I have a dinner party this weekend and my menu just said “salad.” Thought I’d be throwing some lettuce from a bag in a bowl…yikes. After reading this, I think some editing is in order! 🙂 Thanks for the help!

I was quite worried about your eggs and small precious purchases being beaten down by this huge heavy squash so, why not place them in a back pack…leaves hand carried groceries free and evens the load.

This looks like a lovely preparation. I’ve got a few squashes hanging about. Maybe I’ll do this to one of them. Though it might be worth it to invest in a kabocha 😉

Yum – really enjoyed this, thanks! I used pecans instead of walnuts and really liked the flavour.

I adore Kabucha too and can’t wait to pick some more up to try this delicious sounding recipe. I also love your blog and as a virgin food blogger you give me something to aspire to. Kudo’s!

mmm, looks really good! I’m loving the variety of squashes in the shops at the moment. At the moment my favourite is Honeynut squash – roasts better than any of the others I’ve managed to find.
Going to have to try and hunt down a kabocha though!

Amazing!! Looks so delicious, I love roasted squash.

I made this for dinner tonight and my flatmates absolutely loved it! I adore squash salads and this one had a different flavour than those I’ve made in the past. Definitely adding it to my repertoire!
As a note to those looking for an alternative to beer in the dressing – I cannot have wheat (thus no beer for me!), so I decided to try adding apple juice instead and was really pleased. It melded well with the cidre vinegar and wasn’t too overpowering.

Hi.
I have a gluten intolerance so I can’t have beer. This recipe looks delicious though, so I was wondering what I could replace the beer with?
Thanks for answering.

I thought I’d used every recipe there was for all the winter squash I’d produced on my allotment this year ( think I may have overdone it a bit!), so I was so pleased to read about squash in salad!!

This looks like a nutritious and delicious winter salad!

This is going in my list of “ways to cook winter squash”. I frequent a cafe in Portland and they had a great squash, onion, and barley salad. Have you tried kobucha with barley? It’s AMAZING!

It’s like you knew about the 4 squash from my CSA crowding my windowsill, begging me to do SOMETHING with them. It’s like you knew. Can’t wait to try this recipe– it sounds so much lighter and somehow crisper than the traditional roast-the-squash rut I’ve fallen into. Thanks!

Love kabocha. Love all winter squash. And you know what, what it’s roasted that well done, I eat the skin too. Easier. Nice texture. More fiber. Ha!

i love that this recipe uses beer, what a great way to enjoy winter squash! as always, your pictures are just beautiful!

from the picture, i assumed (incorrectly) that those tiny black pops were a fried lentil, indian-style, and my mind wandered immediately in that direction: lime, chili, ginger, cilantro, maybe a few garbanzos, ….
reading on, i can taste exactly the (actual) potato salad profile, and think it a grand re-invention for winter.
maybe i’ll try both, …

Just made some kabocha last week, realized roasted kabocha slices slathered in an odd assortment of seasonings is the BEST thing I make, took some pictures, shared the perfected method on my blog, and then saw you’d just written about kabocha. Somewhere in the 100+ comments someone may have suggested this, but I just had to share this. Make it, and you won’t be sorry.

This looks so delicious! Usually I eat pumpinks and squash as a thick autumn/winter soup, with diced bacon. But this a great new way to enjoy these yummy vegetables! I have to give this great recipe to my mum.
European Kitchens

I made this last night, and it was AMAZING! Wonderful combination of flavors and textures, *and* I already had everything on hand in the fridge and pantry (though I subbed pecans for walnuts, and raisins for the dried figs/currants). Thank you for the great recipe, which is sure to become a staple in our house!

I’m English and a food writer living in the North of England and read your recipe each week – I love them! Your photos are so good I want to make all your recipes – and I’m a carnivore! Squash is one of my favourites – so I’ll be having a go at this in the next day or so. It’s starting to snow here in the hills and the colours will cheer me up!

This looks so good…
I love squash, I sure this salad will be a hit in my home…
Lovely pictures.

Heidi, do you have any favorite cookbooks this year? Love your recent cookbook!

I love Kabocha and usually prepare it like baked potato almost. Roast it or bake it in the oven and sprinkle fresh garlic and a bit of butter and sometimes a little bit of cilantro sprinkled on top of it. It is fantastic. I wonder if it can be made into a pie like pumpkin id love to try it!

I have kept this salad in my mind and made it tonight. I love how I can taste each flavor so distinctly and how the whole of the flavors works so well; Bravo! another great recipe to add to my collection.

Sounds delicious. Why am I not varying this with a warm dressing, a little (or a lot) bacon, and some salt-cured capers, well rinsed?

For those of you who are curious about what else is on the plate in the bottom picture – it’s a simple (not very photogenic) lentil dish – I boiled them in beer/broth, added butter, bit of mustard, and a few other things at the end. I’ll write it up at some point. xo-h

Yum! For this and the delicata salad, you can also roast the seeds to sprinkle on top. I’ve been soaking them overnight in salt water, then drain, rub with a bit of rice bran oil, roast at 325 for about 20 minutes. Adds a nice crunch.

no matter what the ingredients are, just as i read your recipes, my 79 yrs. old fingers start to dance and pull me toward the kitchen, and then the real fun starts…
thank you from far-away israel for putting so much joie de vivre in cooking!

Amen to kabocha-love. Perfect in curries, they go tender but don’t mush out, and they have such sweetness.

Yum! I love winter squash and this looks like a great and unique way to work it into a simple weekday dinner. Thanks!

Yum! Looks like a wonderful meal idea for a cold December night!

I made this last night with some substitutions based on what I had on hand. Didn’t have currants/figs, walnuts, red onion or celery, BUT fear not! I used a Carnival squash, Downtown Brown beer, spring onions, almonds, and roasted squash seeds (everything else was as per recipe). I also added about a cup of pre-cooked chick peas to make more of a hearty meal of it. It was de-lish! The next day, I boiled some mung beans and threw that in with the leftovers. I imagine roasted root veggies would work really well too. The beer gives this dish great tangy taste.

Made this with chopped dried figs and loved it. This is my favorite squash, too; whenever we make tempura veggies for a crowd, the kabocha is far and away the first thing to disappear. Lovely recipe – thanks 🙂

Another Kabocha squash fan here! I followed your suggestion as well and made a citrus combo dressing (heavier on the orange than lemon though and didn’t dilute it). I also mixed in some cooked brown rice to make it a more substantial one bowl grain/vegetable salad meal. Could also see this being great with chick peas. The acidic kick from the dressing makes this winterized salad nicely refreshing. Thanks for the inspiration as always. 🙂

Oh, and I wonder if kombucha would be a good substitute for the dressing?

Thanks for deciding what I will have for dinner. 🙂
I, too, would like to know what you paired it with on your plate? A mix of lentils?? With roasted garlic cloves??

Heidi
I tried your suggestion in the comments about using a watered down lemon/orange juice and it was great. I squeezed the juice from one orange and one lemon, then added water to make up the 2/3 cups. Thanks for that idea.
The whole dish is wonderful!

I could not be more delighted that it’s squash season and I have eaten more than my fair share this year….

Every year I grow something new in my garden as an experiment. This year it was Kabocha squash! Our short Wisconsin summer produced countless single-serving size Kabocha that I’ve been roasting and eating non-stop.
This salad sounds fantastic! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂

I just made this with an organic kabocha. The skin is so tender & tasty-no need to peel it.You’re so right about it not having the stringiness issue.
I’ll try this lovely recipe with another type of squash. There are so many I’ve never tried!

You can take the simplest of food and describe it like it’s up for an academy award. Cook it to an inch of its life. I loved that.

With these ingredients, I can imagine it with cumin — toss some roasted cumin seeds in the dressing?

I’m searching some recipes with walnuts and currants – and here you are! Your recipe of Roasted Winter Squash is gorgeous! Thanks 🙂

I love the idea of those bullying squash. This salad looks so easy and tasty. It’s now much easier to get different varieties of squash here in the UK. There is even a selection in the local supermarket. This would make a perfect winter lunch or respite after too much rich Christmas eating. GG

I had a good laugh at this post! I have an enamel bathtub full of butternut and green or orange kabochas in the basement. I have not been able to resist one yet…I also love the New Zea blues we grew! It is my go-to for pies, savories, bisques, curries, you name it. Thanks!
Sister-in-Squash!!

I absolutely love kabocha squash. This looks wonderful!

Please don’t ever post the nutritional/caloric value of these dishes. If you eat normal portion sizes of fresh good for you food all day, everyday meal, there should be no worries over how many calories you are eating. You could even stuff in a few more vegetables here and there and it wouldn’t matter (for the worse). One can look at an ingredient list an say “this isn’t good for me”.

Lovely kabocha squash! I like roasted ones, too, that makes kabocha more sweet.

Hello,
your description of a squash as bag bullies made me laugh, it is totally appropriate, I hope your eggs made it all in one piece.
I love winter squash, especially butternut squash..well i have about 40 pounds harvested from this year’s garden, this salad reminds me of a dish I make, perhaps time to change it up a little, thanks for sharing.

Hi – Yum. As per the beer – tried this with apple cider and a bit of fizzy water and it worked well.

And Kabocha Cake!!! Gluten free Kabocha Heaven! http://glutenfreegirl.com/kabocha-squash-cake/
This recipe brings things full circle. It’s a riff on Heidi’s Brown Butter Spice Cake from January of this year.

Here’s another recipe using your favorite squash!
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-sandwich1-rec1-20111124,5,7198522.story

Oh, Yes! Still craving the kabocha mini muffins I made last month! Just subbed mashed spiced kabocha in a banana bread recipe and topped with nuts. Yum!

You asked for non-alcoholic options to replace the beer. We didn’t have any beer on hand last night when I made this recipe, so I used apple juice instead – same amount. It worked really well – wonderful salad!

i love that kabocha is becoming more widely available in this country. it was my staple during winter in Japan.
the best thing about Kabocha is that you can eat the skin! just wash it really well with warm water and soap before you cook it. i also steam the whole pumpkin for 3 minutes before i cut into it… makes cutting a lot safer and roasting it a bit quicker.
thanks for this great recipe idea!

Yum! These are my favorite too. Such a good flavor. I make a bisque with them… caramelized onions & cream. So good.
On another note I thrifted an awesome stoneware bundt pan last week and made your amazing lemon olive oil banana cake in it. Delish!

Living similarly close to the farmer’s market here, I absolutely refuse to drive there. Ever. Even when I’ve picked up produce for preserving, I’ve walked and struggled my way back. The two dozen corn cobs was a difficult time in my life. So were the eight carnival squash. But so, so worth it.

Your pictures are amazing! Found your blog shortly after you posted about a trip to Big Sur…my “at-peace” place in this world. My favorite place+stunning photography+real food= my favorite new site!!!! Thank you so much for your recipes and your stories!

Ah! I have a recently found LOVE for kabocha squash, this is perfect! I roasted mine with a little bit of coconut oil, and a few shakes of cinimon, but rosemary and sea salt sounds great too. These squash are amazing! In my mind they are far superior to any other variety I have tried, and I would even take kabocha over sweet potato these days, which is saying something! I have been thinking of different ways to make it or things to put it in when I have the time; kabocha pie, casserole, ravioli, hash, soup… This recipe looks wonderful, will have to try it soon, thanks!

I roast winter squashes the same way, with the skin on. Sometimes the skin is thin enough to eat. My outdoor grille does the job just great, with the lid closed. ( hey, I live in the tropics, we never use the indoor oven.)
as for the climb home, do you use a backpack??? Just for the heavy bag bullies. Easier on you, better for the eggs and tomatoes. Then the fragile bits can have a hand-carried bag all to themselves. (or better yet, a side-bag you sling over your shoulder. )

Delicious. And even better, after schlepping it home from the market, I don’t have to go to the gym tomorrow!

Another great recipe with lovely photo. You are a genius at what you do — I mean it! Lifts my spirits every time.

this dish looks so beautiful! Amazing colours 🙂

You gave up half your beer for squash salad? You are a better person than I. Tell me you allowed yourself a second one to make up for that sacrifice.

Re: the beer, try using non-alcoholic beer, usually available where regular beer is sold. Might just work since the flavor is the same.

Absolutely Love the idea of figs. Is there anything that does not taste good with winter vegetables and figs? Way to get back to the basics 🙂
BTW- I am waiting with bated breathe for the new cookbook!

Re: beer substitute – why not some non-alcoholic beer? O’Douls makes some decent varieties.

I love this squash! When you don’t have the time to roast…cut the squash in thick slices, nuke a minute or two and then pan saute with coconut oil. The oil brings out the sugars and carmalizes it.

Hi all – a couple of you have asked about a non-alcoholic substitute for the beer. I’m thinking a watered down citrus juice of some sort might be nice – orange, or a blend of orange/lemon? I think full-strength juice might overpower the squash, and I like this dressing on the thin side – so watering down the juice a bit might be the right call? Let me know if you give it a go – or if anyone else has ideas. -h

Wow, Heidi, you’ve done it once again: figured out what’s in my pantry waiting to be used and posted a mouth-watering recipe for it! Our garden did well on delicata and butternut squash this summer but only produced a single kabocha. This recipe looks like just the ticket for that. Thanks!

This posting is very timely for me as I just got carried away with a winter squash purchase: Kabocha, Delicata, Red Kuri (which I have never heard of) and sweet Pumpkin. Can’t wait to try your suggestions!

I think I might have you beat–I am temporarily living in Florence, Italy and I lug home 3 or 4 kabochas from Mercato Centrale every week–which is a 30 minute trek through crowded streets, on rocky cobblestones, and then up 8 flights of stairs. Then I consume them all, by myself in a weeks’ time!
I agree that nothing beats them roasted, but I will have to give this application a try!

Love this twist on traditional potato salad. Unique and delicious, as always 🙂

So perfect for this chilly winter day; love it Heidi.
Thank you!
xoxo

Save the seeds! I just made candied pepitos last weekend to put on top of pumpkin bread and I am now obsessed with seeds. You could make candied squash seeds and use them to top a salad of roasted squash with goat cheese and your smashed gem lettuces……It must be almost lunch because now I am starving just thinking of this. yum.

Steep San Francisco hills could turn a loose shopping trolley filled with kabochas into a lethal weapon! I live at the bottom of what I believe to be Heidi’s very vertical hill — I can just see that projectile hurtling down to my neighborhood. (I’d grab the smashed squash and make lunch.)

Anita, that squash is what New Zealanders call pumpkin. We love pumpkin at this end of the world.
I recently made a lovely pumpkin and sun dried tomato salad which was delicious. I will most certainly be trying out Heidi’s recipe as I am sure it will be lovely.

You don’t use a trolley? I know they are kind of old lady but I couldn’t carry my groceries around New York city with out one!

@ Cookie and Kate: If you live in Oklahoma City, Super Cao Ngyuen carries kabocha squash.
The last time I got kabocha squashes they ended up in pumpkin pies… best pumpkin pies ever. Also, the seeds are better than pumpkin when roasted.

Love the sound of this dressing. I have roasted pumpkin/squash many different ways (can’t seem to get enough) but not for salads . . . yet!

Yum! I adore autumn-salads…

Thanks for the recipe. I roast this squash all the time and it is my favorite too! I roasted some for Thanksgiving with olive oil and sea salt and sprinkled toasted almonds and pomegranate seeds over the top. It was a hit!! And I agree about the bag bullies they are…worth it though. I always hand carry them.

Hi Heidi,
I have often wondered if you would consider adding the calories per serving and some nutritional info along with your recipes?

Yep those squash are totally worth it, who cares about the eggs? haha

Heidi,
Why don’t you get yourself a shopping trolley to stop those bag bullies squashing everything? Very common in Europe. You can get ones that you push, or ones that you pull. Most of the ones in here are waterproof fabric covered.

Mmm this sounds delicious. I like the idea of beer and mustard in the dressing. I wonder if it would be a good idea to bloom the red onion in the vinegar first.

Can’t wait to make this Heidi. And Lyn to your fear about cutting the squash, this may sound crazy but if you drop a big squash on the kitchen floor (or any floor) it will crack in half and it will be much easier to slice off wedges.

This sounds amazing! Kabocha is my favourite squash.

definitely also looking for non-alcoholic sub as I’m pregnant! can’t think of anything off the top of my head for a dish like this. would sometimes use veg/chicken broth, but don’t think that would work here…

Pardon if this question has already been asked. But what alternative could you use for the beer that would be non-alcoholic? Without a lot of sweetness, I think the squash provides that. Thanks!

I have been looking for the squash that New Zealanders refer to as pumpkin – could this be it?

You still have farmer’s markets??how lucky!

Love that quick roasting of the squash, you are so right, it is so good that way and worth the schlep!…try it rubbed down with Garam Masala…I’m in love with that spice mix this season…and it would make a great side with the souffles I just posted…or a dish I posted a few weeks back..Chicken Tikka Masala. Thanks! Wish I could come to your signing AND be in SF for a few days!! Alas, it’s another NYC winter for me!

I completely know what you mean other then when I go food shopping I have a 8month old little girl hanging on one arm and groceries fighting for air in bags hanging from my other.

Heidi, would you suggest a non alcoholic substitute for beer? thanks!

I, too, love Kabochas–so much sweeter and nicer than acorn or butternut. Alas, I can’t always find them in my neck of the woods.
Thanks for the super recipe.

I adore learning new ways to use winter squash. The salad sounds lovely 🙂

Love, love, love kabocha squash! You’re speaking my language. Headed to the market today. I hope there’s still some left. Growing season is over here in frosty PA. 🙂

LOVE kabocha squash! we grew them on the farm I worked at, and I used one to make pie this thanksgiving! my other favorite variety is the Buttercup squash- I highly recommend it!

OH and those gorgeous celery leaves, off the monster winter celery from Rainbow? I wish they grew like that all year round.

totally random, but i saw these and thought you had a good chance of falling in love.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/83902102/rare-copper-cage-1950s-cat-eye
Made your soba-ginger noodles the other night after a day of juicing when we were still hungry around 9:30. Ate them in bed watching bad netflix, the two of us with these deep earthy bowls. Hit the spot, thanks.

Amen to kabocha-love. Perfect in curries, they go tender but don’t mush out, and they have such sweetness.

Squash is such an amazing veggie: full of nutrients and fiber that are so crucial to any healthy diet.
Personally I love to use roasted squash to make a smoothie with vanilla protein and carrot: yummy!
Peace
Mike

Very pretty salad! It looks delicious!

Another kabocha addict here! I even like it for dessert, with a little spice–my choice is freshly crushed cardamon–and a little stevia or even maple syrup. Thanks for the luscious salad recipe!

Wow, I would have loved to have seen you come up with this one Heidi 🙂 Slug of beer, hrmmmm maybe I will use the last half of that beer in my dressing?
I’ve never heard of beer dressing, but it sure sounds interesting!

Yumm! I have a pumpkin on my kitchen table just waiting to be turned into this! What do you think about using dried cherries instead of the currants or figs?
HS: I think dried cherries would work nicely Sarah!

I share your trudging-home-from-the-market-with-heavy-squash-and-broken-eggs dread, but also your love of a good roasted acorn or kabocha. There’s little else I crave in winter but that tender, caramelized, perfectly spiced orange flesh.

sounds like quite the walk- they must be delicious to do that!

I find kabocha squash the nicest, with the richest flavour. I’d probably go easy with the beer dressing, I wouldn’t want that squash flavour overpowered

You’ve totally convinced me to buy a kabocha with me home after work. And some beer…

This squash sounds absolutely fantastic! Love this recipe 🙂

This recipe looks great. Love kabocha-it’s so sweet and tender! I love your spins on salads. Inspiring as always. Cute story about your trip to the market.

I love the light in your pictures, as ever. I love the dressing on this salad and the combination of textures. Just perfect.

Wish could be there for the book signing! but alas i live thousands of miles away in nairobi! will be there in spirit!
lovely recipe!

In the spirit of the holiday season, These Are a Few of My Favorite Things!!! I was just thinking last night that lightly cooked celery is one of my favorite vegetebles, and that it really never get’s it’s due. My mom used to sauted diagonal celery slices along with toasted almonds as a side dish, and whenever I mention this, people look at me like I was raised on Mars! Anyway, celery, Kabocha squash, red onion and figs are a genious in their simplicity as a combination! I will be making this very soon, like when I am able to get back to my home kitchen from business travel. Yummmm, and thanks.

Just when I was hungering (literally) for a new winter recipe for you, you dished one right up. You’re amazing you know that right?

The way you talk about your bullying squash vs. your eggs is exactly how I talked about my mean melons vs. my peaches on my own journey home from the farmers market this past summer. My melon met it’s fate as a gingery lime sorbet; your squash met a summer-esque ending as a salad. All this talk about farmer’s markets makes me miss my melons

Roasted squash is the BEST! I’ve used butternut squash, acorn squash, and kabocha squash before. I’ll definitely have to try this with all three, and maybe some pumpkin too!

Perfect! I haven’t been able to find kabocha squash here in Oklahoma but my friend is a produce manager and he ordered me some. Can’t wait to try your recipe!

it’s so sad i’m afraid to cut squash, because it’s one of my favorites!

This is the perfect kind of organic, impromptu, throw it together and the result is hearty and delicious! p.s. I have dish envy.

Wow, you are just speaking right into my heart with this one! The joy of winter squash and there is Anchor Steam in my frig right now…this is sooo getting made this weekend!

i’m with you, i absolutely adore kabocha squash – there is no better roasting squash out there!

Your photographs make it look so good. Now will it look that good when I make it? ; )

The squash looks sooo good. Warm, hearty, comforting. Perfect meal for the chilly days. Stay warm 🙂

Roast ’em til they surrender. Love it!

“Bag bullies.” I love that, Heidi!

An interesting way to handle bullies. 🙂
I know I can make this in my kitchen but when I read your posts, I always think wouldn’t it be nice to eat it in your kitchen with you (along with a hundred other readers!).

I feel you with the bag bullies- there’s nothing worse than getting home and realizing a squash or pumpkin has squished my perfectly ripe pears. I fuss over my bags at the farmers market or grocery store to prevent these disasters, and I know people are looking at me thinking I’m too into my produce. 🙂 Love your idea of winterizing potato salad with squash.

What else is on your plate?

I love the idea of a beer-mustard dressing! I’ve been roasting squash like a fiend lately – always on the look out for a new way to try it.
The crunch from the celery must be wonderful with the roasted squash!

love that you use the beverage you are drinking to cook, i love throwing beer in everything from elk chili, tortilla soup to braised chicken. thank you for the inspiration, time and love you put in your beautiful food.

Roasted Vegetables, especially winter squash, make me swoon. I made something similar to this on thanksgiving with some local squash, and they would fall apart in your mouth. Delicious. I like the sounds of the mustard-apple cider vinegar-honey combination…there’s never enough squash!

Oh my goodness. You are wonderful! I am so excited to buy more squash for this recipe!

As a kid I used to hate winter, but as a kid I also used to hate tomatoes, onions, beans, nuts, pumpkin, squash… pretty much all vegetables (well, tomato is a fruit). Now I love winter and all the vegetables that come with it! Every year I wait for winter just so I can get fresh winter squash and pumpkin!

I just bought a delicata squash for the first time…. I looked at your photo and thought to myself but mine is a pale green/blue. What did I get myself into? Into this lovely salad, that’s what. Can’t wait to try it…. I may sub wine for beer though. 😉

Looks great! I love the addition of beer in arms reach – very random 🙂

I was just thinking about how I can use beer in recipes earlier today, and then this! This sounds so delicious. I like all the contrasting flavors; sweet and savory. Yum! 🙂