Gone are the days that salads are just for Summer, I’m here to prove to you that salad really is for any season with my Winter Quinoa Salad. Using some of my favourite Winter vegetables like butternut squash, sweet potato and kale, this salad is full of flavour but hearty enough to really fill you up.
And if you know me then you know that I love a quinoa salad and have a recipe for every season. Here are some of my favourite salads and which season they would be great for:
- Spring – Quinoa and Lentil Salad
- Summer – Arugula Quinoa Salad with Feta
- Autumn – Moroccan Chickpea Salad Recipe
- Winter – Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad & this Winter Quinoa Salad of course!
What’s to Love About This Salad
- allergy friendly – this recipe is gluten free, egg free, nut optional and dairy optional (I list swaps in the ingredients section below)
- filling – a lot of salads just don’t fill you up but the Winter Quinoa Salad recipe has enough complex carbohydrates, fibre, healthy fats and protein to make you feel really satisfied. Feel free to add extra protein like grilled chicken or roasted lamb.
- prep ahead – this salad is great to meal prep as the kale leaves keep really well even with dressing! Divide the salad between 4 airtight containers and keep refrigerated for up to 4 days for a delicious healthy lunch every day!
- eat warm or cold – if you’re craving a warm salad for winter then this is just what you need! But it also tastes delicious as a cold salad! To serve warm just mix it all together with the vegetables and quinoa as soon as their cooked.
What You Need to Make This Winter Quinoa Salad
I’ve popped everything you need to make this delicious and healthy salad below. And of course I’ve included some ingredient substitutions for you in case you don’t have all of the ingredients. I was able to find all of the simple ingredients for this Winter Quinoa Salad at my local grocery store, easy!
Salad Ingredients
- quinoa – It wouldn’t be a quinoa salad without quinoa! I’ve used white quinoa but you could also use tri coloured quinoa if that’s what you’ve got on hand. You could also swap out the quinoa for another grain like brown rice or freekah (cook to packet instructions).
- butternut squash – I have a true love for butternut squash. Sure, when it’s the very start or end of the season they can be a bit meh in flavour. But I love that they have a mild flavour so you can really mix up the seasonings! If you can’t find butternut squash, you can use Kent pumpkin or JAP pumpkin.
- sweet potato – sweet potato can be swapped for another root vegetable like parsnip or carrots.
- red onion – also known as purple onion or Spanish onion. Red onion can be swapped for yellow onion (brown onion).
- fresh garlic cloves – the garlic gets roasted whole with the other vegetables, then mashed and added to the dressing.
- walnuts & pumpkin seeds – Walnuts can be swapped for flaked almonds, pecans or pistachios. To make this a nut free salad, swap the walnuts for sunflower seeds or more pumpkin seeds (also known as pepitas).
- kale – I originally created this recipe using Tuscan kale, however found it really hard to source. Because I wanted all of the ingredients to be easily sourced, I went with the more common curly kale. You can use whichever you prefer.
- dried cranberries – I love adding a little sweetness with dried cranberries. You could also swap for pomegranate seeds (also known pomegranate arils).
- goats cheese – for this recipe I use creamy goat’s cheese also known as chevré. Goat cheese can be swapped for Danish feta cheese or left out to make this recipe dairy free.
- flat leaf parsley – fresh parsley can be swapped for other fresh herbs like dill or basil.
Salad Dressing Ingredients
To make the salad dressing, you will need:
- extra virgin olive oil
- apple cider vinegar – can be swapped for lemon juice.
- pure maple syrup – can be swapped for honey.
- Dijon mustard
How to Make Winter Quinoa Salad
Follow the simple steps below to make the perfect salad every time!
Would you like to save this?
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
First, preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional) or 160°C (fan forced). If cooking fan forced, keep an eye on the vegetables as they will take less time. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Roast the Veggies
Next, add the cubed sweet potato and butternut squash to the tray along with the onion wedges and garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Spread the vegetables out into an even layer and place into the oven to bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, removing the garlic cloves after 50 minutes.
Make the Dressing
Pop each garlic clove out of it’s skin and place into a small bowl. Use a fork to mash the garlic before adding the Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup. Whisk to combine and then slowly start pouring in the olive oil while whisking until smooth and creamy.
Cook the Quinoa
While the veggies roast, cook the quinoa. Add the quinoa to a saucepan and top with water. Use your hands to swish the quinoa around to wash it. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, return to the pan and rinse another two times. After returning the quinoa to the pan for a final time, add the 2 cups water and place on the stove to boil. Boil until most of the water has been absorbed and then turn off the heat and place the lid on, leaving the quinoa to steam.
Toast Nuts & Seeds
While the quinoa cooks, add the chopped walnuts and pepitas to a small tray and place into the oven to bake for 5-10 minutes, keeping a close eye on them so that they don’t burn. Transfer them to a small bowl straight away to prevent them from toasting further in the pan.
Assemble Salad
Remove the woody stem from the kale and roughly chop the kale leaves. Add the kale leaves to a large bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil and then massage until the kale is vibrant green. This helps to tenderise the kale, making it easier to digest.
To assemble the salad, add the roasted veggies, cooked quinoa, toasted walnuts and pepitas as well as the dried cranberries to the large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and then toss to combine. Crumble the goats cheese over the salad and serve.
Winter Quinoa Salad
Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Sharp knife
- Large salad bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 500 grams butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 500 grams sweet potato, peeled, cut into 2cm cubes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 red onion, peeled, cut into thin wedges
- 3 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale, stem removed, finely sliced
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 100 grams chevré, creamy goats’ cheese
- small bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Dressing
- 40 ml apple cider vinegar
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C conventional or 160°C fan forced. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
- Add the cubed butternut squash and sweet potato as well as the onion wedges and garlic cloves to the baking tray drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and then spread out evenly in a single layer. Place the tray into the oven to bake for 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove the garlic from the oven after 50 minutes. If roasting in an air forced oven, the vegetables will be done much quicker so keep an eye on them.
- Tip the walnuts and pumpkin seeds onto a small tray and place into the oven to toast for 5-10 minutes or until toasted to your liking. Remove from the oven and tip into a bowl to prevent them from toasting further in the pan.
- Meanwhile, add the quinoa to a large saucepan and top with water. Use clean hands to swish the quinoa around in the water to wash. Strain the quinoa through a fine mesh sieve and then return to the pan. Repeat this process another two times. After returning the quinoa to the pan for a final time, top with 2 cups water and place onto the stovetop. Bring to a boil and boil until most of the water has been absorbed. Turn the heat to low and place the lid on the saucepan. Once any liquid has stopped bubbling up through the quinoa, turn off the heat and leave the lid on, allowing the quinoa to steam.
- To make the dressing, squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins into a small bowl and use a fork to mash. To the bowl add the apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard and maple syrup and whisk to combine. Begin pouring the olive oil into the bowl while whisking and whisk until the dressing is smooth and well combined. Season with salt to taste.
- To assemble the salad, add the kale to a large salad bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil. Use clean hands to massage the kale until vibrant green. To the bowl add the quinoa, roasted sweet potato, butternut squash and onion, dried cranberries, toasted walnuts and pepitas, goat’s cheese and chopped parsley. Drizzle the salad with the salad dressing and toss to combine. Serve warm or cold.
Notes
Storage
To meal prep, create the salad as per the recipe and divide between four glass airtight containers. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.To make nut free
- Swap the walnuts for sunflower seeds or more pumpkin seeds.
To make dairy free
- Swap the goats cheese for vegan feta or leave out all together.
Like this recipe? Leave a comment!