Spiralized Apple and Arugula Salad with Roasted Honey Glazed Acorn Squash
Try this Spiralized Apple and Arugula Salad with Roasted Honey Glazed Acorn Squash recipe
Try this Spiralized Apple and Arugula Salad with Roasted Honey Glazed Acorn Squash recipe
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- for the salad:
- for the dressing:
- 1 acorn squash seeded and halved and quartered (yield 8 sl
- 3 teaspoons honey
- 1 large honey crisp or gala apple (or favorite apple)
- 6 cups of baby arugula
- 1/3 up roughly chopped pecans
- 1/2 up crumbled feta
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Carbohydrate 3.0456599953444 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 4.887625 g
- Fiber 0.048312499497893 g
- Protein 0.06521874998305 g
- Saturated Fat 0.671062 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (17g)
- Sodium 51.6382864581074 mg
- Sugar 2.99734749584651 g
- Trans Fat 0.133262000000001 g
- Calories 56 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Assemble the acorn squash on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle each slice with about ½ teaspoon of oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 35-40 minutes or until squash is tender when pierced with a fork.
- Fifteen minutes before the squash is done roasting, spiralize the apple with Blade D and add it to a large mixing bowl along with the arugula, pecans and half of the feta. Set aside.
- Place all of the ingredients for the dressing into a small bowl and whisk together. Taste and adjust to your preference.
- Once the squash is done, pour the dressing over the salad mixture and toss to combine thoroughly. Divide the salad onto four plates and top each with two squash slices and remaining feta.
When counter space is limited to a single cutting board and one small baking sheet, building a meal with distinct textures requires deliberate sequencing. Dense winter squash needs high dry heat to caramelize its sugars without turning waterlogged, while raw greens and spiralized fruit demand protection from premature wilting. Roasting the squash at 400 degrees Fahrenheit on parchment paper creates the necessary dry surface contact for browning, while keeping the salad components unmixed until the final second preserves structural integrity.
Texture Mechanics in Winter Squash and Greens
Acorn squash possesses a thick, fibrous flesh that requires 35 to 40 minutes in the oven to break down its starches completely. Piercing the thickest part with a fork should yield zero resistance before the pan leaves the heat. Meanwhile, utilizing Blade D on a spiralizer transforms firm apples into ribbons that hold their crunch substantially longer than standard wedges. Tossing those apple strands with peppery baby arugula, chopped pecans, and half of the feta creates a dense bed of contrasting bites. Pouring the apple cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil emulsion over the greens just before plating prevents the acid from degrading the cell walls of the leaves, maintaining crispness.
- Ensure the oven reaches a true 400 degrees F before inserting the baking sheet to prevent the squash from steaming instead of roasting.
- Check fork tenderness at the 35-minute mark; undercooked squash will be rubbery and ruin the mouthfeel against the tender greens.
- Whisk the Dijon mustard thoroughly into the oil and vinegar base to create a stable suspension that coats leaves evenly rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
