This probably makes no sense. The classic Levantine fattoush salad that I’ve mercilessly punned upon is the epitome of summer: tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, mint, parsley, garlic and lemon with pita chips that both do and do not soak up the dressing, in the best of ways. It’s bright, crunchy and the absolutely ideal thing to eat on a hot day. But at least on this coast, we’re done with beach days for a while. We’re done (or were supposed to be before today’s confusion) with open-toed shoes, permanently open windows, and going out without a jacket and not regretting it. The tomatoes are waning, the heavy orange vegetables and dark leafy greens are creeping in.
A fall-toush salad is like your summer fattoush put on a thick sweater over a plaid shirt and went on a hay ride drinking hot apple cider and came back mooning over how the forest floor is like a giant mural. A fall-toush salad keeps the brighter parts of the summer version — the lemon, the scallions (well, I forgot them, but you shouldn’t), parsley, mint, garlic and pita chips — but stirs them over warm roasted squash and brussels sprouts. A fall-toush salad accepts that it’s going to be cold out for the foreseeable future and that your salads must adjust accordingly, even yours truly cannot.
I’d planned this as a side salad to simple roasted chicken but was delighted to find that it’s really meal-level hearty, almost the kind of all-in-one-bowl with a killer dressing as last year’s miso, broccoli and sweet potatoes, 2012’s butternut, farro, feta and pepitas, 2009’s beloved warm butternut salad with chickpeas and tahini or 2006’s winter panzanella. But my favorite part of this is the way it’s squarely a fall dish that, with the lemony, crunchy ingredients, holds onto a trace of summer, kind of like we all want to right now.
One year ago: Lazy Pizza Dough + Perfect Margherita Pizza
Two years ago: Apple Mosaic Tart with Salted Caramel
Three years ago: Cumin Seed Roasted Cauliflower with Yogurt
Four years ago: Cauliflower and Parmesan Cake
Five years ago: Breakfast Apple Granola Crisp
Six years ago: Beef, Leek and Barley Soup and Twice-Baked Shortbread
Seven years ago: Gazpacho Salad and Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette
Eight years ago: Cook’s Illustrated’s Classic Brownies
And for the other side of the world…(trying something new!)
Six Months Ago: Asparagus-Stuffed Eggs
1.5 Years Ago: Bee Sting Cake
2.5 Years Ago: Pasta with Garlicky Broccoli Rabe
3.5 Years Ago: French Onion Soup
Fall-Toush Salad with Delicata Squash and Brussels Sprouts
Aside from the delicious swirl of lemon, parsley, mint, garlic, scallions against sweet roasted squash and nutty roasted brussels sprouts, one of the key flavors/ingredients in a classic fattoush salad is ground sumac (read more here too), a stunning dark red spice that tastes like paprika has been crossed with citric acid — it’s, in fact, sour and one of my favorite spices. However, because most big grocery stores don’t carry it, it puts me in a position I generally try to avoid, which is sharing a recipe with an obscure ingredient. Here’s the deal, though: If you don’t have it, you’ll be fine without it. Replace it with an equal amount of paprika (not a smoky one) and another squeeze of lemon if you so desire. You probably won’t find anything to be missing because the salad has plenty of flavor without it. If you’d like to seek some out, however, I consider it abundantly worth the $5 investment. You can buy it here, here, here or here (a new-ish spice shop on the Lower East Side), or likely any Middle Eastern market you can get to. I replaced my old dusty bottle yesterday at Kalustyan’s.
Here, I used delicata squash, because I’m making up for lost time with it. It’s the perfect winter squash; most clock in at just a pound (perfect 1 to 2 person serving size), are much easier to chop than my previously beloved butternuts, are less stringy than acorn squash, and here’s the best part: you don’t have to peel them.
Serves 2 in a meal-sized portion or 4 as an appetizer or side — i.e. it’s not a huge bowl, but it’s hearty
Salad
3 tablespoons olive oil, possibly plus another spoonful
1 1/4 pound delicata squash (one medium)
1/2 pound brussels sprouts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper or Aleppo pepper flakes to taste
1 large pita bread
Kosher salt
2 scallions, thinly sliced
About 1 tablespoon mint leaves, finely chopped
About 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley or cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Additional ground sumac or paprika, to finish
Dressing
2 teaspoons ground sumac or paprika (see Note above)
2 teaspoons warm water
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper or Aleppo pepper flakes to taste
Prepare vegetables: Heat oven to 400F. Coat two baking sheets with a tablespoon or so of olive oil each.
Cut ends off delicata squash and scrape out seeds with a spoon. [Did you know you can toast these like pumpkin seeds for a crispy garnish? You can!] Slice squash into 1/2-inch rings, then cut each ring into 1 to 2-inch chunks (I cut each ring into 1/6ths). Spread on first baking sheet in one layer; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until bronzed underneath, then flip and roast for another 10 to 13 minutes, until browned at the edges and tender in the center. Set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, trim ends and any discolored leaves from brussels sprouts and halve them lengthwise. Spread cut-side-down on second baking sheet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, then flip sprouts and roast them for another 5 to 10 minutes, until toasty and crisp. Set aside to cool slightly.
Prepare pita chips: Split pita into two layers and cut or tear into large bite-sized chunks. Toss in a bowl with a little less than 1 remaining tablespoon olive oil and a couple pinches of salt. Spread on a baking sheet (I reused my brussels sheet, because they were done first) and toast in oven with vegetables for 5 to 8 minutes, until golden and crisp.
Make dressing: Soak sumac in water for 5 minutes, then whisk in remaining dressing ingredients. Adjust seasonings to taste; you may find you need more lemon juice or vinegar.
Assemble salad: In a medium-large bowl, combine warm roasted vegetables and scallions. Toss with 1/2 to 2/3 dressing, or to taste. Stir in chopped herbs, then pita chips; add more dressing and adjust salt and pepper levels if needed. Sprinkle with sumac to finish, and serve.
To do ahead: I’d keep the roasted vegetables separate from the pita chips so they don’t get soggy. I’d expect the roasted vegetables to hold up pretty well with the dressing (although it’s going to mostly absorb) but if you’re worried, you can keep that separate until serving, too.
Hi Deb,
What a great take on the Fattoush – I can hardly stop myself eating it in summer, good to continue with an autumn version and roast vegetables, who can resist those? Thanks for the inspiration (again), I am actually on a quest for new vegetable dishes (may I point you to my latest fanatstic find: leeks with yoghurt, dill & sumach?).
Nicole xx
Nicole — That sounds delicious. Tell me everything. (#leekobsessed)
All of my favorite fall ingredients in one beautiful salad. I’ve already started thinking about my Thanksgiving menu… and now I have the perfect side to serve my guests.
Brilliant!
I have sumac from my Turkish friend and I am making this tonight! Serendipity! Thanks, Deb!
Perfect for tomorrow’so last night of Sukkot!
This intrigues me!! I cant wait to try this! :) Fall veges and yummy herbs? Sounds perfect!! Thank you Deb! :)
PS – tried the Chocolate Hazelnut milk and now my husband cannot have enough of it!!
I love cooking with delicata squash and lately I’ve been having it in a thing with farro and roasted kale and leeks, which is awesome, but more straight up autumnal. This makes me think of that Moro chickpea/tahini/butternut which was one of dishes that made me rethink what winter squash could be. I can’t wait to try this.
That looks AMAZING!
Thanks for sharing and love from Italy
Deb, fall-toush makes perfect sense to me! I recently made a “fall tabbouleh” by swapping the tomatoes for pomegranates. I really can’t get enough of delicata squash lately, this looks fantastic. I’ve been thinking about doing a Middle Eastern-y Thanksgiving menu and this looks perfect. :)
Brilliant I love the ingrediens and your way of cooking :-)
This looks beautiful and I agree, fall-toush is very logical! I have always struggled with brussels sprouts. I’ve hated them, and black olives, for as long as I can remember. This, however, looks delightful and may just change my mind about the orbs of doom. Welcome to fall!
Looks delicious! Just an appreciation for your other side of the world links from sunny Johannesburg, thanks for thinking of us. However, this salad will be perfect eating for one of our glorious thunderstorms-windows open, cool air rushing in, watching the dramatic lightening in the distance with a bowl of this and glass of crisp white wine. Can’t wait.
I’ve never heard of one of these salads before. It sounds like the perfect meal for this time of year. Lately, I’ve been eating a lot of spaghetti squash and eyeing the brussel sprouts at the grocery store.
Do you think za’atar would work? I have that for some Ottolenghi recipes. One ingredient is sumac, I think.
Hi Deb. This looks so good. So, I hate it when people write you to ask how they can completely change your recipe and still expect it to taste the same, BUT…. I absolutely hate brussels sprouts. What do you think might be a good replacement? Everything else looks great, I’m just hoping to swap that ingredient out. I don’t eat a lot of Middle Eastern dishes, but I would like to give this a try.
If you don’t like brussels sprouts — You could either double up on the squash, or use another vegetable you like. I think strips of kale might work well here, no need to cook them first. Also, fattoush is often done over leafy greens. I’m sure you could toss this with spinach or another heartier fall leafy vegetable for more of a traditional salad texture. (P.S. I’m totally not bothered by requests to change recipes! If I can answer it, I will.)
Fantastic, I have a partial bag of pita chips just hanging out in my pantry, and a love of squash/brussels sprouts!
This name is perfect for this dish! Absolutely lovely.
I’m loving the ingredients here, especially the use of sumac. YUMMY :)
I’ve been a reader for years, but this is my first time commenting. This looks delicious! Do you think I could substitute amchoor for the sumac? I have some leftover from making your chana masala :)
Lucy — What a great idea (and another spice I love, as you know). I might do half-half with paprika, so you don’t miss out on the color.
Hi Deb, this salad looks delicious. I’ve noticed with some other fall squash, they sometimes have a waxy coating on the outside. You mentioned this squash doesn’t need to be peeled so I’m assuming it doesn’t have a coating on it?
Shawna — Hm, do you mean that you think this is an added wax, something that might be done (as apples and lemons are) when sold to a big grocery store or more of a natural substance, such as that sort of grimy orange you can get on your hand when you peel a butternut squash? I’ve never noticed a waxy coating on delicatas (or any others, to be completely honest) but I usually buy them at the Greenmarket (not because I am sanctimonious or anything about markets, but because they are drowning in perfect, inexpensive squash specimen this time of year so there’s little reason to look elsewhere).
I have most of the ingredients in my larder
I love sumach so any blooming excuse to make this and I imagine it is very forgiving of improvisation too.
Thank you.
The texture of those mint leaves is absolutely, over the top beautiful in that photograph. You’ve outdone yourself! And the parsley doesn’t look too shabby either :)
This salad look wonderful, and it is totally my type of salad (though I ate a tomato salad last night, here in San Diego), but the lack of yogurt makes me just a bit sad.
AAAH you had me at Fatoush – and then I keep thinking TUSH and giggle reading thru the entire post. Yeah, I’m a real grown up – with 2 grown children!!!!!!!! HAHA – looks so delish! I can make it, sans pita chips – living with a Type 1 here.
While not exactly seasonal for a NZ spring, this salad does look yummy! And since its not worth buying fresh tomatoes for at least another month, much more do-able than a traditional fattoush. But i might swap out the brussel sprouts for asparagus! And thanks for the 0.5 years tips, while i do get super envious reading about tomatoes! corn! watermelon! in the depths of winter, it does get a bit hard to remember those exciting entries when summer does finally arrive!
How is it possible? 7 years since you introduced me to my very favorite of ALL TIME recipe! I’ve served the roasted squash + onion in galette and out of galette (for wheat avoiders!) always to raves and ‘seconds’ – belated but sincere thanks.
Great timing! I just bought delicata for the first time yesterday! Can’t wait to try this!
Oh, yum. I have an abundance of Brussels sprouts right now. Thanks for the recipe!
Just an Aussie chiming in to say I’m digging the new feature. Where I live is particularly hot now till early next year so nice to have some summer recipes to daydream about amongst the autumn/thanksgiving/winter madness that is about to descend.
I have never used sumac in cooking and now looking at this beautiful fall dish, all I want is to get my hands on some sumac!! Looks wonderful!
I just recently discovered the lovely flavors of sumac! I’m so happy to see it combined with one of my all time FAVORITES of the winter squash. This will certainly not be a reluctantly-made-the-seasons-are-changing kind of dish. Kudos as always Deb.
I was daydreaming about fattoush (of all things!) all day and couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this. Took the hint from the universe and made it for dinner… it was fantastic! After failing to find a delicata squash at the store, I used a buttercup squash, and while the sweet flavor was nice, the texture was a bit heavy for this “salad”… I think a butternut would have been a better substitute even though they’re a little less sweet. The flavors in this salad are just fantastic. Can’t wait to make it again.
Love the southern hemisphere x-years-ago option! Nothing worse than seeing a mouthwatering recipe that I MUST TRY NOW, but then having to wait six months because the season is all wrong.
I am not familiar with fattoush but I enjoyed Mr. Autumn Man. I enjoy the links you intersperse throughout your monologue! Fun read!
Might be blasphemous but maybe a cup of chickpeas (roasted or just cooked) would increase the protein content and make this main dish category.
Viva la fall-toush! Love this fall version, happy nesting!
Wow, I wanna eat that right now! Such a good and healthy recipe for cold fall days! Will definitely try it. Thanks for that beautiful post!
Hugs, Thea / http://maedchenvommeer.blogspot.de
I love this twist on the summer fattoush! I especially love that it’s wearing a warm sweater:) I’m ready for fall over here in California!
Big thanks for posting recipes from half years ago! Those of us down under appreciate it.
I’ve had some sumac sitting around my kitchen for ages without knowing what to do with it. I had no brussel sprouts, no squash and no pita so I just made the dressing and it was totally amazing over a salad of sweet potato, kale and farro. Thanks for solving my problem with impulse buying spices I have no idea what to do with!
I was just reading one of your older entrees where you mention cooking fails. Had to share my worst. I had cooked a beef heart (my mother had done beef heart when I was growing up and it was pretty good) and decided to add the leftovers chopped to a vegetable soup – made a big pot of it and drug it to a family picnic. Don’t think ANYONE ate a drop – it was just too rich in the heart flavor. Don’t try it! I always repurpose leftovers but I think this got tossed. I have since made some really wonderful dishes using my instincts and past experiences – the fails are important for learning!
made this last night and it was delicious!! also included one medium onion, sliced & caramelized, and a box of mushrooms, halved & roasted, to add some more favorite fall ingredients :) I one and a halved the sauce recipe to make sure there was enough with the extra ingredients, though I didn’t really need the extra sauce. Aarthi’s suggestion of chickpeas also sounds great, might try that next time! I bought sumac for this and I think it was definitely worth it, though to avoid using all the sumac I had just bought, I used half sumac and half paprika, which seemed to work well.
I made this last night, along with the amazing cauliflower soup and (altered) tuna salad from a 2006 post. our evil oven sort of failed me and made the squash a bit mushy, but this salad was SO GOOD. even my boyfriend, who is not a squash fan, really liked it.
on the plus side, i got so upset about the oven that we’re going to the appliance place on sunday to get a “new” one this weekend. so, i guess that’s a win ;)
Fattoush is my second favourite salad (after Tabbouleh) ever. I am half Lebanese so that probably explains it.
The salad is pretty unique in the Lebanese cannon in not having a fixed recipe. The reason is that in its name which derives from “Fatesh” which means search. During the famine in the early 1900’s, this salad was created out of whatever could be found around. It is the only salad that uses a weed (Purslane) as a major ingredient. It also relies on hard (stale) bread. It is seasoned with sumac and oil, but also sometimes has vinegar or pomegranate molasses in its dressing too.
By putting all these new, seasonal ingredients in it, you are keeping the spirit of the dish alive! OK…I’m going back to cakes now.
Such a great recipe and lovely to see a fall salad – it makes such a nice change from hearty stews and stodgy meals!
Brittany W. (#16) I also used to hate Brussels sprouts, until I started roasting them. Try it–you might have an epiphany, as I did!
Yum! I love sumac! This recipe looks great. Thanks for sharing!
Deb, thankyou for including us on the other side of the world. As we begin the run up to long stretches of burningly hot days and nights I read your posts with such longing and the feeling of being excluded from your winter wonderland.
This is so imaginative! Kudos to you — that’s why I keep coming back! I happen to have two delicata squash on my counter. Hmmm!
What a great idea! I just discovered sumac a couple years ago and am loving it on everything – brightens up a dish with so little effort. Thanks for this salad recipe – can’t wait to try it.
I used to have Fatush salad with pomogranate sauce, a kind of Arabic style.
SUMAC. Ive loved it since I spent spring break 2010 in Turkey but its been super hard to find in the US. So glad people are starting to get more into it, hopefully itll make the search easier :)
More specifically, this looks awesome! Your butternut squash and chickpea “salad” is definitely a fall favorite, and I can see it having a friend very soon!
Thank you so much from those of us in the southern hemisphere! I love reading your recipes but there is always a certain feeling of ‘6 months until X is available’…
This recipe looks amazing too :)
Thank you for the Southern Hemisphere section. I always drool over recipes out of season (in Australia anyway) only to forget about them by the time they are available!
This looks sooo freakin yummy…. Me and my daughter would love it… I’m assuming the pita are used as a kind of crouton in this salad correct???
Really enjoyed how unfussy this was! Served it with the lentil and potato salad (January 2014). Thank you for the sumac substitution — I love the flavor of sumac, but am allergic. The colors were so vibrant and felt like autumn. I think this would be a lovely side dish for Thanksgiving.
Made this last night – it was delicious and my husband loved it to. This is going on the list of regulars now!
OMGOMGOMG. Made this last night, mint-free, with paprika, added persimmons (say WHAT?? They were amazing in there.), no pita, and probably 1/6th of the olive oil (can you tell that someone’s on Weight Watchers?), and it was incredible. The fact that there’s any left is only because my husband gave me the side eye after I took my fourth serving, shaming the remainder to a Tupperware’d existence for tonight.
This salad looks beautiful and delicious, what a perfectly seasonal combo! I’m curious about people’s experiences with unpeeled delicata squash. Is the peel very noticeable when cooked? Intellectually I know the peel is edible, but I’m still imagining a tough, hard to chew result.
Liz W — I didn’t find it noticeable. It’s very thin, the skin.
Yum! Another way to convert those brussels sprouts skeptics. Need to get my hands on some sumac!
Made this tonight using paprika but otherwise as in recipe and it was delicious! Will be making it again soon!
This is great. I have to say that the dressing came out a bit watery for my taste. I did a second round with just a splash of water and additional olive oil. I can see that many people might appreciate a thinner dressing, but with the squash and sprouts that can hold their own against something thicker and a bit stronger, I really preferred it with less water. It took it to more of a consistency like you’d get from a tahini dressing type thing, and made me think about making the sauce for a whole bunch of other uses. Again, I tend to prefer thicker and richer feeling dressings and sauces, but if you’re like me you should give that adjustment a try.
I’m always amazed by the way good fresh sumac has almost a truffle-like quality with a sort of effervescence that hits your nose way before it hits your tongue. Thanks for reminding me to get sumac back in rotation.
It’s a total fluke that I got delicata and Brussels sprouts in my CSA box this week. PLUS I have sumac on hand. It think it’s a sign that I need to make this salad.
WOOOOOHOOOOOO – a great big THANK YOU from the other side of the world!!!!! Melbourne, Australia to be exact :-) mwah
This was trully amazing!! We just finished eating and everyone was impressed by how tasty this salad was! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe! One of my favourite out of the many recipes of yours I have made! (and I mean many!!).
Yes, yes, and more yes.
I kept looking for the za’atar, fattoush always has za’atar, and then I found the sumac. Silly me, sumac is the main ingredient in za’atar… so now I’m ready to try fall-toush and fall in love with this variation.
I just cooked delicata squash for the first time ever because of this recipe! :) You got me at “you don’t have to peel them” – I didn’t even have to try cooking it before it became my new favourite squash. Made a salad using the squash, raw swiss chard, sunflower sprouts and a grated hard-boiled egg, usin this dressing idea but subbed paprika and garam masala for spices since I didn’t have sumac. Not the same flavour at all but really nice anyway! Thanks for the inspiration.
Hey Deb,
Just came back from the St. Lawrence Market with my sumac (so excited!) but I’m wondering what the reasoning is for soaking it first? Is that something I should do when using it regardless of the cooking method?
Thanks!
Miyo — It’s just to bloom the flavors a little.
I made this tonight, and it was yummy. The dressing (I used paprika, didn’t have sumac) is delicious.
*delurks from New Zealand* The ‘point five’ section is a work of genius-thank you!!
Delish! Had the delicata squash, but needed to sub beets & radish, and used paprika with extra lemon – this is AWESOME!
We tried this! The brussels were already shaved from the store, so they were different than yours, but the delicata squash and the dressing (used paprika) were awesome with this combination dish. Also added parsley to the mix – it was a fine addition. Thanks for the inspiration :)
Hi Deb,
I just made this exactly as directed and it’s amazing! Over the past sever years your site has really helped me a lot as I’ve gone from kitchen nightmare to pretty darn good cook. Thank you for this!
Also, I’ve never used sumac before but I love it in this and can’t wait to try it in more things!
Wonderfully tasty. This is a great recipe.
This was so, so good. Thank you for introducing me to sumac — it now has its own spot in the spice cabinet. :)
And I must say, this salad gives your broccoli slaw a run for its money! Broccoli slaw is my hands-down favorite salad, but the fall-toush is a very, very close second. And another bonus — the young ones ate it with gusto as well. This will most definitely appear regularly at our table.
Made this last night, and loved it! Our delicata squash from the CSA was only half the size listed in the recipe, so we added a few other veggies from the fridge (cubed eggplant roasted with the squash, and chopped red bell pepper roasted with the sprouts) to make up the difference. I honestly think this dressing+herb combo would go well over just about any combination of vegetables we could come up with, and it’s great to finally have a second use for the sumac I bought a while back for a different recipe. Thanks for a great supper!
This was perfect! Made it with paprika, but am already huting down sumach for the next time!
Congratulations — Sam Sifton led off today’s NY Times Cooking newsletter with YOU! He linked to this recipe and encouraged people to try it and report back. (not “Times Tested” he said, and the link misspelled the blog name, but oh well…)
You’re the lead in Sam Sifton’s NyTimes cooking column today! About time! :) Congratulations!
I have been wanting to try this to use a stalk of Brussels sprouts since you posted it last week. It definitely lived up to expectations! The pungent bitterness of the dressing is a nice contrast to the sweet squash and crunchy, salty sprouts. I forgot to buy pita so I went a different direction and crumbled smoky roasted bacon into the finished product (I realize this is a far cry from the recipe but it was awesome). A dash of smoked paprika was a nice touch to complement the bacon. The only thing I would change is use less oil next time in the dressing. Will make again. Thanks!
Loved this salad! I doubled the recipe and made it with butternut squash and paprika. Delicious! Made it for a potluck and everyone really enjoyed it. Will definitely make again soon.
I just made this and it was delicious — definitely entering the fall/winter rotation!
This is fantastic! I added some roasted corn and small tomatoes as I can still get good ones. Amazing! And reminds me some of the Roasted Chicken dish at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. Yum, yum!
Like others, I did some substitutions, but I think this is really all about the dressing. I used broccolini instead of brussels and tortilla chips instead of pita (a gluten issue), and added a can of white beans. Wonderful (and full meal)!
We made this the other night, adding in some grilled chicken and thought it made for a really nice meal! My husband says he hates squash, but he ate this up no problem :)
This may be the best thing I’ve ever eaten. I somehow – magically – had everything on hand. Even my meatatarian husband gave an appreciative nod. It may make its way in to the Thanksgiving rotation. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Thank you so much for adding the ‘6 months ago’, etc, list to your blog. I’ve followed your blog (which I love!) for years, and always diligently saved the out of season recipes that I want to make, in the hope that I’ll remember them when the time comes. But now I don’t have to! Thank you!
I tried this recipe today and it was great! I just got back from a trip from Turkey where I bought some sumac and I have been looking for recipes that use the spice. This was the first recipe I tried and it was wonderful, so thank you!
Delicious – I forgot to buy mint, and discovered too late that I didn’t even have paprika, but the new bottle of harissa I got recently for a different recipe saved the day and added a kick, even. Thanks for the dinner inspiration!
I tried this on the weekend, and my delicata squash roasted up unpleasantly dry. Any suggestions? Everything else was great, and I second roasting some mushrooms.
Caroline — It might have been underripe? It’s hard to say but those seem to be the ones the most unwilling to soften with a good moisture content.
I just found your Website in Google and Iam really impressed. Very good photos and lots of recipies to read for me. I love your way to explain the recipies! Thank you a lot from Germany!
Best greetings, Marion
I tossed the leaves from the Brussel sprouts that inevitably fall off when you trim them in with the pita bites and oil and roasted them together. Makes a nice charred/roasted garnish.
Made this last night… and we loved it! My husband and I kept commenting on how much we liked it, and the sumac dressing was great. I made mine with ought the pita because I’m gluten-free. I also tossed some left over steak with it, but kept wishing it was lamb. It was terrific the way it was served! Will make again and again!
I tried this last night but skipped the pita and put it all over bulgur and it was a delicious meal! Also subbed carrots for squash and lime juice for lemon because it’s what I had on hand. Will definitely be adding this to my Thanksgiving menu!
Love this! Been eating it for lunch for the last 2 weeks. Also, I think you could add a Thanksgiving tag to this–maybe not so traditional, but I’m planning to bring it this year!
I’ve made this twice. The first time I followed the recipe and it was good, but the pita chips didn’t wow me (can’t get high-quality pita without serious legwork here). The second time I skipped the chips and instead used the cumin-roasted chickpeas from that amazing carrot salad–now gf-friendly too. I brought it to Thanksgiving garnished with the roasted seeds, as suggested, and it was a hit!
I love this salad so much, it is the perfect wintery yet healthy side dish! Where I live it’s difficult to find delicata squash, so I do it with butternut and it works perfectly. This is definitely becoming a staple, thanks Deb!
I loved this! It’s too bad delicata’s aren’t around much past December in DC. The 2nd time I made it I bought sumac and I really do think it was a lot better that way.
I have made this several times and it is delicious! Sadly, my supermarket is no longer selling delicata squash (out of season maybe?) :( Do you think this would work with Acorn squash? Woud I have to remove the skin?
Rachel — It would work with acorn. You could cut it away from the skin after it’s roasted.
I made this for friends last night. Served it with a leek and brie quiche and a green salad with pears and pomegranate.
It was excellent, even though I had no sumac and therefore used zataar for my dried herb mix.
I made a bigger batch than you did, and we four were still scraping the bowl for more.
Hey Deb, what do you think would be a good side dish to accompany this? I love making it as a main dish, but want to round it out with something on the side. All my typical sides — salad, roasted veggies, bread/grain — are covered in this one beautiful salad. But when I make it, I always wish I had something to go with it. Ideas?
Emily — You’re thinking of this as the main? (Not that it can’t be!) I kind of want to put it with toasts (though there is some squash redundancy), a galette or something with lamb… kebab meatballs, classic kebabs, lemony chops… Or maybe stuck-pot rice or good hummus.
We made this for a Lebanese dinner we hosted a couple of weeks ago and I used kale instead of the brussels sprouts because that is what my farmer had. I didn’t have easy access to sumac, but will pick some up the next time I am at Penzey’s. I am making it for Thanksgiving dinner, and will add some pomegranate seeds just before serving and maybe a sprinkling of za’atar. Thank you, thank you!!
Delicious! I normally don’t like brussel sprouts but the dressing was lovely. Thanks for the tip about adding warm water to the sumac, really helped the flavour. Served with fried haloumi mmmmm….
FYI – Penzeys carries Sumac!
Oh Deb, you nailed it again! I didn’t have pita chips (or rather, Target was out of them), so I cooked some short grain brown rice to bulk it up. Also, I only had dried mint, so I added it to the dressing. And, I forgot scallions, so I roasted red onion with the brussels. Otherwise, I kept it together. Soooooo good! I know what I’m bringing to this year’s Thanksgiving potluck!
Williams Sonoma has it too!
If one doesn’t have an oven — can the squash and brussel sprouts be sautéed instead?
I definitely think so, but you’ll want to be careful, giving them some lower cooking time with the lid one, to make sure they soften through.
Love this recipe! I have been making it for a while now subbing in baked chickpeas (https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/03/baked-chickpeas-with-pita-chips-and-yogurt/) instead of pita chips. Keeps better as leftovers and helps bulk it up to make it a main dish. Plus I love the combo of the squash with the soft chickpeas, totally delicious.
I don’t know if anyone is still listening after all this time, but I always find sumac at Whole Foods here in Ft Lauderdale. It’s an Israeli brand called Pereg.
Inspired by the cookbook (!) and my CSA haul, I made this again tonight. I added baked tofu slabs and sprinkled pomegranate arils on top – yum!
You’ve given me another reason to buy sumac by the pound. This dish was amazing. Thanks!
Just made this and added tahini to the dressing and it’s amazing!
This was unbelievably good. I made it from your recent cookbook. Still had some parsley and mint which had not yet frozen in my backyard. A little bit of effort, but so worth it! I adore your recipes!
Just a FYI, everyone, IMHO, the best possible tool for scraping seeds out of any squash, zucchini, gourd, etc. is a grapefruit spoon. It’s a spoon with a serrated edge Your mother had a set when you were a kid, and grapefruit was a mandatory part of breakfast. ;-)
Finally got my hands on some sumac to try this! Soooo flavorful. Got two thumbs up from my dinner guests last night. Definitely gonna be making this one on repeat. Thanks for such a killer recipe, Deb!
Delicious! Thank you for this. I added peeled and sliced beets, roasted with the sprouts. Used zatar instead of sumac. It was so good! I threw in some chick peas for some extra protein, but it was really better before I did that. Served with a sour cream feta mint sauce. We will definitely be making this again!
This was unbelievably delicious. My family loved it, even teenage son who I have to usually beg to eat vegetables. Pre-sliced brussel sprouts made it super easy. Delicata squash is my new favorite squash! And the sumac was divine. I mixed it with farro, and it ended up being a great lunch, with a fried egg on it of course. Thank you for another great vegetable dish that I will keep in my rotation Deb!
I am allergic to sumac. Any suggested substitutions?
You can use paprika, or just skip it.
Just came across this recipe. Simply delicious. The layers of flavor are perfect. A breeze to make. Unfortunately going into cold weather. No more dining on the patio with our favorite friends. Will have to wait until spring to wow our guests.
quite simple preparation but a perfect Friday evening meal with a light Gamay wine to match. ate as a main course and didn’t miss the protein either. a hidden gem for sure. might sprinkle feta next time
Perhaps I am just too much of a fattoush loyalist, but this was one of the few Deb recipes that didn’t do it for me. I followed the recipe as written, except I added chickpeas and cheated with store-bought pita chips. I loved the fattoush flavor, but I didn’t think it made sense with brussel sprouts and squash. It was oddly heavy without being filling. I’ll borrow this dressing and herb combo but save it for traditional fattoush salads in the future.
This is one of my favorite fall recipes! The flavours are so beautifully balanced. It’s my favorite use of paprika.
I just moved and I can’t find delicata squash at any of the local grocery stores. What squash do you recommend for a substitute? Or other veggies to include?
You can use any kind you like in a salad.
I used hokkaido, but it gets mushy with this much oven time. I put it on the same baking sheet as the sprouts for the same time. Which also solves the problem of too many baking sheets involved here.
I made this recently and realized I didn’t have any pita bread. I served bit over faro and it was delicious. I may never use pita again in this recipe.