Quinoa Salad with Roasted Vegetables is hearty and healthy! Say no to boring salads with this beautiful combination that will leave you filling full up and satisfied! Crunchy roast veggies, warm quinoa, with some creamy feta and crunchy pine nuts. Perfect for meal prep, or an easy side dish for a weeknight dinner.
Hi friends! Georgie here from The Home Cook’s Kitchen! I’m so stoked to be back, and even more stoked to be bringing you this gorgeous roast vegetable quinoa salad! This salad is perfect for meal prep, or a great side salad for a weeknight meal! It’s healthy and hearty, meaning you won’t be starving afterwards!
This is one of my favourite winter salads to make. I’ve been trying to eat a lot healthier lately, incorporating more big salads (like this gorgeous grain salad) and vegetarian meals into my diet! I find it really hard to eat healthy during winter time, but I love knowing that I’ve got some great salads that feel cozy and comforting.
How to Make a Quinoa Salad
This is a super simple salad and can be made with whatever you have in the fridge for roasting. I love the flavour combinations though of beetroot, carrot, red onion and zucchini. The beetroot brings such a vibrant colour to the salad and I love the earthy flavours. As well as the roast veggies, you add some greens, cooked quinoa, feta, pine nuts and balsamic glaze to bring it all together.
What is Quinoa and How do you Cook it?
Quinoa is a gluten-free seed and a popular superfood. Quinoa is extremely healthy and a great source of fibre and protein. I love adding quinoa into my salad, or substituting rice in curries for quinoa as well. It’s great because it makes you feel fuller for longer and adds depth and heartiness to your dishes.
Cooking quinoa is really easy! You need some quinoa, some water and a little salt. Quinoa comes in a variety of colours – white, black or red. For this recipe, it doesn’t matter what type you use. I typically like the tri-colour quinoa, however, I only had white quinoa on hand when I made this veggie salad.
To make quinoa, you need;
- Rinse your quinoa thoroughly. Quinoa can get a bitter flavour to it if it’s not rinsed well. I rinse my quinoa under cold water for a few minutes and then strain.
- Add your quinoa to your pot of salted water. The quinoa to water ratio is 1:2. To make one cup of cooked quinoa, you need 1/3 cup raw quinoa and 2/3 cups of water.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the water dissolves.
- Fluff the quinoa with a fork and it’s ready to serve.
How to Roast Your Vegetables
For this roast vegetable quinoa salad, I used beetroot, red onion, carrot and zucchini. The vegetables do cook at different times, so you’ll want to cook your beetroot for a little bit longer than the rest of the vegetables.
You’ll want to toss your vegetables in about a 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then heat in a 400F degree oven until the vegetables are softened. General cooking times are;
- Beetroots – 40 to 45 minutes
- Red onions – 30 minutes
- Carrots – 30 minutes
- Zucchini – 15 minutes
As long as the vegetables are soft and caramelised (without being burnt) you should be fine!
Tying your salad altogether
To tie this salad all together, you’ll want some greens. I am obsessed with baby kale at the moment, but you could also use spinach or arugula. I add some feta for a little creaminess, pine nuts for some crunch and top it off with balsamic glaze. Balsamic glaze is easy to find in supermarkets. It’s a thickened balsamic vinegar with a slight sweetness to it. I love using it instead of making a salad dressing because it’s super thick and delicious.
This salad is one of the easiest salads you can pull together. It’s quick and easy, great for weekly meal prep or for an easy weeknight meal! Staying healthy during winter doesn’t have to be hard!
Love salads? You may also like:
Autumn Harvest Salad with Pomegranate
Citrus Kale Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette
Roast Vegetable Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
For The Quinoa:
- 1/3 cup quinoa
- 2/3 cup water
- pinch salt
For The Roast Vegetables:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 beetroots diced
- 2 carrots sliced into long pieces
- 1 zucchini sliced longways then diced
- 1 red onion cut into wedges
- 4 cups baby kale or spinach or arugula
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 3 ounces feta cheese
- 1/2 tablespoons balsamic glaze just enough to dress the salad
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
For The Quinoa:
- Place your quinoa in a sieve and rinse under cold water for 1-2 minutes. Place quinoa, water and salt in a small saucepan and heat over medium to high heat.
- Once the quinoa is boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the water has absorbed.
- Use a fork to fluff up the quinoa.
For The Roast Vegetables:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place the beetroot in a small bowl and add a dash of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place in a baking tray and bake for 40-45 minutes.
- Repeat the same step with the carrot and onion, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Finally, repeat again with the zucchini, and place in the oven for 15 minutes. You can put the zucchini on top of the carrots and onion.
Assemble the Salad:
- Add your spinach/baby kale/arugula to a large salad bowl. Top with the cooked quinoa and roast vegetables.
- Finish up by scattering the pine nuts and feta onto the salad and drizzle with the balsamic glaze.
Nutrition
Zucchini Fritters
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