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Maple-Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Harvest Salad

Averie Sunshine

4.80 from 10 votes

Updated: Oct 09, 2024

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Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad 🥗🧡 is EASY and packed with big fall flavors! Maple syrup, roasted squash, and cranberries are the perfect combination, making this hearty salad sweet, savory, and satisfying. It’s a colorful fall side dish that proves healthy can still be full of flavor!

Easy Fall Quinoa Salad Recipe

• It’s that time of year for squash. I’m a big squash fan, and an even bigger fan when it’s roasted with maple syrup and butter.

• This savory yet slightly sweet butternut squash quinoa salad is easy, healthy, packed with big fall-inspired flavors, and there’s so much texture.

• The buttery maple syrup coats the tender squash, which is a nice contrast to the chewier quinoa. There’s lightly caramelized sweet yellow onion to boost the overall flavor, chewy tart-and-sweet dried cranberries, sliced almonds for a satisfying crunch, and parsley to add color and a mild herbiness.

• The salad is great right away but it’s a perfect make-ahead recipe because the flavors develop over time. I think it tastes better a day or two after making it. It’s perfect for work or school lunches!

Ingredients in Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad 

• Butternut squash: Make sure it is peeled, diced, and cut into cubes. Other roasted squash, such as delicata or acorn squash, should also work.
• Maple syrup, unsalted butter, extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, water, and lemon juice: These create the sweet-tangy dressing and cooking liquid. Use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup. Lemon juice is optional, but adds brightness.
• Yellow onion: Yellow or white onion both work, or use red onion if you prefer a little more bite.
• Quinoa: I used tri-colored quinoa for extra color, but white quinoa or your favorite variety will also work.
• Dried cranberries, sliced almonds, and fresh parsley: Orange-scented dried cranberries are great here, but pomegranate seeds can also be used. Walnuts or pecans may be substituted for the almonds.
• Optional add-ins: Shredded chicken, leftover turkey, or chickpeas can make the salad more filling. Roasted Brussels sprouts, pumpkin seeds, feta cheese, or kale would also be delicious.

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

How to Make Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

1. Roast the butternut squash with maple syrup, butter, salt, and pepper until fork-tender.
2. In the meantime, sauté the onions in olive oil until caramelized. Then, add the quinoa, and let it toast for about 30 seconds.
3. Next, add the water, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper, and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan, and cook until the liquid has been absorbed.
4. Fluff the cookies quinoa, and transfer it to a large bowl. Add the dried cranberries, almonds, parsley, squash, and the cooking liquid, and stir to combine.
5. Season to taste, adding lemon juice as needed or a dash of cayenne pepper for a touch of heat. Enjoy!

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4.80 from 10 votes

Maple-Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Harvest Salad

By Averie Sunshine

🥗🧡 An EASY and packed with big fall flavors! Maple syrup, roasted squash, and cranberries are the perfect combination, making this hearty salad sweet, savory, and satisfying. It’s a colorful fall side dish that proves healthy can still be full of flavor!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

• 1 (9×13 inch) Pan
• 1 large skillet
• 1 Large Bowl

Ingredients 

Salad

• ▢ 3 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• ▢ ¼ cup maple syrup
• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 cup dried cranberries, I use orange-scented dried cranberries
• ▢ ½ cup sliced almonds
• ▢ ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• ▢ 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice, optional and to taste

Quinoa

• ▢ one extra-large, about 2 heaping cups diced sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, peeled and diced small
• ▢ 1 cup quinoa, I use tri-colored
• ▢ 1 ½ cups water
• ▢ 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 400F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with aluminum foil for easier cleanup.
• Add the butternut squash and evenly drizzle with maple syrup, butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and toss to combine.
• Bake for about 45 to 60 minutes, or until squash is fork-tender. Stir twice while squash bakes to ensure even cooking. Baking time will range based on exact size of squash pieces and natural variance in squash as some have more moisture and release more juice while baking.
• While the squash bakes, start sautéing the onions.
• To a large skillet or saucepan, add the olive oil, onions, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until onions have softened and are lightly caramelized, about 7 to 8 minutes.
• Add the quinoa and stir it into the onions and let it toast for about 30 seconds.
• Add the water, apple cider vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, reduce the heat to low, cover pan, and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until all liquid has been absorbed.
• Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and add the dried cranberries, almonds, parsley, squash and all the cooking liquid, and stir to combine.
• Taste, check for seasoning balance, and if necessary to brighten up the flavor, add lemon juice to taste. I added it and it doesn’t make the dish taste lemony but the acid balances the flavor. If necessary add more salt, pepper, or possibly a pinch of cayenne pepper for heat.

Notes

Dish can be served warm and immediately or stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The flavors develop over time and tastes better a day or two after making it, and can either be served warm or cold.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 453cal, Carbohydrates: 79g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 2mg, Sodium: 562mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 46g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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