An Easy and Impressive Salad for Thanksgiving
I don’t know about you, but I’m always on the hunt for an easy and impressive salad for Thanksgiving dinner. One that is not only delicious, but beautiful too. And one that I can make as much ahead as possible. Friends, have I got just the salad for you! Here, a mixture of baby kale, spinach, and baby chard is topped with sweet rings of spiced roasted delicata squash, creamy burrata, bright pomegranate arils, and a sprinkle of nutty, crunchy dukkah. This unique salad is brimming with autumnal goodness. It’s so good I’ve made it twice this week already!
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Here’s What You’ll Need to Make this Salad for Thanksgiving
To me, the ideal salad has a good variety of textures and flavors. I prefer bold greens in this salad, which compliment the sweet squash, as well as the rich burrata cheese. The greens are lightly tossed in a toasted sesame dressing. Salads should also have crunch. This salad gets crunch from the pomegranate seeds, along with the Dukkah. Dukkah (also known as Duqqa) is an ancient spice and nut blend that hails from Egypt. It usually has a combination of nuts and seeds (especially sesame), along with toasted cumin and coriander. I also use it on this fig, melon and burrata salad.
Delicata Burrata Pomegranate Salad Ingredients
- 1 medium delicata squash, cut into 1/4 inch rings
- 5 ounces of sturdy mixed greens, such as “power greens” with baby kale, spinach, baby red and green chard
- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
- 1-2, 4 oz. balls of fresh burrata cheese, depending on how “cheesy” you’re feeling
- sesame dressing (recipe shared below)
- 1-2 tablespoons of dukkah (recipe shared below)
Make this Salad for Thanksgiving Ahead!
Thankfully, much of the prep work for this salad can be done ahead of time to streamline your prep on the busiest day in the kitchen! The sturdy greens can even be dressed up to an hour before serving! Here’s what I recommend you do in advance:
- Make the dukkah up to two weeks in advance, and store in a tightly sealed jar in the pantry. Once it’s done it’s done, and trust me, you will want to sprinkle it on everything – it’s so delicious!
- Make the salad dressing up to one week in advance, and store in a jar in the fridge.
- Roast the delicata squash up to one day in advance, and store in a container in the fridge. Bonus – delicata squash has a tender skin so you don’t have to peel it (can I get an amen?). Let it come to room temperature before you put it on the salad.
- Remove the pomegranate arils from the pomegranate. If you need an easy way to do this, my friend K.C. has a great video showing you how! Or, if you prefer, you can always buy a container of pomegranate arils at the market.
- Up to an hour (or two!) before serving, you can lightly dress the greens and assemble the entire salad, with the exception of the cheese, on a platter and leave it at room temp. Tear the cheese into bite size chunks and add the salad just before serving.
I think you’ll love this salad for Thanksgiving, or any other day! It has such gorgeous colors, delicious flavors, and is so simple, yet impressive!
Here’s What Else You Can Serve on Thanksgiving!
- Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Brown Butter & Sage
- Garnet Cranberry Gin Slush
- Boozy Cranberry Cheesecake Mini-Tarts
- Glazed Cranberry Bread
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An Easy and Impressive Salad for Thanksgiving with Delicata Squash, Pomegranate & Burrata
I’m always on the hunt for an easy and impressive salad for Thanksgiving dinner. One that is not only delicious, but beautiful too. And one that I can make as much ahead as possible. Here, a mixture of baby kale, spinach, and baby chard is topped with sweet rings of spiced roasted delicata squash, creamy burrata, bright pomegranate arils, and a sprinkle of nutty, crunchy dukkah. This unique salad is brimming with autumnal goodness.
Equipment
- Half Sheet Baking Pans
- Food Processor or Mortar and Pestle
Ingredients
- 1 medium delicata squash cut into 1/4 inch rings
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 ounces of sturdy mixed greens such as “power greens” with baby kale, spinach, baby red and green chard
- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
- 1-2, 4 ounce balls of fresh burrata cheese depending on how “cheesy” you’re feeling
For the Sesame Dressing
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
For the Dukkah
- 1/4 cup raw pistachios out of their shells
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds out of their shells
- 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds out of their shells
- 2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon while coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt such as Maldon
Instructions
- Roast the delicata squash. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Wash the squash, and cut it into 1/4 slices. Using a paring knife, cut out the core of each slice (they can be stacked to speed things along) to remove the seeds. Place the squash rings evenly on the baking sheets, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and cinnamon. Bake for about 40 minutes, rotating the pans and flipping the rings halfway through baking. Let cool to room temperature. Can be made up to one day in advance.
- Make the salad dressing, Place the cider vinegar, honey, shallot, sesame oil, olive oil, sesame seeds, and salt in a small jar. Seal the lid and shake vigorously to emulsify all ingredients. This can be made up to one week ahead and stored in the fridge.
- Make the dukkah. Heat the skillet over medium heat. Add the pistachios and toast until lightly golden brown. Remove from skillet place in food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment. Add the pumpkin seed and sunflower seeds to the skillet and toast until lightly golden brown. Remove from skillet place in the food processor. Add the sesame seeds to the skillet and toast until lightly golden brown. Remove from skillet place in the food processor. Add the cumin and coriander seeds to the skillet and toast until lightly golden brown. Remove from skillet place in the food processor. Pulse the nut seed mixture until everything is roughly chopped. It's ok if there are some larger bits and very fine bits. Instead of using a food processor you can smash the seeds, nuts and spices in a mortar and pestle. Stir in the flaky salt and set aside.
- Assemble the salad. This salad can be assembled 1-2 hours in advance, with the exception of the cheese. Place the greens on a large platter. Dress the greens with enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves. Don't overdo it. Spread the greens evenly over the platter. Top with the roasted delicata squash, and sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds. Tear the burrata into bite-sized chunks and place evenly over the salad. Sprinkle the entire salad with the dukkah spice/nut blend. Serve!
Notes
Thankfully, much of the prep work for this salad can be done ahead of time to streamline your prep on the busiest day in the kitchen! The sturdy greens can even be dressed up to an hour before serving! Here’s what I recommend you do in advance:
- Make the dukkah up to two weeks in advance, and store in a tightly sealed jar in the pantry. Once it’s done it’s done, and trust me, you will want to sprinkle it on everything – it’s so delicious! But if you really don’t have time, substitute the dukkah for a sprinkle of your favorite toasted nuts.
- Make the salad dressing up to one week in advance, and store in a jar in the fridge.
- Roast the delicata squash up to one day in advance, and store in a container in the fridge. Bonus – delicata squash has a tender skin so you don’t have to peel it (can I get an amen?). Let it come to room temperature before you put it on the salad.
- Remove the pomegranate arils from the pomegranate. If you need an easy way to do this, my friend K.C. has a great video showing you how! Or, if you prefer, you can always buy a container of pomegranate arils at the market.
- Up to an hour (or two!) before serving, you can lightly dress the greens and assemble the entire salad, with the exception of the cheese, on a platter and leave it at room temp. Tear the cheese into bite size chunks and add the salad just before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portionCalories: 241kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 7gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 372mgPotassium: 182mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 354IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 156mgIron: 2mg
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