Just the other week I posted my current recipe obsession – Baked Delicata Squash & Pistachios. Dare I say delicata squash has french fry qualities? Blasphemy I know, but it is just so addicting and snackable. 

I was making so much of it that one day I found myself with leftovers. So I thought – what if I tossed it with some additional greens and turned it into a big juicy salad for dinner? Well I am so glad I did because immediately after serving up my creation to Nick he said “this is a must on SCE.” Now my sweet husband who will eat just about anything in mass quantities doesn’t often exclaim immediately if a dish is blog worthy. He will eat everything but is brutally honest whether a dish is worth putting in the actual rotation, and thus on the website. I swear everything I share is in rotation in our household… the only thing is the rotation is months long at this point! 

Now this recipe is broken into 3 parts but that’s simply to be user friendly. When I am following a recipe, I want it to all be in one place and don’t particularly like clicking to multiple web pages just for one meal so I listed all the parts out here. But it’s honestly super simple so don’t be fooled by the length. You simply bake the squash and toss the salad ingredients together (baked squash, arugula, tomatoes, pistachios, parmesan, and dressing). 

The curveball with this one is it includes Sol Food Lemon Dressing – a local Bay Area restaurant salad dressing. If you live in the Bay, you are most likely well aware of Sol Food, a beloved Caribbean restaurant that started as a hole in the wall window and was so good there are now multiple locations in the area. You can buy the salad dressing in store, delivery service, and now they even ship anywhere in the states! So technically you can buy it even if you are on the East Coast. But as per the pictures below, the ingredients on the dressing are SUPER simple. So I also included how to make your own at home. With only 4 ingredients, you are not reinventing the wheel. The key is to let it sit and marinate for a few days. Yes days if you can. Otherwise just whisk in real time and use, it won’t disappoint regardless! My addition is champagne vinegar. I like a bit more zest to my salads so the vinegar addition ups the ante just enough to take this salad from just alright to truly amazing… a must in the rotation and on the blog as Nick would say!

All this to say, enjoy this wildly addicting simple salad that is 100% Nick certified. And don’t sleep on Sol Food if you are ever in the Bay Area…

INGREDIENTS

Serving Size: 2-4

INSTRUCTIONS

• Make the baked delicata squash. 
• Combine the squash with arugula and cherry tomatoes. 
• Toss with Sol Food Lemon Dressing and champagne vinegar. 
• Enjoy!

Sol Food Lemon Dressing Dupe –

1 cup olive oil

2 lemons

4 cloves garlic

Flaky salt

• Combine ingredients, shake well, and let it sit to marinate for a few days before use. 

My squash recipe – 

1 delicata squash

2 tbsp. unshelled pistachios

Handful of shredded parmesan

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. paprika, salt, pepper

Drizzle of hot honey

• Toss squash slices in olive oil and seasoning. Bake at 450F for 25 minutes. 
• Toss with pistachios, parmesan, and drizzle of hot honey.