It's this wonderful time of year where I'm starting to see more and more fresh 'spring' vegetables coming into the produce department; which always excites me. Especially when there's still plenty of winter squash to be had. I love to take seasonal produce and mix them together as the seasons start to turn from one to another. It always gives you something interesting and exciting.

This Roasted Butternut Squash & Chickpea Salad is the perfect blend of winter and spring coming together for a wonderful bite. The butternut squash is what's coming in here from winter, while the pesto and fresh baby spinach and pop of lemon are a sure sign of spring approaching.

I prefer to make my own pesto at home since I almost always have fresh basil in my backyard, but feel free to use a light store bought option to save you time if you prefer. No matter which way you go, this will still be a tasty pesto that I've brightened up with some lemon juice... because, yum! It's fun and brought and adds so much to the pesto.

The feta goes along just perfectly with the pesto and the lemon too. It's like they were made for another. I mean... what doesn't go good with pesto or lemon anyway?

Truly this salad is loaded up with so many of my favorite things, so naturally... it's one of my favorite salads too! I love that this salad is light enough to be aa side for dinner while also being hearty enough to enjoy for lunch.

Speaking of lunch, if you're wanting to prepare this ahead of time or to have on hand for lunches or dinners through the week, feel free to put the salads together; leaving the pesto off until just before you're about to eat it.

If you're wanting to make this an actually dinner salad, try adding some Skinny Lemon Dill Chicken on top and call it a day!

Roasted Butternut Squash & Chickpea Salad with Pesto
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 4 • Size: 1 Prepared Salad • Calories: 301.3 • Fat: 14.9 g • Saturated Fat: 2.1 • Carb: 130.1.1 g • Fiber: 8.9 g • Protein: 15.1 g • Sugar: 1.3 g • Sodium: 604 mg

Ingredients:
16 Oz. Peeled & Cubed Butternut Squash
1 (14.5 Oz.) Can Chickpeas, Drained & Rinsed
1/2 C. Skinny/Light Pesto (Homemade or Store Bought)
1 Lemon, Juiced
8 C. Baby Spinach & Spring Mix
1/2 C. Reduced Fat Feta Crumbles
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with foil; giving it a light coat of non-stick cooking spray.

Place the 16 Oz. Butternut Squash and Chickpeas onto the prepared pan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Put the pan into the preheated oven and baked for about 15 minutes or until the squash is tender.

Once done, remove the pan from the oven and set aside to cool.

While the squash and chickpeas are cooling, mix together the 1/2 C. Pesto and the juice of one lemon.

When the veggies are cool, start to prepare each plate with about 2 C. Baby Spinach & Spring Mix, the butternut squash and chickpeas divided evenly, 2 Tbsp. Feta, and 2 Tbsp. of the Pesto and lemon juice mixture.

Enjoy right away!