I love a good salad! And sometimes I get tired of the typical lettuce salads (they have a time and place in my opinion). When fall comes, I just want all the comfort and warm feels and this couscous salad does all of that. It has roasted squash, cranberries and an unreal maple Dijon dressing that makes this salad really scream fall vibes. Serve it as a side dish for dinner or impress guests at your next dinner gathering!

4 servings/ 5 mins prep time/25 mins total time

Ingredients

1 cup couscous

1¼ cup of water

1/3 cup of almond slices

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1 delicata squash, peeled and diced, if you can’t find this a really small butternut squash will work

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper  

¼ red onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup goat cheese, optional

Dressing

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

½ tbsp maple syrup

½ tbsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp salt

Directions

A few hours before making the salad, make the dressing so the flavours can mingle and get flavourful. In a mason jar, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard and salt. Give it a shake and place in fridge until ready to make the salad.

Pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Dice the delicata squash into bite size pieces and add the olive oil along with the pumpkin pie spice, salt and pepper. Evenly combine and lay on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until fork tender.

When there is 5 minutes left of the squash baking, in a pot allow the water to come to a boil and then add your couscous. Stir the couscous, then turn the heat off. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, until the couscous has absorbed all the water. Fluff with fork.

To assemble the salad, add the couscous, almond slices, dried cranberries, delicata squash and goat cheese (if using). Add the dressing and combine so it is evenly mixed. Serve as much or as little with more goat cheese on top and enjoy!

This salad can be store in the fridge for 3-4 days and can be eaten cold.