This Roasted Squash and Chicory Salad is made with tender acorn squash, bitter chicory, sweet and crunchy apple, watermelon radish and an herbed balsamic vinaigrette. It’s AIP, paleo, vegan and Whole30 compliant.

large white plate with salad with radicchio, watermelon radish, sliced acorn squash, chopped apple and chopped cilantro, with one wooden salad spoon to the top left

This salad is perfectly layered in both flavor and texture and quite simple to make. My favorite way to eat bitter greens like chicories is to pair them with fruit and fat. I love the combination of apple and radicchio in this salad, nicely balanced by the creamy, tender roasted acorn squash and the herbed balsamic dressing.

Here’s what you need for this Roasted Squash and Chicory Salad:

acorn squash (can substitute with Tetsukabuto or Kabocha variety)
apple (any variety – I like granny smith)
watermelon radish (can substitute with another mild radish variety e.g. Snowball, Purple Plum or White Icicle)
radicchio
fresh cilantro and basil
balsamic vinegar
garlic
olive oil
sea salt

white parchment paper with sliced acorn squash drizzled with olive oil and sea salt

Here’s how you make this Roasted Squash and Chicory Salad

Preheat your oven to 450F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut the stem off the end of the acorn squash and cut the squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds using a spoon and cut the squash into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Lay the sliced squash in a single layer onto the baking sheets and coat with olive oil and sea salt. Roast squash for 25-30 minutes, flipping once midway through.

Assemble salad by layering radicchio, cilantro, roasted squash, watermelon radish and apple.

To prepare dressing, crush garlic and finely chop basil. Add to a mason jar or bowl along with balsamic vinegar and salt. Slowly whisk in olive oil until an emulsion is formed. Toss salad with dressing shortly before serving and more salt to taste.

If you try this Roasted Squash and Chicory Salad, I would love it if you would give the recipe a star rating and review. Be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram. Tag @healmedelicious and use the hashtag #healmedelicious.

Looking for more delicious and hearty AIP salads? Check out:

Roasted Squash and Chicory Salad (AIP, paleo, vegan, Whole30)

Author: Nicole @healmedelicious
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Ingredients

Scale

1 small acorn squash (approximately 2 pounds)
2 TBSP olive oil
sea salt
1 small head radicchio, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 watermelon radishes (or substitute with another mild radish variety e.g. Snowball, Purple Plum or White Icicle), thinly sliced*
1 apple (any variety), finely diced

Basil Balsamic Dressing

1/2 TBSP basil, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 450F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut the stem off the end of the acorn squash and cut the squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds using a spoon and cut the squash into 1/2-inch-thick slices.**
Lay the sliced squash in a single layer onto the baking sheets and coat with olive oil and sea salt.***
Roast squash for 25-30 minutes, flipping once midway through.
Assemble your salad by layering chopped radicchio, cilantro, roasted squash, watermelon radish and apple.
To prepare dressing, crush garlic and finely chop basil. Add to a mason jar or bowl along with balsamic vinegar and salt. Slowly whisk in olive oil until an emulsion is formed.
Toss salad with dressing shortly before serving and more salt to taste.

Notes

* I recommend using a mandoline if you have one, otherwise, try to slice as thinly as possible using a very sharp knife.

**Peeling the skin here is optional – acorn squash skin is edible but it’s totally a personal preference.

***Depending on the size of your baking sheets you might use more than two of them. You want to ensure the squash pieces are laid out evenly and separated so that the squash roasts rather than steams.

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Category: Salads

Keywords: aip, paleo, whole30, vegan, salad, raddichio, chicory, roasted squash