This Cranberry Quinoa Salad with butternut squash is sweet, savory, and drizzled with a bright and zesty lemon dijon dressing. This gluten-free salad is the perfect side dish to enjoy all fall and winter long.
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Looking for an easy side dish for dinner tonight or to add to your Thanksgiving menu? This butternut squash and cranberry quinoa salad is it!
After cooking the butternut squash and quinoa, all you have to do is assemble the salad and serve. It's fresh, light and perfect to eat on its own or with your favorite protein. This butternut squash quinoa salad is perfect for meal prep. Make individual portions to grab and go for quick lunches all week long.
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Ingredients
- Butternut squash. You need a small, 2-pound squash for this recipe. Or, if you've purchased pre-cubed butternut squash, you'll need about 3 cups of squash. If you are new to cooking with butternut squash, follow this simple tutorial to learn how to peel and cut butternut squash.
- Quinoa. I used white quinoa in this recipe, but you can also use red or tri-color quinoa. Every bag of quinoa should have cooking instructions on the back, but if needed, learn how easy it is to cook fluffy quinoa at home with this simple tutorial.
- Cranberries. You'll need either unsweetened or sweetened dried cranberries. I'd avoid fresh cranberries - they are too tart and will overpower the flavors in this salad.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Use my air-fried butternut squash recipe or oven-roast the butternut squash at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 2: While the squash is cooking, cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Once cooked, turn off the heat and fluff with a fork. Prepare the vinaigrette by mixing everything in a small bowl or jar.
Step 3: In a large bowl, add the butternut squash, quinoa, feta cheese, dried cranberries and parsley.
Step 4: Drizzle the salad with vinaigrette and toss to combine. Enjoy immediately!
Sarah's Top Tips
- Allow the quinoa to cool for a little while before assembling the salad.
- Make extra dressing. You'll never be sad you have extra homemade salad dressing on hand. Use it to dress simple green salads during the week.
- Make the quinoa and butternut squash ahead of time. This will speed up the assembly time considerably!
Serving
This quinoa salad with butternut squash is a perfect meal on its own. It also makes a great side for your holiday dinners and goes great with cranberry orange chicken, air-fried ham and pumpkin sweet potato soup.
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Cranberry Quinoa Salad with Butternut Squash
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Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven or air fryer to 400 degrees F. Season the cut butternut squash with olive oil, salt and black pepper.
- Cook on a sheet pan or in the air fryer for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Set aside.
- While the squash is cooking, cook the quinoa according to the package directions in 2 cups of water, usually 15 minutes. Once cooked, turn off heat and fluff with a fork.
- Make the vinaigrette while the quinoa cools in a bowl.
- Add dijon mustard and lemon juice to a small bowl or jar and whisk or shake to combine. Next, add in the olive oil, salt and pepper and mix everything until well combined.
- Once the quinoa is cooled, add the squash, cranberries, feta and chopped parsley to the bowl.
- Pour the dressing on top and mix the salad together. Serve and enjoy!
Sarah's Tips
- Allow the quinoa to cool for a little while before assembling the salad.
- Make extra dressing. You'll never be sad you have extra homemade salad dressing on hand. Use it to dress simple green salads during the week.
- Make the quinoa and butternut squash ahead of time. This will speed up the assembly time considerably!
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