I love this combo of purple beetroot, sweet potatoes, crunchy green beans, caramelized carrots and fluffy nutty quinoa which make this Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Salad so awesome.
Topped of with our Homemade Ranch Dressing, (95 calories all up), this warm quinoa salad is a great mid season go to and a great side dish to most meals. This salad not only tastes yumm, but is a lovely dish to take to a BBQ or friends place using vegetables instead of the usual lettuce and tomato combination.
If you are a lover of quinoa you’ll know it’s just the bee’s knees, budget friendly high in fiber too. You’ll probably also love our Pumpkin Quinoa Patties. Easy Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad or our other Roasted Pumpkin Rocket and Feta Salad recipe too.
Sometimes you don’t to have a cold salad with your main meal. This warm salad recipe has so many uses and can be eaten a a lovely accompaniment with dinner as a side. Add some chicken and have it the next day as a healthy bowl lunch.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
💚 Healthy eating and a way to get veggies into the bellies of people who normally turn their nose up at them!
💚 Great way to use leftover roasted veggies. Cooked quinoa makes a lovely hearty salad.
💚 Only a handful of ingredients Easy Peasy!
💚 Meal Prep friendly and ready to assemble just before serving.
💚 Lunch option for the next day as a vegetable quinoa bowl
Ingredients for Quinoa and Roasted Vegetable Salad
- Vegetables – use whatever veggies you like. The firmer root vegetables retain their shape so the salad doesn’t become mushy. We love red sweet potato and have also used normal potato with a combination of beetroot, beans or even sprinkled with peas.
- Green Beans – these bright green wonders give the salad crunch and even more vibrant colour.
- Quinoa – the wonder food. Cooks quickly, plus high in protein, fibre, minerals and gluten free
- Salt and Black Pepper – freshly ground to season those veggies before they bake
- Olive oil – lightly drizzled over to give these veggies a golden touch
Additions and Substitutions for this Salad
There are no rules when it comes to making this Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Salad. The list of ingredients and variations are endless so feel free to use your favorite vegetables.
Types of quinoa – Use either white quinoa, black or tri-colour quinoa. The choice is yours.
Root Vegetables – Baby carrots are perfect. Root veggies will help keep this salad from going mushy. If you would like to use zucchini then cut in slightly larger sized pieces and cook a little more al dente.
Potatoes – small potatoes work well in this salad as well. Season with salt before roasting and allow them to get a little golden brown and crunchy.
Greens – Broccoli florets that have been roasted or blanched as well as brussels sprouts..
Fresh herbs – coriander, parsley or a hint of basil.
Peppers & Onions – roasted red bell pepper (capsicums) and or green ones, red onion – roasted or raw.
Cheese – goat or feta cheese is always a nice addition.
Nuts – why not add candied walnuts or toasted pine nuts for texture.
Recipe Tips
Cooking quinoa easily – We use a basic rice cooker to cook quinoa. I do pre-spray my rice cooker bowl with some olive oil spray prior to adding the ingredients.
Always rinse your quinoa well. Even if the pack says it’s pre-washed be sure to give it another rinse. Unwashed quinoa will come out with a bitter taste.
Overcooking your veggies will give it a mushy finish. Staying a little on the “al dente” side will keep your veggies firm.
How to cook Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Salad Step by Step
Step 1: Cook the quinoa as per directions on the packet and allow to cool. Fluff with a fork slightly. I’ve used an older style rice cooker with slightly less water. The ratio is normally 1 cup uncooked quinoa to 2 cups water or broth. For the rice cooker I used 1 cup of grain to 1 3/4 cups water.
Step 2: Cut up your vegetables into 3cm pieces and pop onto a sheet pan covered with parchment paper in an even layer. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper to season and cook until lightly golden brown but to still retain their shape and allow to cool.
Step 3:Microwave or blanch your green beans and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.
How to Cook Your Green Beans For this Quinoa Salad
Method 1:
The real key here is to cook your green beans ever so slightly so they retain their crunch. Two minutes in the microwave followed by a cold water rinse helps keep these lovely veggies, crisp and helps to retain their gorgeous colour.
Or pop into iced water for 20-30 seconds. if your green beans stay too long in the cold water bath they end up water logged and soggy.
Method 2:
Bring a small pot of water to boiling and pop in your green beans and blanch for 2-3 minutes. Pop into iced water for a couple of minutes to stop cooking.
Step 4: Assemble the vegetables, quinoa and beans together in a large bowl and toss lightly.
Serve with your fave dressing or try our Ranch Dressing. Recipe below.
Storage
If you have any leftovers store your roasted vegetable salad undressed in an airtight container. If it’s dressed you are probably best to eat it the day of making or the following day.
Cooked Quinoa – Store quinoa in an airtight container in the fridges for a 3-4 days. 1 cup of uncooked quinoa usually yields 3 cups of cooked quinoa.
Dressings – homemade dressings store well in a glass screw top jar in the fridge for nearly up to a week depending on the ingredients. If you are making a creamy based dressing than that will depend on the shelf life of your sour cream or yogurt. Oils and vinegar based dressings usually last around a week.
Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad Recipe Card
Perfect salad for change of seasons and side dish for BBq's
- 1 large beetroot
- 400 gms red sweet potato
- 2 largish carrots
- 200 gms fresh green beans
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp salt and pepper
- 3 tbs olive oil
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Rinse the quinoa thoroughly and cook as per directions on the packet.
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Chop beetroot, sweet potato and carrots into largish chunks, pop onto lined baking tray. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle salt and pepper.
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Bake in moderate to high oven till just cooked. Allow to cool.
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Trim green beans and pop into the microwave for 2 minutes. Rinse in cold water, drain and set aside to dry.
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Mix the roasted vegetables, green beans and quinoa together till just combined.
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Drizzle with your favorite salad dressing and serve.
You can use whatever vegetables you like for this salad. The harder vegetables retain their shape so the salad doesn't get mushy.
If using zucchini or pumpkin, be sure to cook or bake so they stay firm.
Easy Peasy Homemade Ranch Dressing Ingredients
Greek Yoghurt – makes this a really fresh light Ranch Dressing. Substitute for sour cream if you rather a thicker consistency.
White Wine Vinegar – a little zing. Feel free to change to rice wine vinegar if you prefer
Fresh Lime Juice – just enough to add freshness
Chopped Chives – dark green and flecked throughout the dressing
Salt and Pepper – freshly ground and make to suit to taste
Dried Dill – optional but adds just a little more her-berlicious flavour.
Garlic – this is up to you and your personal taste. Sometimes raw garlic is just to strong, bitter and pungent. Try these mellowing hacks to make garlic less intense from Food52.
Dressing Variations
Use whatever salad dressings you like for this roasted vegetable salad. You might also like to use just balsamic vinegar with a few tablespoons of olive oil. I think a lovely vibrant addition would be our version of the Green Goddess dressing from our Green Goddess Pasta Salad recipe.
Recipe Card
Quick and easy make in a jar Ranch Dressing
- 1/4 cup Greek yoghurt or sour cream
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar or white rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp honey runny
- 1 tsp fresh chives chopped finely
- 1/4 tsp salt and pepper to taste
- 1 clove of garlic optional
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Chop the chives finely and crush the garlic if using it.
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Add all the ingredients into a jar and shake well and drizzle over your salad.
Double this recipe for a larger quantity.
Rate this recipe!
I hope you love this Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Salad recipe If you make it, be sure to leave a star rating so I know how you liked it! ⭐
Need some more ideas for healthy salads?
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