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Home | Recipes | Lunch

Published: Oct 20, 2021 · Modified: Jan 1, 2023 This post may contain affiliate links.

Warm Harvest Salad With Honey Mustard Dressing

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This Warm Harvest Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing is made with sweet butternut squash, tangy cranberries, and creamy goat cheese! With the addition of grains this salad is hearty and full of flavor, making it the perfect fall meal. 

Warm Harvest Salad up close photo
Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make This - Step by Step:
  • Quick Facts
  • Substitution Options
  • Fun Fact! 
  • Try these other easy recipes!
  • Recipe

Ingredients

How to Make This - Step by Step:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel and dice butternut squash, if needed, into ½” cubes
  2. Line a baking sheet with foil or a silicon mat. Add squash, drizzle with olive oil, and top with salt and pepper. Bake for 10-15 minutes
  3. While that bakes, dice the apple into small cubes, dice pecans, if whole, and cook quinoa as directed on the package. We like to use this instant brown rice and quinoa mixture to speed up the process.
  4. Add everything except the squash to a large bowl, crumbling the goat cheese as you place it in the bowl. Gently mix to evenly coat in salad dressing.
  5. Add the butternut squash and gently toss, again, to mix.

Quick Facts

How long does this dish take? 

30 minutes, including cook time for squash

How much does this make?

4 -6 servings

Does this meet my dietary needs?

This nutritious salad is gluten free and vegetarian. It can be made vegan but omitting the goat cheese

How many bowls should I plan for this meal?

1 small bowl (or medium bowl) and 1 large bowl

How long does this keep?

3 days in the fridge in an airtight container

Is it freezer friendly?

No

Can I pack this for lunch?

Yup! This is one of those great healthy recipes for meal prep. Just keep it cold.

Substitution Options

All substitution options are a 1:1 substitution unless noted otherwise.

Spinach: Any spring mix can be used

Honey Crisp Apples: Sweet Tango, First Kiss, Jazz Apples, Granny Smith, or similar sweet and tangy apple can be used

Butternut Squash: Sweet potato can be used

Craisins: Dried apricots or pineapple could be used. We prefer to use unsweetened dried fruit.

Pecans: Walnuts or almonds can be used

Quinoa or Rice Blend: Any gluten free microwavable packet of rice or grain can be used. Traditional quinoa or rice can be used also, we are just fans of cutting down on time and prefer the microwave version.

Avocado Oil: We like olive oil as a substitute

Honey Mustard: Your favorite gluten free honey mustard can be used, Ken’s is one of our favorite dressings. You can also make your own with a dressing recipe like this one (which uses dijon mustard)! We recommend honey mustard dressing to get that tangy flavor, but if you try a different dressing (such as a honey mustard vinaigrette or balsamic vinegar) let us know how it tastes!

Goat Cheese: Feta cheese or Parmesan can be used or it can be omitted. We love to use honey goat cheese!

Additions: Some additional healthy ingredients that would also work well in this salad include red onion, red peppers, any varieties of kale, fresh corn, and brussels sprouts! If you're looking for a non-vegan version then adding crispy bacon or chicken pieces (such as from chicken breast or chicken thighs) would be a perfect addition to this fall harvest salad.

Fun Fact! 

Honey Crisp Apples were developed by the University of Minnesota after 31 long years of perfecting it. It takes 1 in 10,000 trees to develop a honey crisp tree, leading to its higher price in the market. are thought to have gotten their start back in ancient times. It is one of the top 5 selling apples in the world and its success has led to many other new apples being developed in Minnesota. (Source)

Try these other easy recipes!

Orzo Citrus Salad

Creamy Mediterranean Salmon

Bisquick Apple Cobbler

Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip

Recipe

Warm Harvest Salad With Honey Mustard Dressing

Servings: 6
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
This Warm Harvest Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing is made with sweet butternut squash, tangy cranberries, and creamy goat cheese!  With the addition of grains this salad is hearty and full of flavor, making it the perfect fall meal.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, dinner, lunch, Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apples, fall food, harvest, holidays, honey mustard, salad, spinach, squash
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Calories: 330 kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 cups spinach
  • ½ lb butternut squash of ½ lb of pre cut squash
  • 1 apple
  • ⅓ cup craisins
  • ⅓ cup pecans
  • 8.5 oz quinoa
  • ⅓ cup honey mustard dressing
  • 2 tablespoon avocado oil
  • ⅓ cup goat cheese
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Peel and dice butternut squash, if needed, into ½” cubes
  • Line a baking sheet with foil or a silicon mat.  Add squash, drizzle with olive oil, and top with salt and pepper.  Bake for 10-15 minutes
  • While that bakes, dice the apple into small cubes, dice pecans, if whole, and cook quinoa as directed on the package.  We like to use this instant brown rice and quinoa mixture to speed up the process.
  • Add everything except the squash to a large bowl, crumbling the goat cheese as you place it in the bowl.  Gently mix to evenly coat in dressing.
  • Add the butternut squash and gently toss, again, to roughly mix.
  • Enjoy!  Add some chicken or tofu for additional protein.

Notes

Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.

Nutrition

Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 142mg | Potassium: 499mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 6032IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you try this? We'd love to hear how it went. Please leave a review below! Or, follow and tag us on Instagram!Mention @_Joytothefood_ or tag #joytothefood!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Barb McGowan says

    November 26, 2021 at 6:56 pm

    5 stars
    We’ve made this on other occasions and made it for Thanksgiving and it was so delicious. The warm rice / quinoa /squash combination with the tangy honey mustard dressing and the spinach and the rest is an amazing combination of good flavor!

    Reply
    • Mika says

      November 29, 2021 at 12:26 pm

      Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

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