This Fall Couscous Salad has all our favorite things: roasted squash, dried cranberries, an addictive maple-balsamic vinaigrette, and our award-winning Buttermilk Blue® cheese.
Ingredients
- For the Salad:
- 3 cups peeled & cubed butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 cups dry Israeli couscous
- 4 ounces baby spinach
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- 1 (4-oz) container Roth Buttermilk Blue® Crumbles
- For the Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- For the salad, place squash on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt & pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, turning squash cubes after 15 minutes.
- While squash is roasting, cook couscous according to package instructions. Drain, and toss in remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Place spinach in large bowl. Add hot roasted squash and couscous to bowl, and gently mix. The heat from the squash and couscous will help wilt the spinach. Add dried cranberries and almonds. Set aside.
- For the dressing, whisk all ingredients. Pour over warm squash-couscous mixture, stirring to mix. Fold in Blue cheese crumbles, reserving a few to sprinkle atop the dish.
- Salad can be served warm immediately or stored in the refrigerator and served cold.