Moroccan Chickpea and Roasted Winter Squash Salad - A fresh fall salad filled with greens, acorn squash, pomegranate seeds, avocado and an apple Dijon vinaigrette.
The winter season calls for soups, stews and comfort foods. With all that heavy food, sometimes it’s nice to have something a little lighter with the available seasonal produce. This winter squash salad features fresh spinach, Moroccan-spiced roasted acorn squash and chickpeas, juicy pomegranate seeds, crunchy pecans, sliced avocado and an apple-dijon vinaigrette.
This salad is fresh, but hearty and super flavorful. It’s perfect for a simple weeknight dinner and is great for meal prep for light winter lunches throughout the week. This salad is sure to add some freshness to your winter days.
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Ready to make this Moroccan Chickpea and Roasted Winter Squash Salad? Let’s go!
1 - Prepare squash: cut it in half, remove the seeds - save the seeds!, then cut into slices. Wash and pat dry the spinach/kale, separate the pomegranate seeds.
2 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread squash out in a single layer on a lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with squash seasonings (mix the spices together in a small bowl or sprinkle them over the squash one at a time). Stir to coat and roast squash for 30 minutes, until they’re fork tender.
3 - Prepare spiced chickpeas. Heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat and add one tablespoon olive oil. Then add the spices and stir until they’re fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chickpeas and stir to coat, cook for about 10 minutes.
4 - Prepare apple-dijon vinaigrette. Combine apple cider vinegar, mustard and honey, slowly whisk in olive oil until combined. Alternatively, combine all the dressing ingredients in a small mason jar and shake until combined.
5 - Serve. Assemble salad with greens, squash, chickpeas, sliced avocado, pomegranate seeds, pecans and vinaigrette. Enjoy!
Moroccan Chickpea and Roasted Winter Squash Salad: Tips, Tricks and Tools
You need a couple tools for this salad recipe including a baking sheet, silicone baking mat, medium skillet and a quality knife and cutting board.
Acorn Squash peelings are edible once roasted, so keep the skin on - save yourself some time and food waste!
Save those squash seeds and make Roasted Squash Seeds for a simple crunchy snack.
Seeding a pomegranate can messy. Check out this tutorial to learn how to get those delicious pomegranate seeds out of the fruit.
We hope you love this simple Moroccan Chickpea and Roasted Winter Squash Salad!
- A fresh winter salad recipe perfect for an easy weeknight dinner
- A flavorful and seasonal winter salad recipe
Love this winter salad recipe? Check out our other delicious Seasonal Salad recipes like this Roasted Vegetable and Farro Salad or our Jicama Kale Salad with Citrus.
Did you enjoy this Moroccan Chickpea and Roasted Winter Squash Salad as much as we do?
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"You can't exercise your way out of a bad diet." - Mark Hyman
Moroccan Chickpea and Roasted Winter Squash Salad
Ingredients
- 1 bunch spinach / kale washed and patted dry
- 1 acorn squash halved, seeds removed, sliced - save those seed and roast them for a tasty snack!
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 avocado sliced
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
- ¼ cup pecans
Seasonings for Acorn Squash
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt + pepper a dash
Seasonings for Chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Bake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread out squash in a single layer on a lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings, stirring to coat squash. Roast for 30 minutes.
- Prepare spiced chickpeas: Heat medium skillet over medium-low heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once oil is hot, add spices, stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chickpeas and stir to coat with spices. Cook 10 minutes.
- Prepare dressing: In a small bowl, combine vinegar, mustard and honey, slowly whisk in olive oil until combined.
- Dish up: Assemble salad with greens, squash, chickpeas, avocado, pomegranate seeds, pecans and dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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