This delicious salad is full of flavor, easy to make and visually appealing. Eat it as a side or serve it with protein for a main course.
This salad was dreamed up one night when making a meal with my daughter. She wanted to make some chicken shawarma for me and asked for my help in coming up with a salad that would be good with the chicken dish.
We talked about incorporating some curry flavor into the salad and we both love the peppery notes in arugula. We added some toasted cashews for crunch, some roasted butternut squash and golden raisins that we had on hand and then designed a dressing with a little bit of curry powder and cinnamon.
Sometimes, experiments like these turn into amazing dishes I just want to share. I hope you enjoy it!
What You’ll Need:
Curry Vinaigrette Ingredients:
Salad Base Ingredients:
Making the Recipe:
You’ll start by preheating your oven and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. While the oven heats, prepare the sqaush to be roasted. If you want to save on prep time, buy the squash already cubed.
While the squash cooks, make the vinaigrette and lightly toast the cashews.
I like to toast the cashews in a skillet on the stovetop. It takes only a few minutes to do. You will want to toss the nuts frequently just until they are fragrant and lightly browned. Then, pull them off of the heat and transfer the nuts to a small bowl to stop the cooking.
Once the squash is slightly tender but not mushy, pull it out of the oven and let it cool before serving the salad.
You can toss the salad ingredients together in a bowl. I also love to serve it family style on a platter or on individual plates with the arugula as a base, followed by the squash, cashews and raisins. Then, drizzle it with some dressing!
Arugula Salad with Squash Cashews and Curry Vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: salad
- Method: oven
Description
This delicious salad is full of flavor, easy to make and visually appealing. Eat it as a side or serve it with protein for a main course.
Ingredients
For the Curry Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup olive oil, extra virgin and cold pressed
- 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
- 1/2 – 3/4 tsp. curry powder
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 6–7 twists freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad Base:
- 2–3 cups butternut squash, cubed
- 2 Tbsp. avocado oil
- sea salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 cups arugula
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, lightly toasted
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Peel the squash, remove the seeds and cut it into bite sized cubes. Place the squash on the parchment paper, drizzle it with oil to coat the squash and season it with salt and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes, until tender.
- While the squash bakes, make the vinaigrette.
- Lightly toast the cashews in small skillet, just until fragrant and lightly browned. Toss the nuts frequently to make sure they don’t burn. Set them aside to cool.
- Once the squash is tender but not mushy, pull it out of the oven and let it cool.
- When ready to serve the salad, you can either plate a base of the greens on individual salad plates or a platter or toss it with the ingredients in a bowl.
- Top the arugula with squash, golden raisins and the cashews and then either drizzle the dressing over the mixture or toss it together in a bowl before serving.
Notes
- Feel free to use mixed greens or spinach in place of the arugula.
- Top the salad with some crumbled goat cheese, if you like.
- To save on prep time, you can buy the squash already cubed from the grocery store.