Winter Wheat Berry Salad with Butternut Squash
A hearty winter wheat berry salad that's a fantastic side dish or lunch. With roasted butternut squash, spinach, almonds, and a tangy lemon dressing.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup hard wheat berries, rinsed
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled and small diced
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- salt/pepper
- 2 cups chopped spinach leaves
- 1 lemon, zest and juice (about 2-3 tablespoons juice)
- 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 heaping teaspoon honey
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles
- 1/2 cup toasted, sliced almonds
Instructions
- Cook the wheat berries. Place the wheat berries and 6-7 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 60-90 minutes, adding more water, if necessary, until tender.
- While the wheat berries are cooking, roast the squash. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the squash with the olive oil, enough to coat, thyme and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place in a single layer in a baking sheet and cook until squash is tender, flipping halfway, about 30-40 minutes. Set aside.
- While the squash is cooking, make the lemon dressing. In a jar or small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, juice, mustard, and honey until well combined, then drizzle in the olive oil while whisking the dressing to create a creamy dressing. Taste, adding salt as desired. I usually add a 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Add the chopped spinach to the bottom of a large bowl. Drain the wheat berries and add the warm wheat berries on top of the spinach and let sit for 2-3 minutes to wilt the spinach.
- Add in the cooked squash, the dressing, goat cheese, and almonds, then toss together until well combined. Taste, adding more salt/pepper/olive oil/lemon juice as desired to taste.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 627kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 16gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 441mgPotassium: 839mgFiber: 12gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 21651IUVitamin C: 58mgCalcium: 181mgIron: 4mg