Fall Harvest Quinoa Salad With Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
A colorful, flavor-bursting fall quinoa salad that’s piled with quinoa, shaved brussels sprouts, roasted nutty squash, gala apple, red onion, sweet dried cranberries, crumbled feta, fresh parsley, all tossed together in a sweet and tangy maple dijon vinaigrette! Get ready, this one is about to be a staple year round!
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Whether you decide to make this for the holidays or in the summer, it’s sure to please!
This fall harvest quinoa salad works wonderful for get togethers because it can be made a day in advance. That’s already a win-win for me.
This salad requires a few steps, but every step of chopping, slicing, and roasting just makes this salad that much better, you’ll see what I mean when you take that first bite.
The results: a big bowl of nourishing, so-much-flavor-how-can-this-even-be-healthy, seasonal salad.
So. Let’s make it.
Ingredients You Will Need To Make This Fall Harvest Quinoa Salad
Salad ingredients:
Dry quinoa – white, red, or tricolored quinoa will work just fine. Cook the quinoa and set it aside to cool before tossing it with the other salad ingredients
Brussels sprouts – trim the ends off and thinly slice them. They get roasted on a sheet pan with the squash, a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Butternut squash – cut into 1/2-inch cubes. If they are cubed a bit too big, the brussels sprouts end up roasting a lot faster than the squash and possibly burning.
Gala apple – any apple should work for this salad. We happen to have gala apples around here at all times so this is what I am using for this salad. Use your favorite one!
Red onion – finely dice 1/2 of a red onion. Onions have so much strong flavor so make sure you spend the time to finely dice it.
Dried cranberries – they add so much sweetness, I think they’re a must in this salad.
Crumbled feta cheese – with salty feta cheese, you don’t need a ton of it.
Parsley – fresh chopped parsley adds a depth of color and flavor.
Salt & pepper – I always offer an amount to use but always season to your own preference.
Olive oil – for roasting the squash and brussels sprouts
Dressing Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil – use a good quality olive oil, it takes the whole dressing from 0 to 100.
Apple cider vinegar – ACV is a go-to when making dressings. Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar have a great taste too.
Mustard – I’m using 1 part whole grain dijon and 1 part regular dijon. Both have distinct flavors and textures and so I loving bringing both into this vinaigrette. If you’d like, just choose one to keep things simple.
Lemon – zested and juiced. One lemon produces about 2.5 tablespoons of juice, for reference.
Maple syrup – adds sweetness to the vinaigrette and offsets all the tang from the mustard and lemon.
Italian seasoning – dried or fresh herbs are a must in dressings!
Salt & pepper
To Make This Fall Harvest Quinoa Salad
Rinse and drain the quinoa.
In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add salt and quinoa to the saucepan. Cover with a lid and turn the heat to low. Cook quinoa for 20 minutes or until water is fully absorbed. Remove it from the heat source and let it cool to room temperature before tossing with all the other ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
On one side spread out the shaved brussels sprouts and on the other side spread out the cubed butternut squash. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until squash is fully cooked through and can pierce easily with a fork. Let it cool before tossing with all the other ingredients.
Make the vinaigrette by placing extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, both mustards, lemon zest and juice, maple syrup, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper into a mason jar or an airtight container (with a great seal)! Shake to emulsify into a vinaigrette.
Layer the salad. Start with a quinoa base. Top with cooled squash, brussels sprouts, apple, red onion, dried cranberries, feta cheese, and parsley. Drizzle the vinaigrette right on top and toss the salad together until it’s coated well. Cover and place into the refrigerator. Let it cool for at least 2 hours before serving. This will let the ingredients soak in the vinaigrette.
This salad lasts well for 2 days in the refrigerator. If you plan on making it for the whole week, hold off on the dressing until ready to serve/eat. In this case, store the dressing and salad separately in the refrigerator.
If You Love This Seasonal Salad, Check Out A Few Of My Favorite Dishes:
Chili Lime Baked Salmon With Avocado Salsa
Healthy Taco Turkey Burrito Bowls
Peach, Burrata, And Prosciutto Salad
Southwest Chipotle Chopped Salad
Mixed Green Salad With Balsamic Vinaigrette
If you make this Fall Harvest Quinoa Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I’d love to hear what you think about it, or better yet, see what you’re cooking! Tag me on Instagram, @fettysfoodblog with your creation.
Fall Harvest Quinoa Salad With Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Fall Harvest Quinoa Salad
- 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ pound brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and thinly sliced (shaved)
- 2 cups butternut squash, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 gala apple, quartered, seeds removed, and thinly sliced
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon whole grain dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon regular dijon mustard
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add ½ tsp salt and quinoa to the saucepan. Cover with lid and turn heat to low. Cook quinoa for 20 minutes or until water is fully absorbed. Remove it from heat source and let it cool to room temperature before tossing with all the other ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On one side of the baking sheet, spread out the shaved brussels sprouts. On the other side spread out cubed butternut squash. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and season with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Place into oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until squash is fully cooked through and can pierce easily with a fork. Let it cool before tossing with all the other ingredients.
- Make the vinaigrette by placing extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, both mustards, lemon zest and juice, maple syrup, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper into a mason jar or an airtight container. Shake to emulsify into a vinaigrette.
- Layer the salad. Start with a quinoa base. Top with squash, brussels sprouts, apple, red onion, dried cranberries, feta cheese, and parsley.
- Drizzle vinaigrette right on top and toss together until coated well. Cover and place into refrigerator. Let it cool for at least 2 hours before serving.
