A festive fall breakfast salad with cinnamon roasted butternut squash, apple slices, avocado, red onion, walnuts, hemp seeds and an egg!
Leafy green vegetables are some of the healthiest foods on Earth and getting a large dose at breakfast is an awesome way to start the day. I know some folks are going to think having salad is aĀ weird concept but itās really not ā especially if youāre on a mission to eat more whole foods and/or less grains at breakfast.
I make egg scrambles with sautĆ©ed leafy greens like spinach, swiss chard and kale all the time, but it wasnāt until recently I started experimenting eating a large bowl of raw greens with toppings (a.k.a salad) for breakfast.
The idea for the salad Iām sharing today came about after making this creamy avocado balsamic dressing. It was 8:00AM and I was shooting the photos of the dressing while sipping coffee, before breakfast. I drizzled the dressing over a quick fall salad with roasted butternut squash and red onion, freshly diced apples, avocado slices, toasted walnuts and hemp seeds.
It looked waayyy to good not to taste.
Actually I’ll be honest… Iām the worst at shooting recipes because I always want to taste the food while Iām snapping photos and this morning was no different. I had no intention of eating the salad for breakfast (I was actually planning to save it for lunch) but I tried a bite and couldnāt stop eating. Then I decided it would be fabulous with an egg on top. So I cooked up an egg, sunny side up, and in a matter of 10 minutes I had an epic breakfast salad before me. The warm egg softened the greens a bit and the yolk add a bit of ādressingā ā it was delightful and totallyĀ instagram-worthy.
I took photos, devoured the salad and officially determined that breakfast salads need to be a thing.
You can mark this delicious fall salad down as the first EBF breakfast salad, but if yāall like the idea I willĀ certainly post more. And you can bet your bottom dollar that if I ever open my dream salad shop there will be at least one breakfast salad on the menu.
Of course, this salad isnāt strictly for breakfast. Feel free to serve it for lunch or dinner (or any time you please).
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A festive fall breakfast salad with cinnamon roasted butternut squash, apple slices, avocado, red onion, walnuts, hemp seeds and an egg!
Ingredients
- 3 cups butternut squash chunks
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- sprinkle of sea salt
- spring mix or baby spinach
- Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
- avocado, chopped
- red onion, sliced
- toasted walnuts
- hemp seeds
- 1 egg, cooked any way you like
- avocado balsamic dressing
Instructions
- Combine butternut squash, red onion, coconut oil, cinnamon and sea salt together on a baking sheet and roast in a 450Ā° oven for about 30 minutes or until squash is cooked through. Remove and let cool.
- Fill a salad bowl with spring mix and add toppings: roasted squash, apple slices, avocado, red onion, walnuts and hemp seeds.
- Place cooked egg on top of the salad. Drizzle dressing over the salad and enjoy!
Notes
You’ll likely have leftover salad toppings (roasted butternut squash, apple slices, avocado, etc.). Simply save them to make another salad or use in another application.
What do you think? Are you open to the idea of eating a salad for breakfast?
Andrew says
October 19, 2015 at 11:13 am[Welcome back to reality. Ahhh, vacation.]
Yum! This salad looks delicious and is a great reminder that breakfast salad can be a fantastic way to start the day. I often get in a slump of grabbing a breakfast bar or having heavy cereal when this would be a fast alternative. Also I made your avocado dressing last week and have really enjoyed it! The avocado flavor adds familiar texture and taste but this isn’t something I’ve seen before. The dressing also held up well in the fridge over 5-6 days, which I was not expecting. In short — thanks!
athleticavocado says
October 19, 2015 at 12:35 pmi never thought about eating salad for breakfast until now! such a great idea and good way to start the day healthfully! š
sweatyandfit says
October 19, 2015 at 1:30 pmI have had a breakfast salad before!! I admit that i loved it, but it did not feel right to eat eggs without hashbrowns… I need my greasy potatoes in there somewhere! Although adding squash would be equally delicious i imagine. Great idea š
Alyssa @ Life of bLyss says
October 19, 2015 at 1:55 pmI still think you’re weird. š But I’d totally make this for dinner. And I really, really want to make the dressing!
Brittany Mullins says
October 19, 2015 at 3:08 pmOh, I bet you’d love the dressing! š
electronic-cat says
October 19, 2015 at 2:47 pmIt is a great idea!! I hope it can be made in advance, and just put it together at the last minute. I’m allergic to squash, so will use sweet potatoes. And maybe a little asparagus.
Brittany Mullins says
October 19, 2015 at 3:07 pmYes! You can totally roast the sweet potatoes and chop all the other ingredients ahead of time. If you do that you can toss everything together in a matter of minutes!
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
October 19, 2015 at 3:36 pmOh yum! This looks right up my alley, but for lunch! š
Cara's Healthy Cravings says
October 19, 2015 at 8:54 pmEgg on salad = my fav meal!
Jennifer says
October 19, 2015 at 9:29 pmJust because I am always rushing out the door I rarely eat salad for breakfast BUT I often top my kale salad with an over easy egg, love it!
Kristi Rimkus says
October 19, 2015 at 10:11 pmI love this idea as eggs are on my can’t eat list and I’m always looking for something new to eat for breakfast besides oatmeal, smoothies and yogurt!
emily says
October 20, 2015 at 7:26 pmOh my gosh I can’t wait to try this!!
Kathy says
October 25, 2015 at 9:06 pmAmazing idea!! As one who is trying to get more greens in, this is outstanding! Definitely going to give it a try!!