Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

This delicious salad with roasted butternut squash and quinoa is a great healthy Fall recipe that is packed with nutritious ingredients and full of flavors. It’s super easy to make and will be a perfect addition to any dinner, lunch, or even meal prep!

Butternut squash is one of the star ingredients during the Fall season and I love using it in my meals, like this delicious Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad. It’s so easy to prep, nutritious, and has an amazing flavor combination!

I love dressing it up with my favorite Citrus Vinaigrette that has beautiful aromas of orange and lemon. It perfectly balances all the flavors and adds vibrant notes to the whole dish. My other option is to use Lemon Vinaigrette with more lemony tart notes. I love using both of these dressings in my Farro Salad, Beet Salad Recipe, and Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad.

Why you will love it

This is such a great versatile recipe that you can serve for a low-key family dinner, lunch, or a fancy dinner, like for Thanksgiving or other events during the holiday season. It’s packed with nutritious ingredients, absolutely satisfying, and has a variety of vibrant flavors.

• Butternut Squash provides creamy texture and warm Fall notes.
• Quinoa and Arugula adds earthy flavors.
• Dried Cranberries add a touch of sweet and sour tang.
• Pepitas and Pomegranate Seeds add crunchy texture.

How to make it

Roast Butternut Squash

To start, we need to roast the main ingredient. I talk in depth about roasting it in my post “Oven Roasted Butternut Squash” to make it perfectly caramelized and tender.

Peel, seed, and chop it into 1×1-inch cubes. Transfer to a large baking pan, season with salt, pepper and drizzle some olive oil. Mix everything up and bake at 400°F for about 30-35 minutes. You can check if it’s cooked by piercing pieces of the vegetable with a fork.

When done, just take it out of the oven and let it cool off on the counter.

Cook Quinoa

Rinse 1 cup of quinoa in a mesh sieve and put in the sauce pan with 2 cups of water. Stir and bring to boil. When it starts boiling, lower the heat to medium/low and cover with a lid. Cook for about 15 minutes until it’s fully cooked and the water is absorbed. Season with salt to taste and let it cool off completely.

Assemble

To assemble, put all the ingredients in a big salad bowl (arugula, roasted butternut squash, cooked quinoa, dried cranberries, pepitas, and pomegranate seeds). Dress with Citrus Vinaigrette or Lemon Vinaigrette and give it a mix.

Tips for best results

You can cook quinoa and roast butternut squash a day before and refrigerate until ready to use. All you’ll need is just to assemble, which will take not more than 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

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