Butternut Squash Salad With Hazelnuts and Blue Cheese

Source: Real Simple, October 2011

Geoff and I have made this a few times. We've substituted shallots for the red onion. Geoff prefers the red onion, but I'm not really a fan of either one, so we'll be leaving them off my salad the next time we make it.

Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 10m
Total Time: 50m

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, delicata squash, or sugar pumpkin—peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (we used a 20-oz package of pre-cut butternut squash)
5 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
6 cups mixed greens (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (1 cup)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash with 2 tablespoons of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast, tossing once, until golden brown and tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, spread the hazelnuts on a second rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly, then rub in a clean dish towel to remove the skins (discard skins). Roughly chop.

(NOTE: Geoff and I bought a bag of chopped hazelnuts, toasted them, and left the skins on. Just learn from my mistake: chopped nuts only take a few minutes to toast, not 10-12!)

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add the squash, hazelnuts, greens, and onion and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the blue cheese.

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