Bold and flavorful warm grain and squash salad for the fall and winter months!
A few weeks ago I was making a fettuccini dish that called for miso paste in the sauce. I went ahead and bought the only miso paste I could find, which came in a massive package. After making the pasta, I still had so much miso paste left over. So, I decided to get creative and make a miso recipe of my own: this incredible miso-ginger acorn squash and grain warm salad. Geez that’s a mouth full!
This salad is surprisingly easy to make, but you wouldn’t have guessed since it has so many rich and bold flavors! The sauce for the vegetables has just a few ingredients, and with an instant pot it was super easy to cook my grain of choice, which was millet (which I’ve discovered is technically a seed, but in this recipe you are free to use any grain or seed you’d like. I’d suggest rice, millet, quinoa, or bulgur, but use whatever you have available).
This recipe…
– has strong umami flavors
– is made in just a few simple steps
– is made with delicious seasonal ingredients
– and is always a crowd pleaser!
Warm Miso-Ginger and Grain Salad
My go-to lunch to get veggies in without having to eat a boring greens salad!
Prep Time: 5 mins – Cook Time: 30 mins – Yield: 2-3 servings
Ingredients:
– 1-2 tbsp miso paste (depends on how strong you like the miso flavor, I suggest starting with 1 tbsp and adding more later if you would like)
– 2 cups + 3 tbsp water
– 2 tbsp maple syrup
– 1 tsp ground black pepper
– 2-3 cloves of garlic; grated
– 1″ piece of ginger; peeled and grated
– 1 acorn squash; cut into 1″ thick rounds
– 2 medium carrots; peeled and chopped
– 1/2 bell pepper; cut into 1″x1″ pieces
– 1 cup (dry) grain of choice (I used millet)
– 2-3 tbsp pomegranate seeds and 1-2 stalks of sliced green onions (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 385°
- In a large bowl, add the miso paste, 3 tbsp water, maple syrup, black pepper, garlic, and ginger. Mix together with a fork until combined.
- Add your vegetables to the large bowl and coat them with the sauce.
- Place your vegetables on a lined baking sheet and place them in the oven for 25-30 mins or until they are soft to your desired level.
- While that’s cooking, add your 1 cup of grain and 2 cups of water to the Instant Pot on high pressure cook for 20 minutes. If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can cook this in a pot on the stovetop, it will just take 2-3x the amount of time.
- Once the grain and vegetables are done cooking, you can begin to plate. I suggest topping this with a little bit of green onions and pomegranate seeds.
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