Roasted Delicata Squash Salad With Pomegranate And Goat Cheese

In case you haven’t heard, it’s decorative gourd season, motherf^%$#^!
In case you haven’t heard, it’s decorative gourd season, motherfuckers.

Winter squash are the backbone of some of our best recipes. Whether it’s in soup or pie— or even a stand alone main— Butternuts, Kabochas, and Acorns are essential in our autumn kitchen. But Delicata Squash is our favorite because it’s just so damn easy to cook.

Unlike its thick-skinned kin, Delicata doesn’t make you break out a carving kit to get dinner on the table (and won’t give you gross, peely hands). Just wash it, slice it thin, and pop it in the oven. The fancy yellow and green mottled peel is thin enough to be both edible and completely delicious, lending a little bit of contrast to the tender ochre flesh. It’s an idiot-proof ingredient that makes a huge visual impact on the plate, and it makes a completely perfect protein-alternative for hearty fall salads.

Paired with juicy, sweet Pomegranate and the salty tang of Goat Cheese, this salad is refined enough to wow your office’s Thanksgiving potluck but so simple you can break it out for your brown bag lunch. The recipe below uses Arugula to give a peppery contrast to the rich, sweet squash, but you can use whatever sturdy greens you have on hand. This salad would be great on a mound of Spinach or even some super seasonal Tatsoi, for a cruciferous crunch.