I’m not quite sure why I’ve gone my whole life without trying delicata squash, but I’m so glad I did with this salad! It’s a sweet and creamy roasted delicata squash on top of abed of arugula with some quinoa, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and crispy stovetop chickpeas. I served it up with some delicious maple balsamic dressing. It was such a satisfying side!
While I do enjoy a nice loaded salad as a main course, I think this salad works really well as a side dish. Particularly because the sweet elements of balsamic, dried cranberries and delicata squash would pair well with a nice savory dish (in my case pasta!)
Roasting the Squash
I love butternut squash but the one thing I always hated was that it was so hard to peel! Delicata Squash skin are thin enough to eat! This cuts down my time so much! All you have to do us cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with some oil and lay it flat, face down on a baking tray. Roast in a 400° F oven for 30-40 minutes (because I like mine extra caramelized). I roast it until it is really soft and browned on the edges.
Crispy Chickpeas
I a little crunch on my salads. These crispy chickpeas are awesome because they’re high in protein and so delicious! Even better than croutons! I just sautéed the chickpeas on a pan with olive oil until extra crispy. I seasoned them with just paprika, salt and garlic powder. It was so delicious that I could just eat it as a snack!
For the Dressing
I used Trader Joes Balsamic Glaze for the photo but I dressed it using my Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette. The recipe can be found here.
Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Crispy Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 small Delicata squash
- 1 4 oz can garbanzo beans
- 1 package arugula
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ cup cooked quinoa
- 1 tsp paprika powder
Instructions
Roast the Delicata Squash
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
- Drizzle with olive oil and lay face down on a baking sheet.
- Roast for 30-40 minutes until fork tender and nicely browned and caramelized.
Crisp the Chickpeas
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas
- Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a pan and once hot, add the chickpeas
- Add 1 tsp garlic powder, 1-2 tsp paprika powder and salt to taste
- Saute until crispy, adding more oil if necessary (about 5 minutes)
Assemble the Salad
- To a bowl, add a layer of arugula.
- Follow with a layer of quinoa, and sliced delicata squash
- Top with crispy chickpeas, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds
- Serve drizzled with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
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