Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad with Kale, Cranberries, Walnuts and Goat Cheese

Butternut Squash Quinoa salad is a hearty, nutritious dish combining roasted butternut squash with fluffy quinoa, vibrant Kate, tart cranberries, crunchy walnuts and creamy goat cheese. This salad is delicious as is or can be lightly dressed with a maple dijon vinaigrette! Could the colors of this healthy salad be any prettier? 

Fall is such a wonderful time to bake and cook. The flavors, colors, textures and varieties of foods that are available allow for such wonderful meals to be made. Butternut squash is not only delicious, but healthy! It pairs well with all sorts of flavors, savory or sweet. Some other recipes that highlight butternut squash are my Roasted Butternut Squash with Candied Pecans and Ricotta Cheese, Butternut Squash Soup, and Butternut Squash Pasta. No matter what you decide to make, butternut squash is such a wonderful ingredient to cook with! I am excited to share this delicious Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad with you. Let’s get to it!

What is a Butternut Squash?

Butternut Squash are one of Fall’s most delectable ingredients to cook with! Squashes are technically a fruit because they have seeds and develop from the flower-producing part of a plant. However, because they’re more savory than sweet, most people prepare them as a vegetable. They’re known for their pear-like shape, with a wide, round bottom and narrow, cylindrical top. They’re commonly roasted, mashed, or pureed, and used in a variety of dishes like soups, salads and casseroles. They’re rich in vitamins A and C, fiber and antioxidants, making them a healthy and nutritious ingredient to cook with. 

How to cut a butternut squash: 

Because of their unusual shape, butternut squash appear to be difficult to cut. However, with a few simple steps, this process is actually pretty easy! Simply slicing a piece off each end helps tremendously because it allows you to stand the squash up. You can also microwave them for 2 minutes to soften the squash so they are easier to peel with a vegetable peeler or a knife. For some tips, watch this video. It helped me! 

The Salad Ingredients:

• Butternut Squash: The star of this recipe! 
• Quinoa: Quinoa is so versatile. That’s why people love cooking with it. It’s great in salads and has a ton of nutrients including fiber, protein, magnesium, antioxdants, and iron. It’s also gluten free!
• Kale: I love to use Kale in the Fall. It’s an earthier green and the color is so beautiful. I like the bitterness of it against the sweet butternut squash and cranberries.
• Cranberries: Cranberries provide a tart yet sweet flavor, a beautiful color and a nice chew to this salad. 
• Walnuts: Another great nutritious ingredient that provides a nice crunch and saltiness. 
• Goat Cheese: Goat cheese is wonderful as it’s creamy, light and provides just enough tang to this recipe without overpowering it. 
• Salt & Pepper: All you need is little S&P to season this recipe up!

Maple Dijon Vinaigrette Ingredients:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The base of the dressing that allows all the other flavors to shine. Use a mild EVOO as to not overpower the dressing. 
• Apple Cider Vinegar: A little vinegar to brighten the other ingredients!
• Maple Syrup: Maple syrup adds the sweetness this dressing needs while also complimenting the Fall flavors. 
• Dijon Mustard: Dijon gives this vinaigrette a nice punch of flavor. 
• Garlic: Garlic helps add a savory element to the dressing along with flavor. 

Directions – How to make the salad!

This recipe is pretty straight-forward and simple to make. Let’s check it out. For the full directions, see the recipe card below!

• Dice up the butternut squash and cook in a sauté pan for about 10-12 minutes until soft. Remove from pan to cool. 
• Prepare the quinoa according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and set out to cool.
• In the same pan you used for the butternut squash, add some chopped kale and wilt for just a few minutes, remove from pan to cool.
• Again, in the same pan, add the walnuts to toast up lightly. 
• To make the maple dijon vinaigrette, add all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk vigorously. 
• Now you’re ready to assemble. Add all the cooled ingredients along with the goat cheese and cranberries to a large bowl. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Finally drizzle with maple dijon vinaigrette to your liking. 

Substitutions and additions! Can I change things up? 

Of course you can! There are several ways to change this recipe up to your liking.

• Don’t like quinoa? Use farro instead! While you’re at it, check out my Fall Farro Salad.
• Don’t like goat cheese? Parmesan cheese could work and so would feta!
• Don’t want to use Kale? Brussels sprouts would be great addition! Just sauté them for a bit so they soften up. Spinach is another green option!
• Don’t like walnuts? Pecans, pistachios and almonds would be great susbtitutes. 
• Don’t want to use butternut squash? Try using a sweet potato instead!
• Grilled chicken or salmon would be a wonderful protein addition to the salad. 
• Don’t like cranberries? Raisins and even pomegranate seeds would be a delicious substitution!

And there you have it. A healthy, delicious, easy Salad recipe that you can enjoy during the Fall! 

Yield: 1-2

Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad with Kale, Cranberries, Walnuts and Goat Cheese

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A delicious salad comprised of roasted butternut squash, quinoa, cranberries, kale, walnuts and goat cheese. This salad pairs well with a maple dijon vinaigrette!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 small/medium butternut squash, diced
• 2 large kale leaves, stems removed
• 1/2 cup cranberries
• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cup chicken stock
• olive oil, divided
• salt and pepper
• Maple Dijon Vinaigrette:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1 small clove of garlic, minced.

Instructions

1. 1. Prepare Quinoa according to package direction. Use chicken stock instead of water to add flavor. Cool completely.
2. White quinoa is cooking, add a few drizzles of olive oil to a saute pan and place over medium heat. Add diced butternut squash and sauté until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool.
3. In the same saute pan add a little more olive oil and the kale. Wilt slightly, 1-2 minutes, you want the kale to still be slightly crunchy. Remove from pan and roughly chop. Set aside to also cool.
4. Again, in the same pan add walnuts, no olive oil is necessary. Toast for a few minutes on low heat - careful not to burn! Remove from pan and let cool.
5. To make the vinaigrette, add 3 tablespoons olive oil along with the other vinaigrette ingre all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk vigorously.
6. To assemble, add all of the cooled ingredients along with the cranberries, goat cheese, a little salt and a little pepper, and gently mix. Drizzle with maple dijon vinaigrette to your liking.

Notes

Recipes can be double, tripled, and so on to feed more. Salad can be refrigerated for up to 2 days in an airtight container.