Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash Salad

Roasted caramelized brussels sprouts and butternut squash are served with a rich vinaigrette and crunchy olive oil croutons.

Inspired by the famous Italian Panzanella, this warm salad is luscious and tasty. The homemade croutons add a wonderful and savory crunch.

Hearty salads like this one are delicious and so good for you. It’s kind of like a meal and a salad all combined into one. This salad is a sort of winter Panzanella. Panzanella is an Italian summer salad known as a “bread” salad. It’s a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, olive oil and bread. The bread is a day old, so it soaks the juices and provides sustenance to the salad.

For this winter version I used brussels sprouts and winter squash and made some homemade whole grain croutons. There is a lot of crunch in this salad.

Nutritionally you get a lot of goodies with this salad: cancer fighting substances from the brussels sprouts, carotenoids from the squash and so much more including fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins.

Warm Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash Salad Ingredients

• Brussel sprouts: Pick sprouts the are firm, about 1 to ½ inch (2.5 3.5 cm) in diameter, with no yellow leaves.
• Butternut squash: This bright orange squash will give a sweet flavor to the salad.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Make sure the olive oil is fresh as it is a key ingredient in this salad.
• Herbs: Thyme and parsley. If you have fresh use that otherwise a combination of fresh and dry is fine.
• Whole grain bread: I made whole grain bread croutons for this salad. Best to use a day-old bread.

How to make Warm Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash Salad

1. Make the olive oil croutons using this recipe: *You can make the 1-2 days ahead.
2. Preheat the oven at 400 F (200 C) and prepare a large pan by lining it with aluminum foil.
3. Prepare your veggies: cut the squash in cubes about ½ inch in size (1.25 cm) and rinse the brussels sprouts.
4. Place in a large bowl, sprinkle with the thyme, add a pinch of salt and ground pepper. Drizzle with 3 tbsp olive oil and toss until all the vegetables are coated with the olive oil. Spread on the pan and roast for about 30 minutes.
5. In the meantime, thinly slice the onion and place it in a small bowl. Drizzle over it all the vinegar and let it soak. This will make the onion milder.
6. Once the vegetables are roasted, remove them, and let them cool down for 5 minutes. Slice some the brussels sprouts in half. Place in a bowl and set aside.
7. In a small bowl mix the vinegar-onion mixture with the rest of the olive oil to make a dressing. Drizzle over the vegetables.
8. Add 1 cup olive oil croutons and toss. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and additional salt for taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serve it with

This can be served as is for a complete vegetarian and or vegan meal, but it also pairs wonderfully with these 5 Ingredient Glazed Honey Lemon Chicken Legs or with a Traditional Tiropita – Greek Feta Cheese Pie.

How to Store

This salad is best served warm or at room temperature. If you are planning to eat it over a period of 1-2 days then I would recommend not adding the croutons all at once, but rather at the time of serving. The salad can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

You may also like these recipes

• Roasted Butternut Squash with Pine Nuts and Cranberries
• Roasted Vegetable and Chickpea Couscous
• Creamy Baked Pasta with Butternut Squash Ricotta Sauce

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Get it here >> The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners

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Warm Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash Salad

Roasted caramelized brussels sprouts and butternut squash are served with a rich vinaigrette and crunchy olive oil croutons.

Course: Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean

Keyword: Brussels sprouts, Butternut squash, Salad

Servings: 4

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Author: Elena Paravantes, MS, RD

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Ingredients

• 1 pound (450 g) brussels sprouts
• 2 pounds (900 g) chopped 1-inch cubes butternut squash (about 4-5 cups)
• 1 tsp dry thyme
• ½ cup plus 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ tsp thick sea salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup whole grain olive oil croutons click here for recipe>> Olive Oil Croutons

Instructions

• Preheat the oven at 400 F (200 C) and prepare a large pan by lining it with aluminum foil.
• Prepare your veggies: cut the squash in cubes about ½ inch in size (1.25 cm) and rinse the brussels sprouts.
• Place in a large bowl, sprinkle with the thyme, add a pinch of salt and ground pepper. Drizzle with 3 tbsp olive oil and toss until all the vegetables are coated with the olive oil. Spread on the pan and roast for about 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, thinly slice the onion and place it in a small bowl. Drizzle over it all the vinegar and let it soak.
• Once the vegetables are roasted, remove them, and let them cool down for 5 minutes. Slice some the brussels sprouts in half. Place in a bowl and set aside.
• In a small bowl mix the vinegar-onion mixture with the rest of the olive oil to make a dressing. Drizzle over the vegetables.
• Add 1 cup olive oil croutons and toss. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and additional salt for taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

• This salad is best served warm or at room temperature. If you are planning to eat it over a period of 1-2 days then I would recommend not adding the croutons all at once, but rather at the time of serving. The salad can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The salad can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
• Make the olive oil croutons using this recipe: *You can make the 1-2 days ahead.

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