weeknight salad
i make this “weeknight salad” for dinner at least once a week. it’s easy to throw together when i get home from work, healthy, and so satisfyingly good. the flavors of olive oil, garlic, butternut squash, chicken sausage, and herbed feta cheese work so well together. if ever i ask my husband what he wants for dinner, this is what he requests. try it, and you’ll see why!
roasting an entire pan of squash with garlic and buying a whole pack of chicken sausages generally creates more than the two of us eat in one sitting. this, in my opinion, makes this recipe even better; it creates multiple meals, leftovers make life easy, and sometimes they taste even better!
as for the sausage, i’ve been asked what type in particular i like to buy. there’s one at my local publix that’s a chicken sausage “philly cheese” style. it has little peppers and bits of cheese in it that makes it really delicious. i also like to buy a cilantro chicken sausage from whole foods or sometimes a spinach & feta chicken sausage. last time i made it with bratwurst. you really can play with it–the salad is very versatile and all kinds of different sausages taste awesome. if you find a flavor you love, please leave a comment and let me know!
Ingredients
pre-chopped butternut squash (or you can buy the whole thing, but it makes it MUCH easier to skip the chopping part. i find it in an 18 oz pack at my local store. do as much/as little as you like!)
1 package of pre-peeled garlic cloves (same as above--you can peel yourself if you want..)
herbed feta cheese
1 package of chicken sausages (i change up the flavors, so just get whatever you like that's savory, not sweet)
1 avocado
1 large tomato
1 package of pre-washed arugula/spinach mix (organic)
really good olive oil
really good balsamic (i say really good for both because these alone are your dressing)
salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
preheat oven to 400.
in a large rimmed pan, drizzle butternut squash & garlic cloves with olive oil (or melted coconut oil) and season generously with salt & pepper.
note: use as much garlic as you want--i like a lot since roasting it takes away its pungent bite and makes it sweet & delicious!
make sure the squash and garlic are not too crowded in the pan (if so, use two pans), and spread in a single layer.
add to the oven once preheated & roast until golden and slightly caramelized (20-30 minutes, depending on your oven).
while the squash cooks, heat a grill pan (or grill, or oven, or toaster oven--whatever you have works) to cook the chicken sausage.
the beauty of chicken sausage is that it's already cooked, so you're really just looking for grill marks and to heat it up. cook until nice & hot.
while the sausage cooks, toss the lettuce in a large salad bowl and add in chopped tomato, avocado, & feta (however much you like--i use a lot since hey, it's a healthy meal otherwise!). sprinkle the salad with salt & pepper.
when the sausage and squash are finished, throw it all in the bowl on top of the lettuce mixture.
dress with olive oil & balsamic to taste, toss, & eat. it's that simple! hope you like it as much as we do 🙂
http://www.dishandchipsblog.com/weeknight-salad/
Brooke justice
December 13, 2017
Delish!! And so easy. Made while trying to feed a 10 month old and 3 year old dinner and it was no problem! Definitely will be making this one again.