Roasted Delicata Squash, Fig and Persimmon Wild Rice Salad
Roasted Delicata Squash, Fig and Persimmon Wild Rice Salad recipe packed with kale, pomegranate, and tossed in a spiced maple vinaigrette!
I did some major gardening about a week ago and realized my tomato plants are so close to the end. I’ll probably be pulling them up this week which makes me really sad, but they’ve had a good run.
In all honestly, I haven’t really been incorporating tomatoes into my dishes lately because of all the fall produce that I’m finding. I guess I really am over summer!
This Roasted Delicata Squash, Fig and Persimmon Wild Rice Salad is one of the ways I’ve been celebrating fall lately. It incorporates some of my favorite fall ingredients with wild rice and the warm flavor of cinnamon!
To say that I’m excited about this salad is a serious understatement.
This salad came to be when I had (5) of my favorite ingredients on hand:
- Delicata squash
- Figs
- Fuyu persimmon
- Kale
- Pomegranate
I wanted to create a dish where they would shine together and knew the perfect vehicle would be a wild rice salad. All of the colors, textures, and flavors just scream fall!
I decided to add some warm spice to the equation so I roasted the delicata squash in some ground cinnamon and added some to the vinaigrette as well.
A little spice does make everything nice after all. 🙂
The vinaigrette also has tangy apple cider vinegar which is a must this time of year, along with some maple syrup to continue on with our fall theme.
The best part of this wild rice salad is that it’s so versatile. You can substitute the delicata squash for butternut squash, red kuri, or pumpkin and it would be equally delicious.
If you haven’t tried delicata squash I encourage you do so. It’s got a sweet flavor and velvety texture that I think is even better than butternut squash. And the clincher? You don’t have to peel it! Simply halve it, remove the seeds, and slice it into half moons and roast away.
The delicata skin is beautiful and adds a nice chewy texture that I love. Kabocha squash and red kuri squash are other autumn squash that you don’t have to peel so look them up!
If figs aren’t in season you can substitute them with dried figs or add dried cranberries if you’re not into figs at all. You can also use pears or apples or whatever fruit you have on hand!
This dish will be the hit of your fall table and guess what? The leftovers make an amazing lunch.
With salads like this, I’m definitely not going to miss summer produce. 🙂
Roasted Delicata Squash, Fig and Persimmon Wild Rice Salad
Roasted Delicata Squash, Fig, and Persimmon Wild Rice Salad is packed with kale, pomegranate, and tossed in a spiced maple vinaigrette!
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice blend prepared according to package instructions
- 1 cup delicata squash
- 1 cup chopped fresh kale tough stems removed
- 1 fuyu persimmon stemmed and chopped (no need to peel!)
- 5 medium figs quartered (about 1 cup)
- 2 green onions both white and green parts, sliced on the bias
- 1/3 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/2 cup skinned and toasted hazelnuts chopped*
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon divided
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the delicata squash on a rimmed baking sheet and toss in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and salt to taste. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until tender and caramelized. Remove from heat.
- Place the chopped kale in large bowl When the rice is done, pour it into the bowl over the kale and toss to combine. This will wilt the kale slightly. Allow to cool slightly.
- Place the remaining olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste in a mason jar, cover, and shake vigorously until combined. Set aside.
- Add the roasted squash, persimmon, figs, green onion, and pomegranate arils to the wild rice kale mixture. Add enough dressing to coat and toss to combine.
- Serve slightly warm with chopped hazelnuts and enjoy!
Notes
- This salad is very versatile! Use butternut squash, pumpkin, or your favorite squash in place of the delicata and substitute with your favorite fruits like pear or apple. If figs aren't in season, dried figs would be amazing as well!
- Leftover salad makes the perfect lunch for a few days.
- * I used Trader Joe's pre-toasted hazelnuts -- they were a huge time saver!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
31 Comments on “Roasted Delicata Squash, Fig and Persimmon Wild Rice Salad”
This is such a gorgeous salad, Marcie! You really did incorporate the flavors of fall in here. I love the squash and persimmon combination. This sounds like such a delicious lunch or dinner, and so pretty, too!
Thanks so much Gayle! This is something that I could eat every day!
YES! Delicata is one of my favorites for exactly this reason. Love that it’s easy to cut and you don’t have to peel it. This salad has so many of my Fall/Winter favorites. And I need to use wild rice more. The texture is great for hearty salads like this. Beautiful photos, Marcie. Happy Fall!
Thanks Liz! I don’t know why I only think about wild rice this time of year…I need to change that!
I just realized we have 3 persimmon trees! Lol. And they are full of beautiful persimmons, so I’ve been looking for a recipe to utilize them and this is just perfect!! This salad totally screams fall!! Can’t wait to try it! Cheers, friend!
Can you send some my way?? haha Thanks Cheyanne!
This is just fall in a bowl! My parents used to have a persimmon tree (bush?) and we’d just eat them plain but I think in a salad they’d be even better. Delicious!
I love persimmons plain too but they end up in salads around here the most. haha Thanks Kelsie!
What a beautiful salad — it just of the bounty of fall (and I can’t help but love that we’ve been blessed with figs this time of year, too!)!
Thanks so much Liren and I feel the same way about our blessed figs! 🙂
What a gorgeous salad, Marcie! I haven’t had delicata squash in a while but I really enjoy it. It sounds amazing paired with the cider dressing and toasted hazelnuts. Yum! So perfect for fall!
Thanks Sarah and I just can’t get enough of this salad!
Were about to have to clean out our garden too. So sad!! I have a lot of green tomatoes 🙁 But I’m all in with Fall flavors now. It’s funny, in the Summer I love quinoa salads but in the colder months I love rice salads or faro.. I guess they seem more hearty!
YES…farro salads are some of my favorite! 🙂
I love this salad- it reminds me of the fall produce when I lived in California. Figs and deliciata are two of my very favorites! And I am always wanting inspiration for persimmons. Love this!
Thanks so much Katie!
Your salad is proof of the advantages of living in California. Fuyu persimmons are the best!
Thanks Letty!
This is such a beautiful salad that showcases all the best fall produce items! I’m loving the sound of that maple dressing! YUM!
Thank you so much Laura! These ingredients make me so happy that it’s fall. 🙂
This is my kind of salad Marcie! Looks perfect! Love the combination of flavors and colors! Pinned!
Thank you Mira!
Marcie, your salads are always just to die for! I absolutely love the addition of pomegranate. You’re right – I’m finally happy to say goodbye to summer produce and enjoy the bounty of fall!! We just ripped up our tomato plants this past weekend too!!
You’re so sweet — thank you Katherine! My cherry tomatoes are still producing but everything needs to go once the smoke clears here in the Bay Area and it’s safe to go outside!
I’m loving these salad photos, they’re gorgeous! This looks like a wonderful autumn salad.
Thanks so much Nicole!