Wild Rice Salad with Butternut Squash
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This colorful fall salad with butternut squash and wild rice incorporates so many beautiful flavors of autumn and winter: dark leafy greens, tender roasted butternut cubes, sweet dried fruit, crunchy pecans, and a bright homemade vinaigrette with a hint of citrus. This is a salad worth sharing for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but also a treat to yourself for everyday lunch or dinner.
In my humble opinion, this salad is one to sing from the mountaintops. Inspired by the Little Spice Jar’s beautiful autumn pearl couscous salad, the combination is everything a standout salad should be: vibrant, flavorful, satisfying, and tender and crisp together in every bite.
If you’re on salad duty for the holidays, this will knock it out of the park!
But also, don’t wait for a big gathering to enjoy this. I can personally attest it’s a lovely lunch or dinner salad, either on its own with grilled chicken, pork medallions, or another protein, or as a side to an equally autumnal main.
Think pumpkin chili, turkey pot pie, or bolognese. You can’t go wrong!
Why You’ll Love This Fall Salad with Butternut Squash
- Deep, beautiful colors—we eat with our eyes first, after all
- Mix of sweet roasted vegetables and savory ingredients with some bite
- Truly amazing flavor when it all comes together
- The dressing alone is to die for, with honey, Dijon, and a rejuvenating hint of citrus
- Simple steps but feels like you put in a little effort. Sometimes you want (and deserve!) the credit, you know?
Ingredient Notes
Spotlight on Wild Rice
We love wild rice! It’s technically an aquatic grass and a staple for making my favorite Instant Pot wild rice soup. Cooking these hearty grains from scratch is super simple but does take a little while and thus requires some planning. If you’re in a hurry or just don’t want to deal with it, substitute a quick-cooking rice packet or mix. For the purpose of this salad, you can also leave it out entirely or substitute pearl couscous, pastina, or quinoa.
Rice and Roasting First
This wild rice salad is not complicated but does require some advance planning. Your very first steps will be to prepare the wild rice and roast the butternut squash. Both are hands-off but take at least half an hour to do.
Set aside both the rice and the squash to cool at least slightly to room temperature, or if working more ahead of time, store in the refrigerator.
Dress It Up
Blitz together the dressing in a small blender or food processor. My favorite tip for making salad dressings is to dip a lettuce leaf—spinach leaf in this case—into the dressing as a taste-test. This gives you an indication of what the dressing will taste like on the greens, which can make it easier to tell whether you like it as-is or would prefer a little more of anything.
More sweetness=more maple syrup or honey; more tang=more orange juice or vinegar; more kick=more pepper; more overall flavor=more salt.
If you prefer, you can shake the dressing together by hand in a tightly-lidded jar. Be prepared to put some real muscle into it, though. I do find this dressing becomes more silky when enlisting the steel blade. It’s worth the extra items in the dishwasher.
When ready, combine everything, and add dressing to taste.
Dig in, or serve with joy!
Make Ahead Tips
If you want to front load the work, there are several steps you can take:
- Prepare the wild rice, roast the butternut squash, and make the dressing up to 3 days in advance. Store separately in the refrigerator, each tightly covered.
- If you’re traveling with the salad to serve somewhere else, combine the spinach, red onion, wild rice, cherries or cranberries, and pecans in a large serving bowl. Bring a separate container with the squash and another separate container with the dressing.
- Whether at home or away, add the dressing, toss, and add the squash last.
More Big, Beautiful Salads
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken
- Kale Blueberry Salad with Feta and Pecans
- Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
- Kale Apple Pecorino Salad with Chicken
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
Wild Rice Salad with Butternut Squash
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1/2 cup wild rice see note
- 16 ounces butternut squash peeled and cubed
- 1-2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 4-6 large handfuls fresh baby spinach roughly chopped
- 1/4 medium red onion thinly-sliced
- 1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
- 1/2 cup toasted or candied pecans
For the Dressing:
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare rice according to package directions; set aside to cool. (This may take up to an hour if starting with true wild rice; if you’re in a hurry, substitute a quick-cooking rice packet or mix.)1/2 cup wild rice
- While the rice cooks, roast the butternut squash. Preheat the oven to 425°F and place the peeled cubes of squash on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, until the cubes are golden brown on the edges and fork tender throughout. Set aside to cool.16 ounces butternut squash, 1-2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper
- To make the dressing, combine olive oil, orange juice, maple syrup or honey, apple cider vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper in a small blender or food processor. Blitz to combine. Dip a piece of spinach into the dressing to sample; adjust seasoning to taste. (See note.)1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 3 Tablespoons orange juice, 2 Tablespoons maple syrup or honey, 2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper
- When ready to assemble the salads, combine spinach, red onion, and wild rice in a large bowl. Add a drizzle of dressing, then toss to combine.4-6 large handfuls fresh baby spinach, 1/4 medium red onion
- Top with roasted squash cubes, dried cherries or cranberries, and pecans. Add more dressing to taste and enjoy right away.1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries, 1/2 cup toasted or candied pecans
Notes
- Wild Rice Substitutions: Cooking wild rice from scratch is super simple but takes a little while. If you’re in a hurry or just don’t want to deal with it, substitute a quick-cooking rice packet or mix. You can also leave it out entirely or substitute pearl couscous, pastina, quinoa, etc.
- Wild Rice Amount: You may want to add all of the cooked wild rice or just a few handfuls—let your own taste be your guide. Extra cooked wild rice keeps well in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 days and is really good as a simple side to chicken skillets or mixed into soups.
- Adjusting the Dressing to Taste: My favorite tip for making salad dressings is to dip a lettuce leaf—spinach leaf in this case—into the dressing as a taste-test. This gives you an indication of what the dressing will taste like on the greens, which can make it easier to tell whether you like it as-is or would prefer a little more of anything. More sweetness=more maple syrup or honey; more tang=more orange juice or vinegar; more kick=more pepper; more overall flavor=more salt.
- Dressing: Alternatively, you can make the dressing just by shaking it by hand in a large tightly-lidded jar; be sure to shake it really well to get everything evenly combined. The mustard will help emulsify the other ingredients.
- Extra Dressing: Extra will keep well in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 days.
- Recipe: Inspired by Little Spice Jar.
