For the first fall salad of the season I'm loving this Roast Fig Salad with Heirloom Japanese Squash recipe. We're roasting slices of the Black Futsu squash from our final Stepping Stone Farm CSA with the backyard garden figs for a hearty and filling salad to usher in autumn. Keep reading to see how we make this salad in just under an hour's time! Don't forget to print or pin the recipe card to make this today.
Autumn Squash Varieties That Work For This Salad
I truly love recipes that can be adaptable to what we have on hand and this salad is a good example of that. Take, for instance, the large squash varieties we're using. Last fall, Stepping Stone Farm included this heirloom Black Futsu Squash in our CSA boxes and it was delicious! I was using to make everything from quick breads to ravioli filling and this salad. This season, I'm going into full seed savers mode and saving the seeds to grow this heirloom variety next growing season.
Keep an eye out for this heirloom squash variety at your farmers market or local grocer. It's subtly sweet and also has some maple undertones while holding that quintessential pumpkin taste. It's edible skin makes it easy to roast in slices so that we eat the whole thing. If you don't have this squash variety you can also use other autumn or winter squash varieties such as:
- Acorn Squash
- Delicata Squash
- Kabocha Squash
- Red Kuri Squash
The thinner skins of the above squash varieties hold up to the roast well. You can also use butternut squash but I'd recommend peeling and dicing in cubes if you do.
Ingredient List for this Delicious Heirloom Squash Recipe
This recipe will yield two main salad servings or 4 smaller side salad servings. We'll start with half of a large Black Futsu squash, removing the seeds and slicing into 1 inch thick slices.
We're adding flavor by way of fresh herbs. A few sprigs each of rosemary, thyme, and sage will do the trick. We'll need olive oil and kosher salt to start seasoning the slices of squash for roasting.
For the remaining ingredients, fresh figs add a touch of sweetness. French style feta crumbles and roasted pumpkin seeds offer texture and crunch. You could also substitute the feta for a delicious Bay Blue Cheese from Point Reyes Cheese. Arugula is the bed base of our salad and cooked quinoa adds a bit more heft to make this feel like a meal. For the dressing, we're making a fig vinaigrette using the Fig and Rosemary Syrup with a classic red wine vinaigrette. For that we'll need a bit of shallot, dijon mustard, ground black pepper, red wine vinegar and olive oil. If you don't have the fig syrup, you could add a splash of maple syrup instead.
How to Prepare and Assemble This Seasonal Salad
The longest part of the recipe prep is the roasting of the squash. Once done, this salad comes together pretty quickly. Here's how we make it:
- Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the squash in half along the stem and remove the seeds. Using the lines along the sides of the squash, slice into 1 or 1.5 inch slices.
- On the rimmed sheet pan, place the slices of squash in a single layer on parchment paper. Layer the fresh herbs underneath the squash slices.
- Drizzle the 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with kosher or flaky sea salt. Rub the oil and salt evenly over the squash slices. Roast for about 20 minutes until just fork tender. Turn over slices then add the halved figs. Roast for another 10 to 15 minutes until the figs have begun to realize their juices and edges begin to caramelize.
- While the squash and figs roast, prepare the dressing. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the finely chopped shallot, dijon, red wine vinegar, fig syrup, salt and pepper until well combined. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. Set to the side.
To arrange the salad, layer the bed of arugula followed by the cooked quinoa, pumpkin seeds and feta. Layer the roast squash slices and figs. Discard the roasted herbs. Drizzle the dressing over the top and serve.
More Fall Salads and Recipes to Try
Roast Fig Salad with Heirloom Japanese Squash Recipe
Ingredients
Squash Salad
- ½ Black Futsu Squash sliced
- 2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 sprigs of fresh sage
- 8 figs stems removed and halved
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups arugula
- 2 ounces French style feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup cooked quinoa
Fig Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons fig and rosemary syrup
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
- ¼ teaspoon dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- On a rimmed baking sheet, place the slices of squash in a single layer on parchment paper. Layer the fresh herbs underneath the squash slices. Drizzle the 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with kosher salt. Rub the oil and salt evenly over the squash slices. Roast for about 20 minutes until just fork tender. Turn over slices then add the halved figs. Roast for another 10 to 15 minutes until the figs have begun to realize their juices and edges begin to caramelize.
- While the squash and figs roast, prepare the dressing. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the finely chopped shallot, dijon, red wine vinegar, fig syrup, salt and pepper until well combines. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. Set to the side.
- To arrange the salad, layer the bed of arugula followed by the cooked quinoa, pumpkin seeds and feta. Layer the roast squash slices and figs. Discard the roasted herbs. Drizzle the dressing over the top and serve.
Leave a Reply