 1/2 large butternut squash (cubed or use 1.5 cups frozen)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp fresh (chopped)
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- oil as needed
Harissa spiced pecans
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/4 cup pecans
- 1.5 tsp or more dry harissa spice blend (or use 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp coriander, 1/4 tsp garlic and a dash of cayenne and salt)
Other:
- 3 cups of mixed baby greens
- 1 apple thinly sliced
- 2 to 3 Tbsp dried cranberries
- salt and pepper
- lemon juice (olive oil or balsamic vinegar as dressing)
Method
- Toss the butternut cubes in oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F / 200ºc until tender. (25 to 35 minutes depending on the size of the cubes). Or cook in a skillet over medium heat. Add a splash of water, cover and cook until tender. Stir after 10 minutes.
- Toast the pecans in a skillet over medium heat until lightly toasted. 4 to 5 minutes. Add oil and harrisa spice blend. Toss to coat. Cook until the pecans are toasted to preference.
- In a bowl, toss or layer the greens, cranberries, apples, roasted butternut and spicy pecans. Dress with salt and generous dash of pepper. Add a drizzle of lemon juice or balsamic just before serving.
Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note
Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.
