Butternut Squash Salad With Quinoa and Spinach
Simple, hearty and healthy butternut squash salad with fluffy quinoa, spinach, cranberries and toasted sesame seeds is a delicious side or vegetarian meal.
The vibrant colors are beautiful, making it a perfect dish for a buffet table, holiday (including Passover and Thanksgiving) or dinner party. Get creative or use what you have on hand.
The recipe serves 4 good size main portions, but if you are serving the salad with a substantial protein, it can be stretched to 6.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Ingredients: butternut squash, quinoa, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, spinach, cranberries, sesame seeds, olive oil, thyme.
Variations and substitutes
Vegetables
- Substitute sweet potatoes for the squash. They will have more calories and carbs, but higher fiber and protein.
- Add red peppers to roast along with the butternut squash.
- Try chopped baby kale instead of baby spinach. Just remove ribs, chop and massage to soften. A peppery arugula would work well too.
Seasonings
- Sprinkle cinnamon and/or cumin on the squash before roasting.
- Use basil or rosemary instead of thyme.
- Try a tahini dressing instead of a balsamic dressing.
Garnish
- Try adding goat cheese, feta cheese, halved cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, chopped green onions or chives
- Feel free to use any nuts or seeds for crunch instead of sesame seeds. Toasted pecans, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pepitas are all good choices.
- Increase the balsamic vinegar (good quality) or drizzle extra maple syrup, honey or balsamic reduction.
Step by step instructions
What to serve with a squash salad
Try serving the quinoa butternut squash salad as a side dish with maple-balsamic rainbow trout, grilled BBQ chicken, salmon stuffed with lemon ricotta or sous vide flank steak. Or add some sliced grilled marinated chicken or crispy tofu cubes on top to make it a more substantial main dish. Here is a recipe on how to bake or pan fry tofu cubes (ignore the peanut sauce part). It even makes a great option for a Thanksgiving dinner instead of stuffing.
Or serve it as a main dish along with hearty soup like curried lentil soup, red lentil and vegetable soup, or an easy gazpacho soup.
Shortcuts
- Buy pre-peeled and pre-cut butternut squash. I do.
- Buy pre-washed and dried baby spinach.
- Use leftover or store-bought cooked quinoa.
Make Ahead
One nice thing about this butternut squash quinoa salad it that it can be made ahead, earlier in the day. Just let it sit on the counter while the flavors blend and serve it when you’re ready. For meal prep, make the quinoa and roast the squash the day before.
Recipe FAQs
Here is a video on peeling and cutting squash. For a shortcut, look for fresh pre-peeled and cubed butternut squash in your grocery store.
According to Healthline butternut squash is low in calories and high in many nutrients, including vitamin A, C, B vitamins and E, magnesium, calcium and potassium.
Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) looks like a grain, but it is actually a seed with a delicious nutty flavor. For nutritional purposes, however, it is considered gluten-free whole grains according to Healthline and one cup has 8 grams of protein. There are 3000 varieties including white quinoa, black quinoa, tri color quinoa, and red quinoa.
More butternut squash recipes
- squash curry (30 minutes)
- butternut squash salad with warm cinnamon dressing
- easy butternut squash soup
- Thai inspired butternut squash soup
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Butternut Squash Salad With Quinoa and Spinach
Ingredients
Butternut squash
- 3/4 pound butternut squash, peeled, cut in 1 inch/2.5 cm chunks (or buy precut and peel squash for a great shortcut)
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
Quinoa
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 2/3 cup water with 1/2 tsp salt added
Dressing
- 2 tablespoon olive oil (or more if needed)
- 1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- salt and pepper to taste
Other salad ingredients
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach (about 3 large handfuls)
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries (can substitute raisins or dried currants)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds Note 1
- Optional garnishes: chopped roasted nuts, crumbled goat cheese, chopped green onions or chives, halved cherry tomatoes, drizzle of honey or maple syrup, squeeze of lemon, balsamic reduction drizzle
Instructions
- HEAT OVEN to 425F/218C. Line a pan with parchment. Or use foil and spray it with oil.
- ROAST BUTTERNUT SQUASH: Toss butternut squash with oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a bowl. Place squash in single layer on pan. (Set bowl aside to mix assembled salad later). Roast squash for 20-30 minutes until tender and slightly caramelized, tossing or flipping over half way through. Lately, I've been cranking the heat to 450F/232C for the last 5-10 minutes to brown the squash more. Remove from oven and sprinkle with thyme.
- MAKE QUINOA: (while squash is roasting). Rinse quinoa in a mesh strainer. Place in medium pot with 1 2/3 cups/394 ml water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. and let the quinoa cool a bit. Add spinach to the warm quinoa and mix. Spinach will wilt. If you prefer to leave the spinach more crisp, let quinoa cool a bit first.
- MAKE DRESSING: Put all dressing ingredients in a cup. Whisk to blend.
- ASSEMBLE AND SERVE: In large bowl, combine quinoa-spinach mixture, cranberries, roasted butternut squash and dressing. Gently mix together. Taste and adjust seasonings. Scoop into large serving bowl. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and other optional garnishes as desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
- To Toast Sesame Seeds: Place seeds in a dry pan over medium heat. Shake pan every minute or two for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool.
- Variations and Substitutes:
- Vegetables
- Substitute sweet potatoes for the squash. They will have more calories and carbs, but higher fiber and protein.
- Add red peppers to roast along with the butternut squash.
- Try chopped kale instead of baby spinach. Just remove ribs, chop and massage to soften. A peppery arugula would work well too.
- Seasoning
- Sprinkle cinnamon and/or cumin on the squash before roasting.
- Use basil or rosemary instead of thyme.
- Garnish
- Add goat cheese, feta cheese, halved cherry tomatoes, pomegranate arils, chopped green onions or red onions, or chives
- Instead of sesame seeds, try roasted pecans, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, or pepitas
- Increase the balsamic vinegar (good quality) or drizzle extra maple syrup, honey or balsamic reduction
- Vegetables
- Make Ahead: This salad can be made ahead, earlier in the day. Just let it sit on the counter while the flavors blend and serve it when you’re ready. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
Love this recipe!
So glad you liked it Judi!
Delicious salad!!! Made it as a side for roast chicken.
Glad you enjoyed it.