Beet Quinoa Salad with Butternut Squash, Kale, and Pecans
This beet quinoa salad is the perfect healthy lunch recipe to make ahead for the week. It’s loaded with nutrients, flavor, and texture – everyone will love it!
Quinoa salads are so versatile. Whenever I’m in a recipe rut, I reach for a quinoa salad recipe and it never disappoints.
They are healthy, flavorful, easy to make, and keep well in the fridge. I’m always a fan of a “cook once, eat twice” recipe!
This beet quinoa salad utilizes seasonal fall produce, including beets, butternut squash, and kale.
Toasted pecans add a satisfying crunch, and a homemade balsamic honey mustard dressing rounds everything out.
From start to finish, you can have this recipe on the table in 30 minutes or less.
More delicious healthy quinoa recipes to try: red quinoa salad with feta cheese, kimchi fried quinoa, Mediterranean gluten free quinoa salad, and quinoa salmon bowls with broccoli and squash.
What’s in beet quinoa salad?
Besides beets and quinoa, you need a handful of simple ingredients to make this recipe. I’ve noted any substitution ideas in the comments below.
- Quinoa is the base of this salad. I love the nutty flavor and slightly crunchy texture, which holds up well in a big salad. I used white quinoa, but you could use red or black quinoa, farro, or wild rice in this recipe, too.
- Beets: I love the earthy sweet flavor of beets, and they taste great mixed in with all the other flavors of this dish. I used pre-cooked beets (found in the refrigerated section of the produce aisle). You can easily roast your own beets for this recipe – just factor in extra cooking time. If you don’t like beets, try using a different roasted root vegetable, such as carrots, parsnips, or turnips.
- Butternut squash: Cubed and roasted with cinnamon, the sweet butternut squash is downright addicting in this dish. If you’d like, you can sub sweet potato, honeynut, buttercup, or delicata squash in this recipe for similar results.
- Kale: Kale is one of the best greens to use in make-ahead recipes, because it maintains its texture and doesn’t get soggy and limp like softer greens. I used curly kale, and you can also use lacinato kale.
- Pecans: I love the flavor of toasted pecans with these seasonal fall ingredients. Try walnuts or slivered almonds instead if you’d like.
- Balsamic vinegar: We use this to add tangy flavor to the dressing.
- Honey mustard
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cinnamon
How to make beet quinoa salad
- Peel butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut into cubes.
- Toss with olive oil and seasonings, and roast in the oven.
- Cook quinoa on the stovetop according to package instructions.
- Slice beets into cubes.
- Finely chop the kale.
- Toast pecans on the stovetop.
- Prepare the homemade dressing.
- Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and pour on the dressing.
- Toss to combine and you are ready to enjoy!
If you love this recipe, you may also like
- Blueberry Basil Salad with Avocado and Farro
- Kale Salad with Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts, and Apples
- Butternut Squash Salad with Pomegranate and Goat Cheese
- Kale Quinoa Salad with Fall Roasted Vegetables
Let me know if you love this recipe by leaving a comment or rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!
PrintBeet Quinoa Salad with Butternut Squash, Kale, and Pecans (Vegan, Gluten Free)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: serves 4–6 generously 1x
- Category: main dish
Description
This beet quinoa salad is the perfect healthy lunch recipe to make ahead for the week. It’s loaded with nutrients, flavor, and texture – everyone will love it!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced (about 2 cups of squash)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
- 1 1/2 cups beets, diced small (1 full package of pre-cooked beets)
- 4 leaves curly kale, stems removed and finely chopped
Dressing
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey mustard
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 410F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss the butternut squash with olive oil, cinnamon, and a generous shake of salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes until fork tender, flipping once halfway through.
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
- Toast pecans in a small skillet on medium heat. Toss the pan occasionally to prevent nuts from burning. Nuts will be done when fragrant and deeper brown in color – about 5 minutes.
- Prepare and chop the beets and kale.
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a jar, close the jar, and shake vigorously to make the dressing.
- Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Pour on the dressing and toss everything well to combine. Enjoy!
Notes
- Recipe keeps well in the fridge for 3-5 days in an airtight container.
- See blog post for substitution suggestions.
Keywords: beet quinoa salad, vegan, gluten free
my very favorite salad. great flavor and has all my favorite ingredients. Thank you for sharing it.
★★★★★
Yay! I’m so happy to hear you love this salad as much as I do 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!
If your not vegan try with crumbled bacon and goats cheese. Delish! Best salad ever!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Sarah! Goat cheese and beets is the bestttt combo!
I absolutely loved this!! Definitely making again!! Perfect the way it is, usually I have to tweek recipes…not this time! Thank you!!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Erinne! I appreciate this comment and rating. Thrilled to hear you love this recipe as much as I do!
This is an amazing salad! I truly loved tge mixture of flavors, and the crunchiness added by the pecans. Even my husband who is not crazy about beets loved it. Thanks for sharing!!
★★★★★
Thank you so much for your kind comment! I am thrilled both you and your husband love this recipe. It’s certainly a favorite of mine too 🙂
This is so good! I use vegan honey mixed with mustard for the honey mustard. I have a question though. How do you keep the beets from turning all the quinoa pink??
★★★★★
Yay, so glad you love this salad, Kelly! I make sure the quinoa is completely cool or cold from the fridge before I mix it with the vegetables, and I think this helps it from turning pink from the beets. Hope this helps!
Do you serve this salad warm or cold?
I usually serve it cold, but it would be fine warm too!
I made this salad for easy work week lunches. The only thing i did differently was add garbanzo beans and i use honey dijon dressing. This is a wonderful salad! Thanks for sharing.😍
Thank you Lynn! Great addition with the garbanzo beans. So happy you enjoyed this!