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A close-up of a salad in a white bowl with quinoa, mixed greens, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and crumbled cheese, being topped with a creamy green dressing poured from a jar.
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5 from 2 votes

Crispy Quinoa Salad Recipe

This crispy quinoa and butternut squash salad puts the "fall" in fall salads! It's packed with seasonal ingredients like roasted butternut squash, quinoa, and a tasty homemade dressing.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crispy quinoa salad recipe
Servings: 6
Author: Emily Richter

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked quinoa preferably cold*
  • ¼ cup chili crunch
  • 4 cups cubed butternut squash ~½-1 inch chunks
  • 1 small white onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic smashed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 5 oz. power greens mix a mix of baby kale, spinach, arugula, kale*
  • ½ cup golden raisins
  • 4 oz. plain goat cheese
  • ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds

Dressing

  • ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons fresh tarragon
  • 2 green onions
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the cooked quinoa to the lined baking sheet and add the chili crunch. Stir until all of the quinoa is coated with chili crunch. Evenly spread the quinoa into one evenly layer over the parchment paper.
    A baking tray covered with parchment paper holds a single layer of evenly spread, mixed quinoa with a toasted appearance.
  • On a separate baking sheet, toss the butternut squash, onion, garlic, olive oil, and sea salt.
    Diced butternut squash and chopped onions spread out and roasted on a baking sheet.
  • Transfer both baking sheets to the oven. Place the quinoa on the top shelf and the butternut squash on the shelf below. Cook both baking sheets for 40-50 minutes or until the quinoa is crispy and the butternut squash is cooked through. We recommend tossing the quinoa every 20-ish minutes.
  • While everything is baking, prepare the dressing. Place all of the dressing ingredients in a small blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Set aside.*
    A bowl of green and white sauce sits inside a food processor with a blade in the center.
  • Remove the baking sheets from the oven when ready.
  • Evenly distribute the quinoa and vegetables into 4-6 bowls. Add a handful of greens to each bowl and top everything with golden raisins, goat cheese, pumpkin seeds, and dressing.
    A hand pouring green herb dressing from a jar onto a bowl containing quinoa, roasted vegetables, greens, seeds, and crumbled cheese with another bowl of roasted vegetables in the background.
  • Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

  • Any green salad mix will work. Choose your favorite mix!
  • We recommend using leftover, cold quinoa. However, you can also prepare it right before making this salad.
  • The dressing for this salad is thinner. If you are looking for a thick dressing, we recommend adding 3-4 extra tablespoons of mayonnaise.

Nutrition

Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 18g | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g