To ring in the season, I’ve finally brought a squash recipe to the table! (No pun intended) This Kabocha Squash Feta Salad is booming with flavor and color.
If you haven’t noticed, now that Fall is here and the holidays are pretty much under-way, I’m trying to bring you more recipes! Normally, I aim for one post a week, but now I’m aiming for two a week, or at the very least, two ever other week. I’ve got a few REALLY amazing posts in the queue, but first, let’s make this Kabocha Squash Feta Salad!
If you’ve never had kabocha squash, it’s a Japanese winter squash and is sweeter than butternut squash. You may have eaten it and not even realized, as it’s commonly served as vegetable tempura. Yummmm.. The rind is edible, though you can peel it if you want! I’ve kept it on for this recipe for ease, looks, and flavor.
When you pair the sweet, soft kabocha with savory lentils, peppery arugula, red onion, and vegan feta is a straight up flavor party. THEN you add the easy, herbaceous thyme vinaigrette to tie it all together. Also, this tofu feta recipe is from my first book, Vegan Bowl Attack! though I’ve modified it slightly.
I had originally made this as a side salad for holiday dinners. But, once I ate this kabocha squash feta salad, it became pretty clear that it could easily be an entree. With the lentils and tofu feta it’s high in protein, and with all of the plants, it has filling fiber, as well! If you can’t find kabocha near you, subbing butternut or acorn squash works, too.
So, bring this colorful dish to your holiday gatherings and potlucks as a tasty, beautiful contribution!
2 years: Fall Farro Protein Bowl // 3 years: Smoky Sesame Crostini // 4 years: Pumpkin Banana Nut Muffins with Chocolate Chips // 5 years: Roasted Tofu Kale Tacos // 6 years: Golabkis (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)
Kabocha Squash Feta Salad
To ring in the season, I've brought a squash recipe to the table! This Kabocha Squash Feta Salad is booming with flavor and color.
Ingredients
Tofu Feta (you can sub with 8 oz. store-bought vegan feta to skip this step)
- 12 ounces (340 g) firm tofu, pressed
- 1/2 cup water (120 ml)
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) coconut vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
- 2-3 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Thyme Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Salad Assembly
- 1 kabocha squash, halved with seeds scooped out, mine was roughly 2 pounds
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) high-heat oil, such as sunflower oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups (120 g) baby arugula
- 1 1/2 cups (250 g) cooked brown, green, or black lentils
- 1/2 cup (75 g) thinly sliced red onion slivers
Instructions
- For the Tofu Feta: cut tofu into 1/2-inch cubes, and place them in a resealable container, or back into the tofu container. Whisk together water, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and oregano, then pour mixture over tofu. Cover container and let marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight (I typically go overnight, since it's easy to prep).
- For the Thyme Vinaigrette: Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients, until combined. Place in refrigerator while you prep the squash, so that the flavors can meld. The dressing will separate, so just give it a shake or stir before using it.
- For the Salad Assembly: Preheat oven to 400F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roughly chop the kabocha squash and place it on the baking sheet. Drizzle oil over the top, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then mix it together until evenly coated (I use my hands).
- Roast squash for 30 minutes, stirring it around halfway through. Pierce with a fork to test tenderness. Once cooked, but not too soft, place baking sheet on cooling rack for squash to reach room temperature.
- In a large mixing bowl, place squash, cooked lentils, red onion and arugula. Drain and discard marinade from tofu feta, and add feta to the bowl. Drizzle dressing over the top and gently toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate until ready to serve!
Notes
If you make this recipe ahead of time, leave the arugula and dressing out until you're ready to serve, so that the greens don't wilt too much.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 414Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 9gSugar: 13gProtein: 16g
The nutrition information is calculated by a plug-in, and isn't always accurate. Please calculate your own with the products that you use, as it will be different for everyone.
Other delicious fall recipes:
- Coconut-Creamed Kale
- Vegan Holiday Recipe Round Up!
- Autumn Squash Wild Rice Bake
- Festive Winter Squash Focaccia
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[…] choose to cube up a block or use crumbles. If you don’t have access to either, you can make tofu feta, and crumble it up! (It just won’t melt into the […]
Sherri B
Monday 2nd of November 2020
This recipe was included in the fall meal prep plan you created. My heart wanted to make all of the recipes included in the plan but my head really wasn’t sure this particular one would be something I’d enjoy. Wow, absolutely loved it! Tofu feta, squash, and red onion each had their own special moments while the rest of the ingredients brought everything together perfectly. We made our salads individually so I could store the leftovers, but I tried to make sure each bite had a mix of everything because it was all perfect together!
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