Roasted beetroot and pumpkin quinoa salad with a tangy dressing
A must make quinoa salad
If you like making salads to prep for lunches add this quinoa salad to the top of your list. It is a great alternative as a side or even to take to a friend’s house for a dinner party. Packed with lots of nutrients, crunchiness and a kick of tanginess it is a quinoa salad like no other. It is the type of salad that whenever I make it, people always go for seconds and ask for the recipe in the end.
One of the key processes is how you prepare the quinoa. I’ve made this so many times and it works well if you follow the following two steps:
- Stick to the 10min cooking time and do not overcook the quinoa.
- It is also important that the quinoa is “dried” to add to the crunchiness and texture. Simply preparing the quinoa, placing it on a strainer and in the fridge overnight will do just that.
The vegetables can be roasted on one tray in the oven so there’s less washing up. Then once they are cooled it is all about combining the ingredients together.
If you are looking for more salad recipes check out this link.
- 1 large beetroot ~400g
- 300 g pumpkin, chopped
- ½ tbs olive oil
- salt
- ½ tsp cumin, you may use another spice of your choice
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1 bunch of coriander, chopped with ends removed
- ¼ cup currants
- ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
- ¼ cup pepitas
- 1 tbs wholegrain mustard
- ½ tbs dijon mustard
- 2 tbs olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon
- 1 tsp salt
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Prepare the quinoa by adding it to a pan with 2 ½ cups of salted water. Bring it to a boil, put a timer on and it let it cook for 10min from the moment the water boils. Strain the quinoa and wash very well. Using a spoon, push the quinoa all around the edges of the strainer so that it is equally spread around. Place the strainer on top of a bowl for the water to keep draining. Then put it in the fridge to “dry” out overnight or for a few hours at least.
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Preheat the oven to 180°C fan forced. Score the beetroot with a fork or a knife and sprinkle some salt on it. Wrap the beetroot in foil and place it on a tray lined with baking paper. The beetroot produces juices that may leak from the foil, so lining the tray with baking paper reduces the washing time. Put the tray in the oven for 40min.
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In the meantime prepare the pumpkin by cutting it in about 2cm chunks, drizzle with the olive oil, a pinch of salt and cumin. 20min after the beetroot has been cooking add the pumpkin in the same tray and let them cook for the last 20min together.
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Once the beetroot is done let it stand in the foil for 10min and then once it is cool enough to handle peel, remove the ends and dice it. Prepare the dressing while the vegetables are cooling down.
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Whisk all the ingredients together until well combined.
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To finalise the salad combine the beetroot, pumpkin, quinoa, coriander, currants, almonds and pepitas together with the dressing. You may want to use all the dressing or part of it, it is up to you how much you want to add. This salad keeps very well for up 4-5 days in the fridge.
One of the most delicious filling salads I have ever had! The combination of beetroots, pumpkin and quinoa makes it so creamy and goes so well together.
Thank you so much Nisha! I’m glad it was well enjoyed 🙂 It is a salad i typically make for work lunches as i find it keeps well when i prep it at the start of the week and it is very filling and satisfying indeed.
When you prep it early do you put the dressing on it or does it go soggy for the next day?
Hi Donna, I don’t add the dressing until i need to. So when i meal prep it i have a separate container with the dressing i take to work.
So yummy! Have made this twice now and everybody loves it. Thank you
Aw fantastic to hear 🙂 thank you for your feedback!
Delicious! Can’t wait to make it