There is something about a fall harvest salad that wonderfully bridges the gap between light summer salads and hearty winter dishes. Featuring butternut squash, apples and dried cranberries, this salad is as delicious as it is easy. For extra simplicity, roast the squash ahead of time (on a Sunday let’s say, and use it for the week) and have salad for a week of lunches. Now that is my kind of lunch.

INGREDIENTS

2 apples, chopped
6 cups spinach
1 small butternut squash, peeled & diced
1/4 cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup goat cheese

For the salad dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil + 3 tbs for roasting the squash
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Chop the butternut squash and toss with the 3 tbs of olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 mins or until soft.

For dinner, combine all the ingredients. In a large bowl, toss the spinach, roasted squash, pumpkin seeds, cranberries and goat cheese. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and balsamic vinegar. Add to the dressing to the salad and toss. Serve immediately.

For meal prep, divide apples, spinach, pumpkin seeds, cranberries and goat cheese over 4-6 serving containers. Separate out the squash and dressing in separate containers. Before serving, heat up the portion of squash. Add to the serving of salad and toss with the dressing.

Serves 4-6