This roasted butternut and beetroot salad makes such a beautiful and delicious gluten free winter salad. Roasted butternut squash and beets paired with feta cheese, sweet pomegranates, crunchy pumpkin seeds, all on an arugula base and topped with a creamy Whole30 Date and Dijon dressing. This recipe has an easy Whole30 and paleo option and is a great addition to any healthy meal!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s so easy! After roasting the veggies, you toss the rest of the ingredients together and before serving it, top it with the dressing! This salad is so easy to prepare and delicious to devour!
- It can easily be made Whole30 and Paleo compliant: To make this recipe Whole30 and paleo compliant simply omit the feta cheese! The dressing itself is Whole30 compatible and makes a great addition to any salad or as a dipping sauce!
- It’s delicious - The different flavors in this salad come together so wonderfully. From the nutty and slightly sweet flavor of the butternut squash and the sweet, delicious texture of the pomegranate seeds to the creamy richness of the feta and the crunch of the pumpkin seeds, this salad truly has it all!
- It’s the perfect recipe for the holiday’s or to impress a crowd: Not only is this salad incredibly yummy, but it’s gorgeous as well! It makes the perfect winter salad to impress a crowd at holiday gathers or as a healthy side salad for dinner with the family!
Ingredients Needed
- Butternut Squash: The star of the show! The nutty flavor pairs so perfectly with the rest of the ingredients.
- Beets (Cooked): This recipe uses pre-cooked or steamed beets that are found in a box in the refrigerator produce section of the grocery store. Though you can definitely roast your beets from scratch, I find buying precooked is so much easier and quicker and often times I won’t even roast them for this recipe!
- Arugula: This makes a great base for this salad but feel free to swap out the arugula for the greens of your liking!
- Feta Cheese: Omit any cheese in this recipe to remain Whole30 and paleo compatible!
- Pomegranate Seeds: One of my favorite ingredients in this recipe, pomegranate seeds add so much texture and flavor.
- Pumpkin Seeds: Again, the crunch and texture that pumpkin seeds provide is delicious! You can definitely swap out for your favorite nut or seed.
- Avocado or Olive Oil: I prefer avocado oil for the high smoke point when roasting the veggies and how light it is as a base for the Whole30 dressing, but olive oil will work great as well!
- Apple Cider Vinegar: ACV is one of my favorite ingredients to add to dressings!
- Date Syrup: Date syrup can be found in the syrup and honey aisle of the grocery store! It’s also great to add to coffee, tea, and baked goods. It’s one of my favorite natural sweeteners.
- Dijon Mustard: for Whole30, make sure it’s compliant!
How to Make This Recipe
- Prepare the butternut squash and beets: Place cubed squash and beets on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and drizzled with oil and season with salt and pepper. Using your hands mix the vegetables with the oil to make sure the veggies are well coated.
- Roast the squash and beets: Roast veggies for 25 minutes at 425F, mixing halfway through, until roasted around the edges. Remove veggies from oven and allow to cool slightly.
- Make the dressing: Add all dressing ingredients to a glass jar, place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously until well blended.
- Assemble the salad: Place arugula in large bowl and top with all remaining salad ingredients, including veggies, and gently mix.
- Add the dressing: Top salad with dressing just before serving and gently mix in.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Substitutions
- Arugula: You can substitute the arugula for spinach or kale.
- Feta Cheese: Substituting the feta cheese for goat cheese is delicious as well!
- Pomegranate Seeds: While you can definitely substitute the pomegranate seeds for dried cranberries if that’s what you have on hand, I highly recommend trying this recipe with the pomegranate seeds!
- Pumpkin Seeds: You can sub the pumpkin seeds for any of your favorite nuts or seeds; sunflower seeds, pistachios, pecans , and chopped walnuts are all great options!
Time Saving Tips
At Cate & Co. Kitchen we are all about making healthy simple and easy! Here are a couple time saving tips to get this recipe on the table quickly!
- Packaged Cooked Beets: This recipe uses packaged cooked beets (found in the refrigerator section of the grocery store) to finish roasting. Many times, I won’t even roast these beets and I will just toss them on the salad cold, as is! YUM!
- Pre-cut Organic Butternut Squash: Again, found in the refrigerator of the produce section, I will often use precut organic squash rather than peeling and cubbing a whole squash. With two little boys at home, I feel like every minute counts in getting a healthy meal on the table on a busy evening!
- Roast the veggies ahead of time: The butternut squash and beets can be roasted ahead of time and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. To serve this salad warm, simply place the veggies back on a baking sheet and heat in the oven at 350F until warmed thoroughly.
- Make the dressing ahead of time: I will often triple the amount of the Whole30 date and dijon dressing that is used in this recipe to have on hand at all times! It’s great for any salad and so convenient to have ready to go when making this dish.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
To keep this salad Whole30 (and paleo) compatible, simply omit the feta (or any other) cheese!
You can make this salad ahead of time, but be sure to keep the dressing and the roasted vegetables separate from the arugula and remaining ingredients until just before ready to serve to prevent the arugula from getting soft.
The date and dijon dressing used in this recipe can be made multiple days ahead of time - it’s a great one to keep on hand!
If possible, store this salad in the fridge separate from the dressing. After adding the dressing, the salad is best served immediately.
The date and dijon dressing can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Full disclosure: I don’t mind leftover salad that is already dressed, so I think it’s still delicious for 1-2 days in the fridge despite it definitely getting soft.
This salad is so versatile and delicious, it goes great with anything! Pair it with grilled protein like this smoked jerk chicken or these shrimp skewers for a quick and healthy weeknight dinner.
This salad also makes a fantastic side dish for all of your holiday gathers; it’s beautiful and delicious!
More Healthy Side Salads
Broccoli and Bacon Salad | Whole30, Paleo Another delicious side dish that will make a broccoli lover out of anyone! Broccoli, bacon, cranberries, and seeds all topped with a creamy lemon dijon dressing!
Coleslaw | Whole30, Paleo A delicious healthy twist on a classic! A creamy Whole30 coleslaw dressing and crisp apples to help naturally sweeten the dish.
Loaded Buffalo Ranch Potato Salad | Whole30 If my husband could pick his favorite side dish ever this would be it! Potatoes, bacon, ranch, onions.... what more could you ask for?!
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📖 Recipe
Butternut and Beetroot Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 3 cups butternut squash peeled and cubed
- 2 packages cooked beets drained and cubed, see notes
- 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 5 oz arugula
- ⅓ cup feta cheese crumbles
- ⅔ cup pomegranate seeds
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
Date & Dijon Dressing
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp date syrup see notes
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard compliant for Whole30
Instructions
- Place cubed squash and beets on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and drizzled with oil and season with salt and pepper. Using your hands mix the vegetables with the oil to make sure the veggies are well coated.
- Roast veggies for 25 minutes at 425F, mixing halfway through, until roasted around the edges. Remove veggies from oven and allow to cool slightly.
- Add all dressing ingredients to a glass jar, place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously until well blended.
- Place arugula in a large bowl and top with all remaining salad ingredients, including veggies, and gently mix.
- Top salad with dressing just before serving and gently mix in.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Beets (Cooked) - This recipe uses pre-cooked or steamed beets that are found in a box in the refrigerator produce section of the grocery store. Though you can definitely roast your beets from scratch, I find buying precooked is so much easier and quicker and often times I won’t even roast them for this recipe!
- Date Syrup - Date syrup can be found in the syrup and honey aisle of the grocery store! It’s also great to add to coffee, tea, and baked goods. It’s one of my favorite natural sweeteners.
- You can make this salad ahead of time, but be sure to keep the dressing separate from the remaining salad ingredients until just before ready to serve.
- The Date and Dijon dressing used in this recipe can be made multiple days ahead of time - it’s a great one to keep on hand!
- If possible, store this salad in the fridge separate from the dressing. After adding the dressing, the salad is best served immediately.
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