Salads

October 9, 2025

Roasted Squash and Lentil Salad

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This Roasted Squash and Lentil Salad is right at home as a weeknight meal or on the holiday table as a side dish or vegetarian main!

I love hearty fall salads, and this is a current favorite. The tangy pickled shallots and bright vinaigrette are the perfect complement to the sweet roasted squash and bitter arugula. Add some crunch from the toasted pumpkin seeds and creaminess from the crumbled goat cheese, and this salad packs a punch in both flavors and textures. 

I’m partial to delicata squash for this salad, because it’s the least fussy winter squash, in my opinion. It’s small and easy to work with, and delicata doesn’t need to be peeled because the skin is tender enough to eat. That said, you could roast other winter squash varieties for this recipe, such as cubed, peeled butternut squash, acorn squash wedges, or kabocha squash wedges.

You can enjoy this salad as a weeknight meal - it’s great on it’s own as a plant-based dinner, or if you’re looking to make it a little heartier, add rotisserie chicken, grilled sausages, or roasted salmon for additional protein. It’s also a pretty and delicious addition to holiday meals for your vegetarian loved ones (or vegan, if you skip the goat cheese!). 

This salad serves four adults as a main dish. Because the salad is dressed, leftovers don’t keep too long - I recommend eating any leftovers the next day, before the greens wilt too much. Leftovers make a great lunch wrapped up in a tortilla!

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Ingredients assembled for Roasted Squash and Lentil Salad
Assemble your ingredients.

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Delicata squash half-moons on a sheet pan
Start by roasting the squash and garlic cloves.

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Thinly sliced shallots in a glass measuring cup with vinegar
While the squash is roasting, steep the thinly sliced shallot in the white wine vinegar. Drain the infused vinegar to make the salad dressing, and use the quick-pickled shallots as a salad topping.

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Stages of assembling the salad on a large white oval platter
Assemble the salad: start with a bed of arugula, then the cooled roasted squash, then the lentils, followed by the pickled shallots, crumbled goat cheese, and toasted pumpkin seeds.

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Finished salad with wooden serving utensils nestled in
Serve the dressed salad immediately, and enjoy!

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Roasted Squash and Lentil Salad

This Roasted Squash and Lentil Salad is right at home as a weeknight meal or on the holiday table as a side dish or vegetarian main!

Author:

Kira Freed - The Joyful Plateful

Prep:

10

min

cook:

35

min

total:

45

min

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Ingredients

  • 2 medium delicata squash (about 2 lbs. total)
  • 4 cloves garlic, whole, unpeeled
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
  • 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 5 ounces baby arugula
  • 1 (15-ounce) can brown lentils, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
  • 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese

Instructions

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Trim the ends from the delicata squash and cut in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape and remove the seeds from center of the delicata squash. Slice the delicata squash into half-inch thick half-moons. Place the squash pieces and whole, unpeeled garlic cloves on a large sheet pan, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Roast for 30-35 minutes, flipping the squash rings halfway through cooking.
  3. While the squash is roasting, steep the thinly sliced shallot in the white wine vinegar in a small bowl.
  4. After the squash is roasted, remove the sheet pan from the oven and let cool 5-10 minutes. 
  5. To make the dressing: When the roasted garlic cloves are cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into a medium-sized bowl and mash them with a fork. Drain the shallot-infused vinegar into the bowl, reserving the quick-pickled shallots for topping the salad. Whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil, the Dijon mustard, the maple syrup, and salt and pepper until smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, add all the dressing ingredients to a small high-speed blender and blend until smooth.)
  6. To assemble the salad: Scatter the baby arugula on a large platter. Drizzle with a few spoonfuls of the dressing. Add the roasted squash, and drizzle again with a few spoonfuls of dressing. Next, scatter the drained lentils evenly over the salad and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Top the salad with the pickled shallots, toasted pumpkin seeds, and crumbled goat cheese. Serve immediately.

 

 Notes:

  • If cooking brown lentils from dry, combine 2/3 cup lentils and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Drain excess liquid. Let cool 10-15 minutes, then use as above to assemble the salad,

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Adapted from Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Superabundant Dispatch, https://www.opb.org/article/2023/10/20/oregon-food-superabundant-newsletter-roasted-pumpkin-lentil-salad-nuts-wine-cannon/

You might also like

Midsummer Market Salad
BBQ Vinaigrette Summer Slaw
Kale Caesar Tortellini Salad

Hi there, I’m Kira!

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October 11, 2025
Hannah
Your recipes look so yummy but what would you suggest instead of kale? (sorry cant stand the stuff!)
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