Brown Rice Salad With Roasted Butternut Squash, Chestnuts & Pomegranate

1 12oz pkg cut butternut squash
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 Tbs olive oil, divided
1 6.5oz jar cooked chestnuts, coarsely chopped
1 10.5oz pkg cooked brown rice
1 1/2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup fresh or frozen pomegranate seeds
1 5oz bag arugula, coarsely chopped

1) Preheat oven to 475F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss together butternut squash, onion and 2 Tbs oil in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Roast squash 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add chestnuts during last 5 minutes of baking.
2) Meanwhile, warm rice according to package directions, usually 60 seconds. Whisk remaining 1 Tbs oil with vinegar in small bowl. Pour vinegar mixture over rice and add pomegranate seeds. Stir in warm squash mixture and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Fold in chopped arugula, and serve.

Review: I've had this recipe for awhile, but doubted I'd ever make it. The jar of chestnuts the recipe calls for costs $7.99 at my local A&P. That's pricey. A bag of chestnuts (still in shell) costs $2.99 at Trader Joe's, but roasting and shelling them is a labor intensive task. Even then, the last time my husband did that, half the chestnuts were not edible. So, last week I stumbled upon a bag of cooked chestnuts in the Kosher section of Whole Foods, for $2.99. Yes!!!!! This was such an amazing find and I'm not sure why it's sold so cheap, but I won't question a bargain too much. It enabled me to make this dish, which I decided was my new favorite food. The chestnuts provided such an interesting twist to a dish that would have otherwise tasted like a few other recipes I've made. Especially with the arugula and pomegranate seeds, I thought this tasted heavenly and ate seconds (a rarity for me). Mike wasn't impressed with the meal, which I thought was such a shame.

Adapted from:

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/brown-rice-salad-with-roasted-butternut-squash-chestnuts-and-pomegranate/