Roasted Butternut Squash Beet and Fennel Salad

Enjoy the flavors of the season with this easy Fall Harvest Salad featuring roasted veggies, beets, and onions. A hearty, healthy dish perfect for any fall meal or holiday table!

Fall has finally arrived and the holiday season is right on its heels. Salads are always popular side dishes and main meals during the warmer months because they tend to be lighter and don’t sit too heavily after enjoying them. Just because summer is over doesn’t mean that salad season has to be! All the amazing fall and winter produce that is in season makes for incredibly delicious salads too 😉

Salads are a great way to get variety of vitamins, minerals, and flavor in a single meal. You already know that eating plenty of leafy greens, like lettuce, are part of a healthy diet. Some health benefits of eating leafy greens include providing the body with fiber, iron, calcium, and vitamins C and K. This salad also contains beets which are good for your heart and can reduce inflammation. The butternut squash is hydrating, and provides fiber, and vitamin A which is great for your immune system. There are also sweet onions, fennel, and celery – YUM!

This salad is quick and easy to prepare and it’s a great way to use up any leftover roasted veggies that you might have.  In fact, when I was making it, I felt like it looked a salad-version of what we serve during the holidays. So, when you are making your Thanksgiving and holiday dinner plans, buy a little extra or be sure to save some leftovers to make this Fall Harvest Salad with squash, beets, celery, sweet onions and fennel.

Ingredients for our Roasted Butternut Squash Beet and Fennel Harvest Salad

To make this harvest salad you will need to gather and prepare your ingredients so let’s talk briefly about what you will need. 

Salad Mix –  You can’t make a salad without some greens, use your favorite salad mix like spring mix. 

Roasted Butternut Squash – Butternut squash gives this salad a beautiful color and a sweet and delicious flavor. This is a great way to use up any leftover butternut squash you have from a previous meal. 

Beets –  Deep, vibrant red beets also give this hearty fall salad a delicious flavor and color. You can use ready to eat beets for this recipe, or leftover roasted beets. Ready to eat beets can be found in the produce section of your local grocery store, if you are not familiar with them. 

Onions – You will need one cup of sliced onions for this salad. We prefer RealSweet Onions for their sweet and mild flavor. 

Celery – Celery will give this tasty salad some nice crunch and flavor. You’ll also get the nutritional benefits of fiber, vitamins A, C, and K, and minerals iron, potassium, and magnesium. 

Fennel – Roasted fennel will give your salad a mellow, sweet flavor that pairs perfectly with the beets, squash, and greens. 

Feta Cheese – Feta cheese with its sharp, salty flavor and crumbly texture gives this fall salad even more delicious, hearty flavors. 

How to Make this Roasted Butternut Squash Beet and Fennel Fall Salad

Making this fall harvest salad is very easy. Just combine your salad greens with your roasted veggies, celery, onions, and feta cheese and toss gently. Dress this salad with freshly squeezed lemon juice or your favorite salad dressing right before serving. 

When to Serve Roasted Butternut Squash Beet and Fennel Harvest Salad

This salad is versatile, and it can be served as a side dish to a meal or as a main dish for a weeknight dinner. It also wouldn’t be out of place at a dinner party or even on your holiday dinner table. 

Roasted Butternut Squash Beet and Fennel Harvest Salad Variations

Lettuce – If you don’t like spring mix, or don’t have any on hand you could also use arugula, spinach, or romaine lettuce to make this salad. A combination of these three would also be delicious. 

Protein –  If you want to make this salad a bit heartier for a main dish you probably want to add a little protein to it. 

You can choose plant-based or non-plant-based protein options to add to this salad. Tofu, chickpeas, lentils, and tempeh are all great flavor and protein-packed plant-based options. 

If you are looking for non-plant based protein options grilled chicken, roasted chicken that has been sliced, and thinly sliced steak would all be tasty additions to this salad. Got leftover turkey? That would be yummy on here too! You could also consider adding a chopped hard-boiled egg to this salad. 

Nuts – If you would like to add a little more texture to this salad and give it some extra crunch, adding some nuts would do the trick and add a little extra protein too. Almonds, walnuts, pecans, or pistachios would work well for this salad. Got leftover candied pecans from holiday dishes? Toss em on this salad!

Cheese – If you don’t have feta cheese on hand or it’s simply not one of your favorite cheeses you can skip the cheese altogether. Alternatively, you could use Parmesan, cotija, goat cheese, or sharp cheddar cheese for this salad. 

Can I make this salad in advance?

Yes! You can make this salad in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or two. This can come in handy if you have a busy weeknight coming up, or if you want to serve it as part of your holiday meals (which I highly recommend). 

If you are worried about the beets making the other ingredients pink, just keep those separate 🙂

This amazing fall salad has all of the flavors, colors, textures and nutrition you want and it’s really easy to make. This salad needs to become a staple in your fall menu rotation, and may even find itself on your holiday dinner tables for Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Ok, are you ready to make this incredible salad? Let’s do it!