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Fall Salad with Quinoa and Butternut Squash
5 from 10 votes
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Servings: 6
Author: Lisa Lin

Fall Harvest Quinoa Salad

This colorful and healthy fall harvest quinoa salad is packed with butternut squash, brussels sprouts, apples and cranberries. Serve it as a meal or as a side dish at your parties!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups (225g) tri-color quinoa
  • 2 cups (235ml) water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 2 to 2 1/2 pounds butternut squash (see note 1)
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 8 ounces (225g) Brussels sprouts
  • 1/2 medium red onion, diced
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
  • zest from 1 lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 medium apple (see note 2)
  • 3/4 cup (75g) crumbled feta
  • 1/3 cup (40g) dried cranberries
  • 1/3 cup (10g) chopped parsley

Instructions

  • Add quinoa, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan, and let the quinoa cook for another 15 minutes, until all the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat and cover the saucepan with a lid. Let quinoa sit for 15 to 20 minutes so the quinoa can fluff up. Spread out the quinoa over a baking sheet so that it can cool and dry out a little.
  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Chop off both ends of the butternut squash. Peel outer skin. If you are working with a short squash, split it right down the middle. If the squash has a long neck, cut off the neck first before cutting the bulb in half.
  • Remove seeds and chop the squash into 1/2-inch chunks. Toss the cubed squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread the squash onto a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 27 minutes, until the squash is fork tender. Remove from the oven.
  • Trim the bottoms of the Brussels sprouts. Chop them in half, and then slice them into 1/4-inch strips.
  • Heat another 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté them for about 2 minutes, until they start to soften. Add the sliced Brussels sprouts and cook them for 4 minutes. Season the vegetables with 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
  • Chop up the apple and toss it with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. This helps keep the apple from browning.
  • Add the cooked quinoa, butternut squash, onions, Brussels sprouts, apple, feta, dried cranberries and parsley, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, lemon zest, paprika and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a large mixing bowl. Toss all the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Serve.

Notes

  1. If you are using pre-cut butternut squash, you'll want about 755g or 5 cups of squash.
  2. I recommend using a tart apple like Braeburn or pink lady.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 402kcal | Carbohydrates: 58.7g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 16.6g | Saturated Fat: 3.8g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 139mg | Fiber: 8.7g | Sugar: 15.4g
Did you make this recipe?Tag @hellolisalin or leave a star rating and comment on the blog!