Test Kitchen: Roasted Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Wild Rice

Caroline Kohler, SAR ’19 ’21

Meal prepping can seem overwhelming, but all you need is a simple recipe and a few hours (and maybe a friend, too!).
This recipe is great for meal prepping because it’s easy to make, has several food groups, and can be eaten cold.

What We Liked

No part of this recipe was difficult to make. The ingredient that involved the most effort was the pumpkin seeds—you have to make sure they don’t burn, but they are so worth the extra attention!
It was colorful! The look of this dish makes you want to eat it—and it’s impressive for serving to friends.
This recipe is very satisfying. With the whole grains, veggies, and cheese, this dish has multiple parts that will help you feel full. You can also add a protein such as chickpeas or chicken for extra filling power.

Tips and Tricks

We “massaged” the kale before adding it in just to make sure it was tender. Add a little olive oil or lemon juice over the chopped kale and massage it for a few minutes.
There’s room to experiment with some subtle spices like cumin and garlic powder in this recipe. You could also add cinnamon to the squash!
Practically any sauce would go well with this—if you don’t have the sauce ingredients on hand, try pesto or your favorite salad dressing.

Sargent Choice Roasted Butternut Squash, Pomegranate and Wild Rice

Recipe adapted from Cookie and Kate
Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 50 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

Wild Rice and Toppings
2 cups wild rice, rinsed
4 ounces Tuscan kale, ribs removed and chopped small (about 2 cups)
¾ cup chopped green onion, divided
4 ounces goat cheese (about 2/3 cup crumbled)
Arils from 1 medium pomegranate, or ½ cup chopped dried cranberries
½ cup raw pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Roasted Butternut Squash
One small-to-medium (2 to 2 ½ lbs) butternut squash, cut into 3/4 –inch cubes
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Ginger Dressing
¼ olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425⁰ F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up, if desired.
Cook the wild rice: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rinsed rice and continue cooking, reducing heat as necessary to maintain a lively simmer, for 40 to 55 minutes. It’s done when the rice is pleasantly tender but still offers a light resistance to the bite. Remove from heat, drain the rice and return the rice to the pot.
Meanwhile, roast the butternut squash: Place the cubed butternut squash on your rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle it with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt. Toss until the cubes are lightly and evenly coat in oil. Arrange them in a single layer and roast for 35 to 50 minutes, tossing after 20 minutes, until they are starting to turn golden on the edges and tender when pierced through with a fork.
While the wild rice and butternut cook, prepare all the remaining components. Chop the kale and green onion, remove the arils from the pomegranate, and whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
To roast the pepitas, combine the pepitas, 1 teaspoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon each salt and cinnamon in a small skillet. Stir to combine, and cook over medium heat until the pepitas are starting to turn golden on the edges and making little popping noises, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
When the wild rice is finished cooking and still warm, stir in the kale, half of the green onions, and all of the ginger dressing. Spread the mixture over a large serving platter.
Arrange the butternut squash over the wild rice mixture. Crumble the goat cheese n top with a fork. Top with the pomegranate arils, toasted pepitas, and the remaining green onions. Serve.
This salad is good warm or at room temperature