Winter Harvest Bowl

An earthy, colorful salad built with roasted vegetables, crisp apples, and hearty grains. It’s cozy enough for cooler days but flexible enough to enjoy year-round.

This week’s Salad of the Week is the Winter Harvest Bowl — a hearty salad built with roasted butternut squash, beets, quinoa, beans, crisp apple, and a creamy walnut-balsamic dressing.

Even though the name is winter-inspired, this is the kind of bowl I come back to anytime I want something colorful, grounding, and easy to build from simple ingredients.

Each week, I use the same basic Salad Formula: leafy greens, a few prepared toppings, plant-based protein, and a flavorful dressing. The ingredients change from week to week, but the structure stays simple and repeatable. As always, feel free to swap ingredients based on what you have, what you grow, or what sounds good to you.

Here’s how this week’s bowl comes together:

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What’s Included This Week

• Winter Harvest Bowl (ingredients and how I assemble it)
• Walnut-Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe)
• Prep-ahead tips to make it easy for the week
• Creamy Broccoli & Herb Soup (recipe)

Bowl Ingredients

Leafy Lettuce

Use a mix of tender leafy greens you enjoy — romaine, leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, or spring mix all work beautifully here.

Cruciferous Greens & Veggies

• Shredded red cabbage (fresh or pre-shredded)

Alliums (Onion Family)

• Scallions, thinly sliced

Plant-Based Protein

• Quinoa, cooked and cooled (or use pre-cooked quinoa)
• Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Amp Up the Volume

• Butternut squash, cubed and roasted (fresh or pre-cut)
• Beets, roasted or shredded (pre-cooked beets work well too)
• Apple, chopped
• Dried cranberries or raisins
• Fresh thyme or parsley

Healthy Fats

• Toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Walnut-Balsamic Vinaigrette (Oil-Free)

This lightly sweet, earthy dressing works especially well with roasted vegetables and hearty greens.

This is a make-once, use-all-week batch (6–8 servings).

Ingredients

• 5–6 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 1/3 cup raisins (or 3–4 pitted Deglet Noor dates)
• 1-1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 large clove garlic (or 2 small)
• 1/2 tsp thyme, dill, or oregano

Directions

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Prep note:

If using whole dates in a standard blender, soak them in warm water for 5–10 minutes before blending.

How I Build the Bowl

1. Fill a large bowl with chopped greens.
2. Add cabbage and scallions.
3. Layer quinoa, beans, and warm roasted squash.
4. Add beets, apple, dried fruit, herbs, and seeds.
5. Drizzle with dressing and toss gently — just enough to bring it together.

Prep Ahead Tip

This bowl comes together especially easily when the ingredients are prepped ahead and stored separately for the week.

• Roast butternut squash and beets

• Cook quinoa and let it cool

• Drain and rinse cannellini beans

• Chop apple and shred cabbage

• Slice scallions

• Mix the Walnut-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Store everything separately in containers or mason jars in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to eat, just build a fresh bowl, add dressing, and toss gently before serving.

Notes & Variations

Easy swaps

• Butternut squash → roasted sweet potato

• Apple → pear

• Scallions → thinly sliced red onion

• Cannellini beans → chickpeas or lentils

Easy add-ins

• Broccoli sprouts or sunflower sprouts
• Shredded carrots
• Pomegranate seeds

Prep note

If you’re new to roasting squash: I simply cube butternut squash, spread it on a lined baking sheet, and roast at 400°F until tender and lightly caramelized, about 25–35 minutes. Let it cool slightly before adding to your salad.

Serve With (Optional)

I paired this bowl with a Creamy Broccoli & Herb Soup for a cozy soup-and-salad combination that feels satisfying without being heavy.

Creamy Broccoli & Herb Soup

This soup stays light and fresh while still feeling cozy and satisfying — a nice balance with the roasted squash, grains, and walnut dressing in the Winter Harvest Bowl.

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3–4 cloves garlic, chopped

6–7 cups chopped broccoli florets and tender stems

1 medium zucchini, chopped

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 cup unsweetened plain plant milk

1–2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional, for savory depth)

1–2 tsp white miso OR 1–2 tsp coconut aminos

1 packed cup fresh herbs (parsley and basil work especially well)

1–2 tsp lemon juice

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Optional finish:

Extra herbs, cracked black pepper, or a squeeze of lemon

Directions

1. Add onion to a large pot with a splash of broth or water and sauté over medium heat until softened, about 5–7 minutes.
2. Add garlic and cook another 30–60 seconds, stirring frequently.
3. Add broccoli, zucchini, and vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the vegetables are very tender, about 12–15 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the plant milk, nutritional yeast (if using), and miso or coconut aminos.
5. Add the fresh herbs and blend until smooth and creamy using an immersion blender or upright blender.
6. Finish with lemon juice, salt, and black pepper to taste.

Final Thoughts

The Winter Harvest Bowl is one of those salads that reminds me how flexible this framework can be. A few roasted vegetables, something fresh, something hearty, and a creamy dressing can completely change the feel of the bowl while still keeping the process simple.

If you build your own version, I’d love to hear what you added 💚

If you'd like help building salads like this at home, you can download my Tower-to-Table Recipe Guide, which includes the Daily Salad Formula I use to build nourishing bowls like this one.

Here’s to simple, nourishing meals — one bowl at a time 🌱

Karen

Vertical Hydroponic Garden