Butternut Puttanesca Salad

Butternut Puttanesca Salad is a fresh and flavorful twist on the classic Italian sauce. The traditional Italian puttanesca sauce is a hearty tomato sauce, often served over pasta, that’s packed with olives, capers, anchovies and slowly simmered for hours. For my simple salad variation, I incorporated the olives, capers, and anchovies into a briney and delicious puttanesca dressing. Next, I created the base of the salad with a tasty combination of butternut squash, tomatoes, and spinach. Once tossed together, the vegetables and dressing create a perfectly balanced and amazing salad that tastes even better once chilled for a few hours! Since it is refrigerated prior to serving, this salad makes an ideal make-ahead side dish.
If you’re looking for a more traditional puttanesca sauce, try Quinoa Puttanesca.

Butternut Puttanesca Salad
Gluten Free
Serves Four
Click Here for Printable Recipe



Ingredients--
Roasted Vegetables:
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
16 ounces butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced (about 3 cups once diced)
3 cups grape tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Dash of Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
Salt & Pepper
Puttanesca Dressing:
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt & Pepper
3 ounces roasted red bell pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup once chopped)
6-8 pitted kalamata olives, finely chopped
3-4 anchovy filets, finely minced
2 tablespoons capers
Steamed Spinach:
4 cups (packed) baby spinach
Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray. Add squash and tomatoes to baking sheet, then drizzle with oil. Season vegetables with thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.  Toss vegetables until they are evenly coated in oil and spices.

2. Transfer vegetables to oven and roast for 20 minutes, then remove baking sheet from oven and carefully stir. Continue to roast vegetables for 15-18 minutes more, or until squash is tender and tomatoes begin to burst.




3. While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the dressing by whisking together red wine vinegar, olive oil, and Dijon mustard in bottom of a  medium mixing bowl. Season dressing with marjoram, salt, and pepper.

4. Add fresh parsley, roasted red pepper, olives, anchovies and capers to bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.




5. Place spinach in large, microwave safe bowl. Add 2-4 tablespoons of water, then “steam” spinach in the microwave 30-45 seconds, or until leaves are softened and beginning to wilt. Stir spinach, then season with salt and pepper.



6. Once the roasted vegetables are finished, add to large bowl with steamed spinach. Add puttanesca dressing on top of vegetables and gently stir until all salad ingredients are evenly incorporated.




7. Cover salad with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve (it’s best to eat salad within 24 hours but allow at least 4 hours for the it to chill). Prior to serving, let salad sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!



Nutrition Information--approximately 130 calories per serving (1/4 of the recipe)