Roasted Pumpkin Salad
This roasted pumpkin salad is flavorful, comforting, and super healthy! It's made with wholesome ingredients like pumpkin, quinoa, kale, and arugula that come together in the most delicious way! It's perfect as a side dish but hearty enough to be a main meal too. And, it is naturally gluten-free and vegan friendly!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 220kcal
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 23 oz pumpkin or butternut squash peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes
- 1 red onion sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup dry quinoa
- ½ bunch kale de-stemmed and roughly chopped
- 1 cup arugula
- 3 sprigs of parsley roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup slivered almonds or walnuts toasted
- feta crumbles optional
Dressing
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F / 200 C, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the diced pumpkin, slice onion, 1 tbsp olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and salt into a mixing bowl and toss to combine.
- Transfer to prepared baking tray and spread in an even layer.
- Roast for 30-40 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft and lightly golden in color.
- Meanwhile cook the quinoa as directed on the packaging. Set aside to cool.
- In a small mixing bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.
- To assemble the salad: Add ⅓ of the dressing to a mixing bowl along with the kale.
- Using clean hands, massage the dressing into the chopped kale for 1-2 minutes.
- Next add the arugula, cooked pumpkin and quinoa along with the dried cranberries and ½ of the chopped parsley. Gently toss to combine.
- Arrange salad on a serving dish, drizzle with dressing and top with slivered almonds and remaining chopped parsley.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Salad can be made ahead of time, without the salad dressing, and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days however the salad is best served immediately.
- To save time, you can cook the quinoa and roast the pumpkin ahead of time and assemble the salad when needed.
- You can also add crumbled feta cheese over top of the salad for added protein.
- Dried cranberries can be substituted with pomegranate seeds or raisins.
- Butternut squash can be substituted with other varieties if pumpkin if preferred.
- This salad can be served warm or cold.
Nutrition
Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 441mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g