Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

Hello, fall! The season is quickly changing, and this roasted butternut squash quinoa salad is the perfect plate to usher in the cooler weather. It's healthy, wholesome, and filling. Plus, it's bursting with benefits from all the seasonal vegetables.

The soft, tender texture of roasted butternut squash is complimented perfectly by fluffy quinoa, crisp spinach, and crunchy walnuts. This vibrant fall salad gets a boost of tangy flavor from a simple homemade balsamic vinaigrette and the whole thing can be made in less than an hour.

Why You'll Love This Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

• Versatility. This quinoa salad with butternut squash is suited for any number of occasions, including everyday lunches and dinners or festive occasions - and it makes a wonderful Thanksgiving salad! It's filling enough to be a standalone salad, but it would also make a great side for larger meals and gatherings.
• Perfect way to eat in-season. This salad uses tons of fall produce, making it a perfect recipe to align your diet with the seasons! Eating seasonally is great for the environment, your wallet, and your health.
• Great transitional meal. Cold salads aren't always appetizing in the winter, and roasted vegetables just aren't as appealing in the summer. This is the best of both worlds for that weird in-between time, especially if you live in an area where fall means you get a taste of each season every day.

Ingredient Notes

To make this delicious Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

• butternut squash - acorn squash or delicata squash are both suitable swaps for butternut squash.
• vegetable oil - avocado oil works best because it has a very neutral flavor, but you can also use olive oil if you don't mind a bit more of an earthy taste.
• Italian seasoning - Italian seasoning is a dried blend of rosemary, oregano, basil, marjoram and thyme. If you grow a combination of these herbs or have dried versions in your spice cabinet, you can blend your own Italian seasoning.
• salt and pepper
• baby spinach - you can also use massaged baby kale, baby chard, or arugula. Mixed gem lettuce would also work well.
• quinoa - if you're not a fan of quinoa, you can use roast cauliflower, cooked barley, couscous, or bulgur wheat.
• dried cranberries
• walnuts - the walnuts in this recipe can be replaced with toasted pecans, pine nuts, macadamia nuts or similarly flavored nuts.

Dressing ingredients

• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil - avocado oil is a great substitute for olive oil.
• garlic
• dijon mustard - brown mustard or a coarse-ground mustard will also work for this recipe.
• honey - if you don't have any honey on hand, a natural maple syrup is a good substitute and will add even more complex fall flavor!
• salt and pepper

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowl, and a quarter sheet baking pan.

How to Make the Best Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

1. Roasted the butternut squash. In a large mixing bowl, add butternut squash, oil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Toss well to coat evenly. Spread the butternut squash evenly onto a parchment-lined quarter sheet baking pan and bake ina 425F preheated oven until the butternut squash is fork tender, about 25-30 minutes. Insert a fork to check doneness. If it is easily inserted in, it's fork tender. Let it cool to room temperature.

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2. Assemble salad. Add the roasted butternut squash, spinach, cooked quinoa, cranberries, and walnuts in a large serving bowl. 
3. Make vinaigrette dressing. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, oil, garlic, dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper until smooth.
4. Serve. Drizzle vinaigrette dressing over the salad and toss well to coat. Serve immediately.

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How to Serve

This Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad is delicious served on its own, or paired with some delicious fall dinners including:

• Ground Turkey Soup
• White Chicken and Spinach Lasagna
• Skillet Shepherd's Pie
• Stuffed Eggplant
• Chicken Pot Pie

Storage Instructions

Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days, although it's best to eat the salad within 1-2 days as the longer it is stored, the more the spinach will wilt.

To preserve the freshness and keep the leftover salad from getting mushy and soggy, try to only mix as much salad and dressing as you can eat at one time. Then, store the greens and vegetables in a separate container from the dressing. When you're ready to use it again, just toss and eat!

It's not usually recommended that you freeze salad, as the greens, vegetables and toppings will usually go limp or get soggy when thawed. However, if you want to use the leftovers to make other dishes (keep reading for tips!), you can freeze leftovers in a sealed freezer bag for up to six months.

More Butternut Squash Recipes

• 30 Best Butternut Squash Recipes
• Butternut Squash Salad
• Butternut Squash Curry with Chickpeas
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
• Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
• Stuffed Butternut Squash with Wild Rice

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