This healthy Fall Quinoa Salad has the best autumn flavors. With garlic-roasted butternut squash, feta cheese, and caramelized onions, it’s a colorful and delicious fall treat!
Why You’ll Love Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad
This amazing quinoa salad recipe is the perfect way to take advantage of seasonal produce and experience delicious autumn flavors. It’s healthy, easy to make, and a beautiful addition to any table. Plus, there’s no dressing required! You can serve it as a main dish or a side salad.
What is quinoa?
Quinoa is a flowering plant grown mainly for its edible seeds. Upon cooking, they become soft and fluffy. Quinoa is a great rice alternative rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals and is 100% gluten-free. You can find it in the grocery store near the rice.
How to Make Fall Quinoa Salad
Begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Next, toss the butternut squash, olive oil, salt, pepper, minced garlic, and chopped sage in a large bowl. Once mixed, spread evenly over a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until the squash is cooked entirely and just starting to brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and allow time to cool before transferring to the salad.
While your butternut squash is baking, start cooking the caramelized onions. Caramelizing onions takes about 30-45 minutes and shouldn’t be rushed. I promise it’s absolutely worth the effort. Learn how to make perfectly caramelized onions.
Once everything is prepared, you can assemble the salad. Combine the butternut squash, caramelized onions, and cooked quinoa in a large salad bowl. Toss to combine.
Top with crumbled feta, chopped walnuts, and pomegranate arils.
This salad also pairs well with French vinaigrette dressing and balsamic vinaigrette. However, add the dressing just before serving (I did not add any salad dressing. The flavors were delicious on their own).
How to Serve
This easy quinoa salad pairs well with almost any main dish. Serve it alongside chicken, steak, burgers, or any meal. It’s also great by itself.
Optional Additions
- Goat Cheese
- Roasted Beets
- Sunflower Seeds
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Dried cranberries
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days (without salad dressing). Serve leftovers cold or warm. If you have leftover homemade salad dressing, store it in a separate container.
More Butternut Squash Recipes
If you try making this Fall Quinoa Salad Recipe, please leave me a comment below! I always love to read your thoughts and feedback!
RECIPE CARD
Fall Quinoa Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded and chopped into small cubes
- Olive oil
- salt + black pepper
- 6 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoon fresh sage - chopped
- 2 yellow onions - cut into thin slices
- ½ cup walnuts - chopped
- ⅓ cup feta - crumbled
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
- 1 cup quinoa - cooked according to package instructions
- Fresh sage - chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, toss the cubed butternut squash with approximately 1-2 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper, minced garlic and fresh chopped sage. Transfer and spread evenly over a large baking sheet. Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until squash is cooked completely and just starting to brown at the edges. Remove from oven and allow time to cool before transferring to salad.
- While your butternut squash is baking, start your onions. For an amazing step-by-step tutorial on how to caramelize onions visit Simply Recipes tutorial HERE, it’s one of the best I’ve seen around.
- With the butternut squash, caramelized onions and quinoa cooked and ready, you can assemble the salad. In a large bowl combine the butternut squash, caramelized onions and cooked quinoa. Toss to combine. Top with crumbled feta, chopped walnuts, and pomegranate arils. This salad also pairs well with French vinaigrette dressing and balsamic vinaigrette, however, add just before serving (personally, I did not add any salad dressing. The flavors were delicious on their own).
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days (without salad dressing).
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
We didn’t think this recipe was worth the effort. It took 90 min from start to plate since the squash had to be cut up and roasted, the onions had to be sliced thinly and caramelized. Oven and pan also take time to come to temp. Perhaps if your ingredients are already prepped you could do it all in 1 hour but highly unlikely. The estimate of 1h was just unrealistic.