A Caesar salad for the chillier months of the year

Butternut Caesar salad

Start to finish: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

For the squash:

20-ounces peeled and cubed butternut squash

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper

For the croutons:

10 ounces rustic bread, cut into croutons (about 4 cups)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

For the dressing:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic

4 anchovy fillets

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan, divided

2 heads Romaine lettuce, chopped

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the squash with the oil, tossing to coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then transfer to one half of the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the bread cubes in the same bowl, then drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Season lightly with salt, pepper and the garlic powder. Set aside.

To make the dressing, in a blender, combine the olive oil, garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, Dijon, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

After the squash has roasted for 10 minutes, add the bread to the other half of the baking sheet. Return to the oven for another 20 minutes. Remove the squash and bread from the oven and set aside to cool until still warm, but not hot.

Set the Romaine in a large bowl, then drizzle with a bit of the dressing and toss well. Divide between 4 serving plates. Top each serving with squash and croutons, then drizzle with the remaining dressing. Sprinkle each serving with some of the remaining Parmesan.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 670 calories; 380 calories from fat (57 percent of total calories); 42 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 15 mg cholesterol; 57 g carbohydrate; 17 g protein; 9 g fiber; 1,050 mg sodium.