Salad with persimmons & delicata squash

This autumnal salad highlights the best of the season.

Roasted delicata squash, mildly sweet persimmons, and caramelized onions play against the vinegar-based dressing and salty pistachios.

This dish has been a regular on my Thanksgiving menu for over a decade. It always goes over well.

Plus, it adds some color and freshness to what can be a rather beige affair.

In this post:

The flavor of a persimmon is somewhere between a peach and a pear.

Like a pear, the fuyu persimmon can be eaten while it’s still crunchy. But it tastes best after it has ripened to become soft and juicy inside.

Eaten in hand like an apple, it can be devoured in its entirety, except for the occasional seeds and greenery on top.

Note: The above photograph doesn’t show every ingredient.

Delicata squash: Delicata doesn’t need to be peeled before using. The skin roasts beautifully. Plus, it’s easy to cut & remove the seeds.

Oil: Use any cooking oil you prefer. Extra virgin olive oil is my go-to here.

Yellow onion: Because you’re caramelizing the onion, I recommend yellow onion over red.

Maple syrup: Choose 100% maple syrup, not pancake syrup.

Fuyu persimmon: I don’t recommend a hachiya persimmon for this recipe. To tell the difference between the two, note that the fuyu is flat bottomed. The hachiya is heart-shaped.

Tip: A fuyu can be eaten at any stage of its ripening process, while hachiya has to be overly ripe to be eaten.

Spinach: Baby spinach has a mild flavor. And it doesn’t have to be chopped since it’s small.

Pistachios: Opt for the roasted & salted variety for the best flavor.

White wine vinegar: This mild vinegar can be replaced with apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar.

Stoneground mustard: This flavorful mustard helps to emulsify the salad dressing.

Seasonings: Salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, granulated onion, and granulated garlic.

Cut a small to medium sized delicata squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds.

(You can even roast the seeds in the air fryer!)

Then slice the squash into half moons and place on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.

Toss with oil and salt.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Cut half an onion into half moons. Sauté with oil for 10 minutes in a skillet.

Once the onions start browning, lower heat and continue cooking.

When they are brown and soft, add maple syrup and combine.

In a large salad bowl, combine roasted delicata squash, caramelized onions, persimmon pieces, baby spinach, and pistachios.

Toss with white wine vinaigrette. Or serve it on the side for guests to dress their own salads.

To make white wine vinaigrette, whisk the following together in a bowl:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• White wine vinegar
• Stoneground mustard
• Dried oregano
• Dried basil
• Granulated onion
• Granulated garlic
• Salt
• Pepper

Yes! Delicata squash air fries beautifully and in a lot less time than in the oven. Plus, no parchment paper is necessary.

You can make this recipe for your own by varying the ingredients and amounts.

• Make this salad a meal by adding browned vegan sausage like Field Roast apple sage, roasted chickpeas, and/or vegan feta cheese
• Instead of squash, use roasted sweet potato
• Instead of persimmon, use sliced raw apple or baked slices like in my salad with apples recipe
• Instead of caramelized onions, use raw sliced green onion
• Instead of pistachios, use roasted cashews, peanuts, toasted pine nuts, or sunflower seeds
• For a bit more sweetness, add a handful of dried cranberries
• Instead of white wine vinegar, replace with an equal amount of brown rice vinegar
• For more tang, increase the vinegar in the dressing

Absolutely!

However, since spinach is prone to wilting, I recommend allowing the hot ingredients to cool before storing the salad.

Or store the toppings & dressing separately in the refrigerator in covered containers.

Then combine them in a salad bowl and toss with dressing just before serving.

This salad with persimmons would be a lovely addition to a holiday table, along with any of my vegan Thanksgiving recipes.

📖 Recipe

Spinach salad with persimmons & delicata squash

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 4 votes

This sweet and savory salad is a regular favorite at holiday gatherings. It features the autumnal flavors of persimmons and squash plus the nuttiness of pistachios.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: holiday food, thanksgiving recipe

Ingredients

For the salad

• ▢ 1 small to medium delicata squash
• ▢ 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil divided
• ▢ Pinch of salt plus more to taste
• ▢ ½ medium-sized yellow onion sliced into thin half moons
• ▢ ½ teaspoon maple syrup
• ▢ 1 Fuyu persimmon cut into thin, bite sized pieces
• ▢ 5 ounces baby spinach or baby spring mix
• ▢ ¼ cup pistachios roasted and salted

For the vinaigrette

• ▢ 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon stoneground mustard
• ▢ ½ teaspoon maple syrup
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon granulated onion
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ Dash of pepper

Instructions

• ▢
  Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• ▢
  Cut the top and bottom off the delicata squash and discard them. Cut the squash in half length-wise and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into half moons, about ¼ to ½ inch thick. Toss the squash with one teaspoon extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.
• ▢
  Lay squash pieces evenly across the baking sheet, taking care not to touch or overcrowd. Roast squash for 20 minutes, flipping half-way through to evenly roast on both sides.
• ▢
  While the squash roasts, heat a medium-sized skillet to a high medium heat. Add the remaining teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil to the skillet.

  Drop the onion half moons into the pan, separating them into slices. Add a pinch of salt to the onions.
• ▢
  Saute the onions for ten minutes, only moving them with a spatula occasionally. Once they have started to turn brown and crisp, turn the heat to low and continue cooking.

  After 7 to 10 more minutes, when they are brown and softened, drizzle onions with maple syrup. Fully combine the maple syrup with the onions, and remove from heat.
• ▢
  In a large salad bowl, toss the roasted delicata squash, caramelized onions, persimmon pieces, baby spinach, and pistachios. Toss with white wine vinaigrette, or serve with dressing to drizzle onto each individual portion.

To make white wine vinaigrette

• ▢
  Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, dried oregano, dried basil, onion granules, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl.
• ▢
  Refrigerate until ready to use. Shake or stir dressing before using to evenly distribute the spices.

Video

Notes

For an eye-catching finish on the salad, cut a few intact slices from the middle of the persimmon. Then use them to decorate the top of the salad. The rest of the persimmon can be chopped into bite sized pieces.

This salad can be served with the squash and onions hot or cold. If serving hot, make sure to serve the salad right away, so that the hot ingredients don’t wilt the spinach. If serving cold, allow the hot ingredients to cool before tossing with the spinach and refrigerating.

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Nutrition

Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 37mg | Potassium: 692mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4905IU | Vitamin C: 25.3mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 2mg

Content, recipe, and photos updated November 10, 2020. Originally posted October 28, 2015.