Health Information Library

Salad greens with acorn squash

July 29, 2022
Recipe

Looking for ways to use winter squash? Here's a fast and easy recipe with flavor and crunch. It works with acorn or butternut squash.

Serves 4

You can use acorn or butternut squash in this recipe. You can also use maple syrup in place of honey.

To make this plant based, use sugar or maple syrup instead of honey or leave out honey.


Pierce the squash several times with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape during cooking. Microwave each squash on high until tender, about 5 minutes. Turn the squash after 3 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Place the squash on a cutting board and cut in half. Scrape the seeds out of the center of each half and discard the seeds. Remove the pulp of the squash and put it into a mixing bowl. Repeat with the other squash. There should be about 2 cups of pulp. Sprinkle squash with the brown sugar and add the olive oil. Mix until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

Divide the lettuce among 4 salad plates. Top each with 1/2 cup of the squash mixture, 1/2 tablespoon sunflower seeds and 1 teaspoon honey. Serve immediately.


  • 2 small acorn squash (about 2 pounds total)
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 cups leaf lettuce, such as spring mix
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
  • 4 teaspoons honey

DASH Eating Plan Servings

Dairy foods (low-fat or fat-free) 1 Fats and oils Fruits Grains and grain products Meats, poultry and fish 1/2 Nuts, seeds and dry beans 1 Sweets 2 Vegetables

Diabetes Meal Plan Choices

1 Fats Dairy foods (low-fat or fat-free) Fruits Meat and meat substitutes Milk and milk products 1 Nonstarchy vegetables 1 Starches 1 Sweets, desserts and other carbohydrates

Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid Servings

1 Carbohydrates 1 Fats Fruits Protein and dairy 1 Sweets 1 Vegetables

Nutritional analysis per serving

Calcium 210 Calories 36 g Total carbohydrate 0 mg Cholesterol 4 g Dietary fiber 3 g Monounsaturated fat Potassium 3 g Protein 1 g Saturated fat 1 cup greens and 1/2 cup squash Serving size 18 mg Sodium 6 g Total fat