This quinoa salad is healthy and rich with flavour. It uses sweet, roasted butternut squash and creamy, rich goats cheese. Its served warm using butternut squash straight from the oven and warmed quinoa.
This salad is packed with nutrition, containing whole proteins (contains all 9 ammo acids), complex carbohydrates, vitamins A, B-6, C, Calcium and magnesium.
You can easily mix this recipe up with additional vegetables like red onions and courgettes. They work really well with this salad and add even more nutrition.
Butternut Squash Preparations
This recipe uses 125g off butternut squash chunks. Thats approximately a 1/4 of a small butternut squash (1kg). In most supermarkets butternut squash can be bought in chunks.
If you are going to use a whole butternut squash, simply peel and dice the squash into small chunks. Heres an easy step by step recipe on how to prep butternut squash.
Butternut squash can be used interchangeably with pumpkin. If you have any leftover butternut squash, try this delicious pumpkin risotto or pumpkin soup.
How To Cook Quinoa
Quinoa is a seed that can be found in the dry section of the supermarket, typically on the same isle as the rice. You can either buy it precooked or raw.
It is normally cheaper to buy raw quinoa as the weight more than doubles once cooked.
- Rinse 80g of quinoa under cold water in a fine sieve for around 30 seconds.
- Add 160ml of vegetable stock, quinoa and sea salt to a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Place a lid on the pot and leave to steam for 5 minutes.
- Fluff the quinoa with a fork, breaking up any bits. Place the lid back on the pot until it’s ready to be used.
Here is my full recipe of How To Cook Quinoa.
Recipe Note: Quinoa can be cooked in either water or stock, ideally for this recipe use vegetable stock.
Method
1. Measure all the ingredients and set to the side. Preheat the oven to 200c.
2. Season the butternut squash with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Add the butternut squash to a baking tray lined with baking paper.
3. Roast for 10-15 minutes, until the butternut squash has softened. Meanwhile cut the goats cheese into pieces.
4. Gather all the ingredients together and heat up the quinoa.
5. Add butternut squash, quinoa, sunflower seeds, olive oil, lime juice, sea salt and a generous amount of balsamic reduction to the mixed leafs and combine. Add the goats cheese and serve.
Additional Vegetable Ideas
This quinoa salad works well with a lot of different vegetables, especially when you want to add a lot of veggies to your diet.
Try add
- Finely Sliced Red Onion
- Finely Sliced Courgette
- Swapping the Butternut Squash for Pumpkin
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Quinoa, Butternut Squash & Goats Cheese Salad
Equipment
- Baking Tray
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 200 g Quinoa cooked
- 100 g Goats Cheese
- 125 g Butternut Squash
- 300 g Mixed Leaf
- Sunflower Seeds
Balsamic Glaze Dressing
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic Reduction or Glaze
- 1/2 Lime
- Sea Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200c.
- Season the butternut squash with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Add to a baking tray and roast for 10-15 minutes, until the butternut squash has softened.
- Meanwhile cut the goats cheese into pieces and microwave the quinoa for 60-90 seconds, until hot.
- Add mixed leafs, squash, quinoa, sunflower seeds, olive oil, lime juice and a generous amount of balsamic reduction to a large mixing bowl and combine. Add the goats cheese and serve.
Notes
- 125g of butternut squash is approximately 1/4 of a small butternut squash (1kg).