Curried Autumn Salad with Butternut Squash and Lentils

Celebrate the fall harvest season with this warm Curried Autumn Salad! This hearty vegan salad is made with curried roasted butternut squash, cauliflower, and green lentils. It's combined with fresh greens, crunchy pecans, and nourishing goji berries, all tossed with a creamy tahini maple dressing.

Serve this nutritious salad warm or at room temperature because it’s just what your body is craving and its happily gluten-free.

Dad always said, “Produce that grows together - tastes great together”, and we couldn’t agree more!  Each bite of this fall salad is creamy, sweet, spicy, and savory with fun contrasting textures. It’s just like a party in your mouth.

Best of all, you can make the roasted vegetable salad and curried tahini maple dressing in advance. When you are ready to serve, simply toss them together and enjoy!  Ideal for lunches, autumn dinner parties, or even Thanksgiving.

Main Autumn Salad Ingredients

Butternut Squash – or other naturally sweet winter squash like acorn, pumpkin or kabocha squash. To save time, you can buy the peeled and chopped squash. We do not recommend using frozen as it will not get caramelized and golden but instead be waterlogged and mushy.

Cauliflower - or other firm fall harvest vegetables like peeled and chopped beets, Brussel sprouts or turnips.

Lentils (pulses/legumes) – makes this salad hearty and adds protein to keep you feeling full.Black or green lentils are tender to the bite but do not fall apart making them a perfect choice.  Avoid using yellow or red lentils because they are easy to overcook and can make the warm salad mushy. Make it extra simple by using canned pre-cooked lentils to save time.

Fresh Greens – baby kale, massaged kale or spinach are all delicious in a warm autumn salad. Firmer greens like kale work best in this recipe or wait to toss with fresh spinach just before serving to keep the greens perky.

Warming Spices – are what make this roasted veggie salad a little spicy and extra delicious. We used dried ground mild Indian curry, like we use in our chicken curry soup, dried ginger and garlic. Mild Indian curry is a dried spice blend made from dried ground coriander, turmeric, cumin, and fenugreek.

If living in the US, you can use McCormick’s organic curry powder, right down the spice isle of the grocery store. We also have had a lot of success with Ziyad premium mild curry powder that can be found on Amazon or in a Middle Eastern Market.  Mild Indian curry is more flavorful than spicy. When you pair the naturally sweet butternut squash with a little pop of warming spices, it’s magical for the taste buds.

Tahini Maple Dressing Ingredients

Tahini paste – nutty sesame paste like we use for our tarator sauce makes this salad dressing creamy without the addition of dairy or cheese.

Lemon Juice – adds a pop of freshness.

Warming spices – we are using the other half of the mild Indian curry, ginger, and garlic powder in the creamy tahini dressing.

Maple Syrup – adds a touch of sweetness to both the salad dressing and the pecans.

Garnish Ingredients

Pecans – or nuts/seeds of choice. Roasted pepitas, air fryer pumpkin seeds and toasted pistachios are all fabulous as a crunchy topping. We lightly toasted our pecans in a pan dry pan with a little drizzle of maple syrup and a dash of salt – so GOOD!

Dried Goji berries sometimes also called (Chinese wolfberries, gou chi zi, 枸杞子) are nature’s naturally sweet and chewy berry. You can find these in specialty stores and in Asian markets. We enjoy goji berries in red date and goji berry tea or in our Instant Pot Chicken Congee.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine goji berries are used as spleen tonic to support digestion, strengthen the kidneys, liver and balance yin and yang.  However, in Western Medicine, they are sometimes seen as a super food because they are high in antioxidants. You can also use dried cranberries, if this is easier for you to source from the market.

How to Roast Butternut Squash and Cauliflower

• Find your sharpest knife and carefully cut the butternut squash in half.

• Peel the butternut squash with a knife or peeler.
• Remove the seeds and chop into 1-inch cubes.

• Cut the flowerets off the cauliflower head and chop into quarters or bite sized pieces.

• Toss the chopped butternut squash and cauliflower with olive oil, mild curry powder, ginger, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.
• Roast butternut squash and cauliflower in the oven at 425 degrees F (218 degrees C) for about 25-30 minutes until tender and golden.

Step By Step: Curried Tahini Maple Dressing

• Mix tahini sauce, fresh lemon juice, maple syrup, mild Indian curry powder, ginger, garlic powder.
• Add water to thin the dressing to a pouring consistency. Season to taste.

Crunchy and Chewy Salad Toppings

This is where you can have a little fun. We are all about using what you have on hand. So, we added nourishing dried goji berries and pecans. We toasted the pecans lightly in a pan with a drizzle of maple syrup and seasoned with salt for that addictive sweet and salty flavor. You could also try our candied pecan recipe from our holiday salad recipe for a fun twist. Try some other fun toppings such as …

• Chopped apples or pears.
• Dried cranberries
• Pomegranate arils
• Nuts and Seeds like toasted sunflower seeds, roasted pepitas, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pistachios, almonds and more.
• Cheeses – (if you don’t have a dairy intolerance) like feta, goat cheese, or parmesan.
• Bacon – unless you need to keep the recipe vegan.
• Crunchy roasted garbanzo beans
• Crispy baked rice or quinoa

Putting It All Together

• Layer massaged kale or spinach on the bottom of a large salad platter/bowl.
• Mix ½ of the curried tahini maple dressing into the cooked lentils and layer on top of the kale or spinach.

• Spoon over the roasted butternut squash and cauliflower on top of the lentils and greens.
• Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad.

• Top this roasted vegetable salad with toasted maple pecans and goji berries.

Make Ahead Instructions

Great news! If you want to make this autumn salad for a holiday gathering or for lunches, you can prep all the ingredients up to 3 days in advance. Then, throw them all together to serve when you are ready to eat. Prepping and storing all the ingredients separate, keeps everything fresh and prevents them from getting soggy.  

• Prepare the maple tahini dressing up to 3 days in advance and store in a covered sealed container in the refrigerator. If you store it in a jar with a lid or a Tupperware with a lid, you can shake it up right before drizzling on the salad.
• Boil the lentils with the bay leaves up to 3 days in advance. Store in a covered sealed container in the refrigerator.
• Roast the butternut squash and cauliflower up to 3 days in advance. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
• Toast the pecans in maple syrup and season with salt up to 7 days in advance. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
• Store the kale or spinach separately. Hold off on massaging kale until the day you plan to serve the salad.

How to Assemble Your Curried Autumn Salad After Storage

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place butternut squash and cauliflower on a lined baking sheet and bake for 8 – 12 minutes or until toasty warm.
• Reheat the lentils for 1 to 2 minutes in the microwave until warm.
• Spread the massaged kale or spinach on a large platter.
• Toss ½ of the prepared tahini maple dressing into the lentils.
• Top the kale/spinach with the prepared warm lentils.
• Spoon the toasty warm butternut squash and cauliflower over the lentils.
• Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad.
• Top with crunchy pecans and goji berries or your favorite toppings.

Recipe Tips and Hacks

• Microwave the squash before cutting to make the process easier. First poke a few holes in the squash with your fork to allow some steam to escape. Next, microwave the butternut for about 3 minutes. When it is cool enough to handle, stabilize your cutting board with a damp towel underneath. Sharpen your best sturdy knife. Cut in half, scoop out the seeds, peel, and chop. BE CAREFUL and keep your fingers away from the blade!
• Roast the butternut squash and cauliflower in a single layer so that it gets browned and toasty. Don’t overlap the ingredients.
• Do not add salt to the cooking lentils as this will make them tough. Wait and season them after cooking.
• Prepare kale: Remove the tough vein. Chop into bite size pieces. Massage the kale with a little olive oil and salt. Kale is ready to eat when it turns from a light green to a dark green as demonstrated in our Autumn Kale Salad recipe.