Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Warm Pickled Onion Dressing

This roasted delicata squash salad with warm pickled onion dressing is a superfood bonanza! It’s filled with healthy vegetables, nuts for protein and topped with a delicious dressing.  AND it’s a wilt-free no-lettuce salad that makes a healthy and delicious lunch and dinner. You can’t go wrong!

Why We Love This Recipe For Roasted Delicata Squash Salad

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you know better than anyone that I can go on and on about salad. Salad this! Salad that! Too be fair, they’re just so fun to make because the options are endless. They can be savory, they can be sweet, they can be protein-laden, easy side dishes, or main courses.

When most of us think about salads, the first thing that comes to mind is a basic garden salad with mixed lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes. Now, as good as those salads can be, a salad technically doesn’t need to have any of those things. Especially the lettuce part.

Let’s take this delicata squash salad, for example. There’s not a spec of lettuce to be found! And we love that. This one is filled with other good-for-you, filling, healthy and fresh ingredients like cabbage, squash, walnuts, onion, apple, and more.

This delicata salad would be perfect to make as a lunch or dinner any time of the year. If you’re feeling generous and want to share, make it as a side dish instead to serve with dinner or bring to a dinner party.

The best part about it is that it stores well in the fridge, so you can easily make it the day before. OR, make an extra-large batch and eat it throughout the week!

Key Ingredients For This Recipe

Delicata squash

Delicata squash is a winter squash that tastes amazing in soup, salad, and regular dinner and lunch recipes. The best part about a delicate squash is that you can eat all parts of it, even the skin!

Shredded cabbage

For this recipe I chose to use red cabbage. It’s full of vitamins and other healthy nutrients and adds tons of crunch and freshness to this salad! You could also use white cabbage if you’d like, but I highly recommend red cabbage. It’s a little more peppery and flavorful.

Red onion

Nothing beats pickled red onion, especially on salads and grain bowls. You could even make extra and store it in the fridge to add to other meals. The only thing is that I wouldn’t recommend using a yellow or white onion instead. Bite the bullet and take that extra trip to the grocery store!

Apple

Apples are one of my faves in salads. I diced the apple into little cubes for added crunch and sweetness. It blends well with the pepperiness of the cabbage, and the richness of the toasted walnuts. You can use any red apple, but I absolutely love honeycrisps.

Toasted walnuts

Walnuts and all other nuts are super easy to toast in the oven. You don’t have to toast them, but they become buttery, golden, and super crunchy when you do, making them a perfect addition to this salad.

Italian parsley

Parsley comes in a few different forms. Italian parsley is also known as flat-leaf parsley and has a stronger flavor. You can easily use curly parsley instead if that’s all you have.

Celery Hearts

Celery hearts sound fancier than they are. Celery hearts are what you typically eat when you eat celery. They’re the tender long stems that you buy at the store (the outermost stocks have been removed). We like to include the light green frilly leaves in this recipe because they are slightly bitter and add an interesting balance to the sweet and sour flavors of the salad.

Additional Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey (or use agave to make it vegan)
• 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed

Additional Squash Recipes to Try

• This super easy Spice Roasted Delicata Squash recipe with a Port Wine Reduction is so yummy! Plus it’s only 4 ingredients!
• This Thanksgiving Salad is topped with roasted delicata squash, candied nuts, goat cheese and cranberries, all tossed with kale and dressing! It can be made ahead too! 
• If you’ve looking for a cozy vegan dish, you need to try this Instant Pot Veggie Curry Recipe with tender chunks of delicata squash, kale, red bell peppers and chick peas.
• You don’t want to miss these 17 Healthy Winter Squash Soup Recipes!
• You’re gonna love this vegan and paleo recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash with smoked paprika and turmeric. 
• This easy Garlic and Herb Butternut Squash recipe is an easy but crazy flavorful side dish to add to your menu.
• I love this Italian Stuffed Spaghetti Squash recipe with chicken sausage, ricotta and marinara sauce. It’s total comfort food!
• Behold your future go-to recipe for guests: Butternut Squash Lasagna–a total showstopper.
• This Easy Cheesy Stove-Top Butternut Squash is a delicious stovetop recipe that comes together in just 40 minutes.