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This butternut squash quinoa salad has all the fall flavors packed into a powerhouse nutritious salad. The warm goat cheese gives it a creamy tangy bite and maple apple cider vinegar coats the entire salad for a refreshing flavor.
This is my husbands favorite salad in my recipe arsenal. He requests this salad almost every week, no idea how he hasn’t grown tired of it but I must admit it is that good!
Why You Need This Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad On Your Menu.
This salad is full of maple flavors. The butternut squash and quinoa offer a nutritious filling hearty blend.
- This butternut squash quinoa salad is totally gluten-free and can easily be made plant based by skipping the chèvre.
- It’s husband approved! Yes, my meat eating husband loves this blend of superfoods for a light lunch or a side.
- It is full of fall flavors and easy to make.
Ingredient Notes
Butternut Squash. Skinned and cubed
Seasonings. Salt pepper and rosemary.
Brussel sprouts. Chopped
Cranberries. Dried and unsweetened
Olive Oil. Neutral in flavor and light.
Maple Syrup.
Chopped Red Onion. This gives the salad some bite and color. You may use a yellow onion as well.
Apple Cider Vinegar.
Goat Cheese. Chèvre. You will want to crumble it. This is optional if you are making this plant based, skip this ingredient.
How To Make This Recipe
- Step one. Clean and chop the butternut squash and brussel sprouts. You will want to skin and clean out the sees and guts in the butternut squash. For the sprouts, you can chop or slice them into equal size pieces similar in size to the butternut squash so they cook at the same rate.
- Step two. Preheat oven to 400º degrees. In a large bowl, add olive oil. salt, pepper and rosemary, butternut squash and brussel sprouts. coat everything evenly and lay flat on a rimmed cooking sheet. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of maple syrup over the raw veggies just before popping them into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until soft enough to stick a fork through.
- Step three. Cook your quinoa. While it is cooking according to package instructions, crumble your goats chèvre up if using and measure out your cranberries, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar.
- Step four. Once the quinoa and veggies are done cooking. Add to a large serving bowl together. Pour the maple syrup, vinegar and cranberries, goat cheese over the mixture and mix well. Serve immediately.
Recipe Pairings
This salad is great with turkey or rotisserie chicken. It also pairs well with Hot Honey Chicken Tenders, Naked Tenders or Turkey Burgers.
Recipe Tips
- Cook the Brussels to your liking. If you want them softer, you can cook them a bit longer.
- Taste as you go. You may want extra maple flavor over your salad.
- Add nuts for crunch. Chopped pecans or walnuts are a great addition to this salad.
Recipe FAQ’s
How long will this salad keep?
This salad will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. I suggest warming it up in the microwave for about 90 seconds before serving to get the goat cheese nice and creamy again.
Yes! It is wonderful both cold and warm. I prefer it warm, the goat cheese gets nice and creamy but please do what you like most.
Other Delicious Fall Salads
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Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad
Equipment
- rimmed baking dish
- Serving Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa , *uncooked
- 2 cups butternut squash, chopped, raw
- 1½ cups brussel sprouts, chopped , raw
- ¼ cup red onion, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup, more will be used for serving
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
- Clean and chop the butternut squash and brussel sprouts. You will want to skin and clean out the seeds and guts in the butternut squash. For the brussel sprouts, you can chop or slice them into equal size pieces similar in size to the butternut squash so they cook at the same rate.
- Preheat oven to 400º degrees. In a large bowl, add olive oil. salt, pepper and rosemary, butternut squash and brussel sprouts. Coat everything evenly and lay flat on a rimmed cooking sheet. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of maple syrup over the raw veggies just before popping them into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until soft enough to stick a fork through.
- Cook your quinoa. While it is cooking (according to package instructions) crumble the goats chèvre up and measure out the maple syrup and apple cider vinegar.
- Once your quinoa and veggies are done cooking. Add to a large serving bowl together. Pour another 2 Tbsp of maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, cranberries, goat cheese, onions, and mix well. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Cook the Brussels to your liking. If you want them softer, you can cook them a bit longer.
- Taste as you go. You may want extra maple flavor over your salad.
- Add nuts for crunch. Chopped pecans or walnuts are a great addition to this salad.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks so delicious! I’m going to make this tonight! How much Red Onion Should I use? Thank you!
ooops! I need to update that on the recipe. I only use about 1/4 cup chopped red onion (raw) I add it with the dressing and mix in. Enjoy it!
Thank you so much for that! I had it for dinner tonight and it was incredible! All the flavours were so perfect and it felt so festive! My partner kept going on about it too! Thank you for sharing! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes! 🙂
I am so thrilled to hear this! My partner loves this one too- a solid crowd pleaser.
This has been one of my favorite late summer salads. I’m so glad I found this on your blog!
Made this as a side for thanksgiving today! Delish!
Hi Emily! I hope you enjoyed it. We made it here too 😍
Really phenomenal! I used less maple syrup and more goat cheese, but otherwise followed the recipe. The flavors are great! Filling but not heavy. Perfect dinner!
What a compliment. Thanks for coming back to let me know Bonnie!
Trying this tonight! Looks delicious! Could I make a double batch and have throughout the week? How long will it keep?
Thank you!
Hi Erin! You can certainly make a double batch, it will keep for about 5-6 days. I would recommend keeping the cheese off of it until you are ready to serve the day of if your are planning to meal prep it. The cheese can get a little funky. Otherwise, enjoy!
This looks delicious and I would like to make it tonight! However, is there a substitute vinegar for apple cider vinegar? Asking due to allergies!
Hi! Yes, absolutely you can use red wine vinegar or white vinegar in place of the apple cider vinegar. Enjoy!
The textures and flavors are so tasty. I made this with rotisserie chicken tonight, really easy!
Forever obsessed with this recipe. I’ve made it 3 x now in the last month.
This is a household favorite. Perfect easy to make fall salad that pleases everyone in the house.
This was exceptional! I made it for lunch and found it hard to save leftovers.
This is a staple in our house every fall and thanksgiving now. It’s delicious.