Bacon, Beet, and Butternut Squash Sorghum Salad

This Bacon, Beet, and Butternut Squash Sorghum Salad adds not only a pop of color to your winter menu, but great flavor from the root vegetables and the light vinaigrette. 

Winter in New England is in full force with the first winter storm this week. From blizzard warnings to snow emergencies, we’ve done this before. Being from the Caribbean and having settled on New England as our home of choice for the next few years, the cold weather makes me crave color. Nothing against those rich, brown stews – but that’s it. The brown color gets me down, so I created this Bacon, Beet, and Butternut Squash Sorghum Salad to add a burst of color and flavor to your winter menus.

The first time I ate sorghum was at the International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle, a recipe shared by Bob’s Red Mill and developed by Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic. After the conference, I had a bag of sorghum that insistently craved to be used but we never got around to it. What’s sorghum, you ask? The folks at Bob’s Red Mill share with us:

Sorghum originated in Africa thousands of years ago, and then spread through the Middle East and Asia via ancient trade routes, traveling to the Arabian Peninsula, India and China along the Silk Road. Today sorghum remains a staple food in India and Africa, yet it is still relatively unknown in many parts of the world. This gluten free grain is an excellent source of dietary fiber and a wonderful way to include the health benefits of whole grains in a gluten free diet.

This salad is packed with amazing textures and flavors. The roasted beets and butternut squash provide an earthy flavor, along with natural sweetness that balances out the salty bacon and chewy gluten-free grain. Want to make this vegan? Skip the bacon! It’s already gluten-free and delicious, so I’m sure your family will love this salad recipe.

Bacon, Beet, and Butternut Squash Sorghum Salad

A great addition to your winter menu, using root vegetables and sorghum, a gluten-free grain.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:15 minutes mins

Cook Time:1 hour hr

Total Time:1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

• ½ cup sorghum grain rinsed
• 1 cup cubed butternut squash
• 1 small beet cubed
• 4 strips bacon cooked and chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon golden balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped scallions
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• In a small saucepan, add sorghum grain and cook with 1 1/2 cups water. The ratio when cooking sorghum is 1:3, sorghum to water. Quickly boil and once simmering starts, reduce heat to medium low and cook covered for 50 minutes. Drain and reserve.
• While sorghum is cooking, roast cubed butternut squash and cubed beet for 30 minutes, until tender. Cook bacon strips in oven for 10 minutes, until crisp. Finely chop and reserve.
• To make salad: in a medium bowl, fold together the cooked sorghum, squash, beets, bacon, olive oil, vinegar, and scallions. Season to taste and serve room temperature.

Servings: 2 cups, serves 2-4