This Roasted Butternut Squash Fig Pomegranate Whole Grain Salad is a stunning addition to any holiday menu.
Recently, I finished an 11-week Bible study with an amazing group of ladies. I really enjoy doing Bible studies because it forces me to sit still and reflect on my life and check myself to see if I am being the best person I can be. Of course, the answer is always no, but I learn something about myself each time, and what I need to improve upon. This particular study really made me think about my purpose in life. Honestly, I haven’t figured that out yet, and every time I think  I do have it figured out, something changes and I feel like I’m starting at square one again. One thing is for sure though…I do believe God has a plan for me and that I just need to be patient and keep my eyes and ears open until I see a clear path to follow.
I made this Roasted Butternut Squash Fig Grain Salad for our last evening together. We’ve got a big group, roughly 40 women, so I made a big batch. To be honest, the reason there are so many different grains in this salad is that I was cleaning out my cupboard and found little bags of barley, farro, sorghum and quinoa. Barley (I used quick cooking) and farro cook in about the same amount of time, so I cooked them together. Sorghum takes about 50-60 minutes to cook until it gets tender, and quinoa takes about 20 minutes.
I happened to have some dried figs that I thought would be a nice addition to this salad, but they were too dry to toss into the salad, so I stewed them, along with some dried cranberries, in apple cider. They plumped up nicely, especially after I let them continue to sit in the liquid after cooking. The reduced apple cider was a great flavor addition to the salad in the end and added some moisture too. To make this extra festive, I used a generous sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.
Everyone really enjoyed this hearty salad and wanted to know how I made it. Honestly, I started with a stuffing recipe I found on Cooking Light, which morphed into this jewel toned grain salad. I had notes scribbled all over the recipe because I added so many other ingredients as I went along. So, ladies, if you’re reading this post, here is the recipe. This makes a huge batch, so cut the recipe way down for a smaller group.
Roasted Butternut Squash Carrot Barley Farro Sorghum Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash and Carrots
- 4 cups butternut squash but into 1/2" cubes
- 2 cups carrots cut into 1/2' pieces (I used rainbow carrots for more color)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Stewed Figs and Cranberries
- 1 cup dried figs
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 2 cups apple cider
Grain Salad
- 4 cups cooked barley
- 2 cups cooked farro
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 2 cups cooked whole sorghum
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup parsley minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 cups pomegranate seeds
- juice from one clementine
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
Roasted Butternut Squash and Carrots
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together butternut squash, 2 tablespoons olive oil, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place carrots, remaining tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper in the bowl; toss together, then spread in a single layer on another baking sheet. Place both baking sheets in the oven. Roast carrots about 20 minutes, until tender; roast butternut squash 20-25 minutes until tender.
Stewed Figs and Cranberries
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Place figs, cranberries and apple cider in a saucepan; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes; turn off heat and let sit until you are ready to assemble the salad. When ready to use, remove figs from reduced apple cider and cut off stems; cut figs into quarters. Reserve reduced apple cider and cranberries.
Grain Salad
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Place cooked grains in a large serving bowl and toss with olive oil, vinegar, parsley, thyme, pomegranate seeds, clementine juice, roasted butternut squash and carrots, figs, reduced apple cider and cranberries. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Cooking Light
MORE WINTER WHOLE GRAIN SALADS:
Quinoa Butternut Squash Chickpea Salad
Lentil Salad with Whole Grains, Roasted Beets, Winter Squash, Mushrooms and Pomegranate Seeds
Warm Farro Salad with Kale, Dried Figs and Cranberries
Salmon Roasted Beet Feta Salad with Dill Salad Dressing Recipe {Daniel Plan Recipe}
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This looks incredible, Jeanette! I love roasted squash on its own and I can only imagine how delicious this salad is with whole grains and other goodies like fruit added in. Plus it’s gorgeous! I need to make this!!
Thank you Faith! Happy holidays!
Irresistible colors for the holiday season!
Thank you Lydia – hope you are enjoying the holiday season!
I made that farro stuffing (also with many adaptations) and it’s so fun to see how it evolved in your hands! It’s a beauty.
It is fun to see all the different variations on this recipe – yours was fantastic!
How GORGEOUS is this? Love the mix of the whole grains – farro is my very favorite 🙂
Thank you Deanna – I haven’t made farro in a long time – glad i found a little stash in my pantry 😉
Reflection is always good! This salad looks hearty yet very satisfying with all those wonderfully stewed up fruit.
Laura – I do find reflection at this time of year is especially needed given all the craziness of the holidays!
Beautiful! Love all the colors 🙂 Perfect holiday side dish
I love grain salads, especially this time of year with roasted root veggies & some dried fruit. Yummy!
What a beautiful salad, Jeanette! It’ll brighten up any holiday table!
What a perfect time of year to study the Bible and reflect on your purpose in life! I take a lot of comfort knowing that God has a plan for me as well 🙂 This salad looks amazing! Pinning for sure!
Elizabeth – I take great comfort in knowing that God has a plan for all of us. Patience is the biggest challenge for me.
What a great dish to share with your Bible study group- They were very fortunate to have this beauty to dig into! I love butternut squash in salads and the combination of whole grains sounds delicious!
Thanks Arman – I love cooking for our Bible study group because it is such a big group.
Jeanette, some of the best friendships I have are other women I’ve met at church or in my bible study group and yes, God has a plan for you . . Jeremiah 29:11. . I memorized that verse several years ago and still cling to it today. . love love love this vibrant and gorgeous salad!!! and love the use of all the different grains!! What a great dish to share at your last meeting.
Alice – that is so great to hear – being supported and surrounded by women who have similar beliefs really helps me and keeps me grounded. Happy Holidays!