Autumn quinoa salad with roasted squash and bacon is a great side dish or even a main dish. The maple mustard vinaigrette drives the fall flavors home.
I don’t think it is any secret that I love quinoa. I almost always cook up an entire bag and throw some in the freezer for quick and easy meals. If you have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, cooking quinoa is super easy.
I love to make a triple batch of quinoa pancakes and freeze them for an easy nutritious breakfast. They’re so good topped with cinnamon apple compote or applesauce. Ben is crazy about quinoa pancakes and they’re usually gone in less than a week.
You’ll find stuffed peppers, chili, and more at RachelCooks, all with quinoa as the main ingredient.
It’s a feel good food. Eat it, feel good. You’re treating your body well! Much better than the Arby’s, popcorn, and lasagna that this pregnancy has been driving me to consume. But we don’t need to get into that.
About this autumn quinoa salad
Let’s talk about this salad! It’s the perfect fall food. It stars roasted butternut squash, one of my favorites. Not sure about how to roast squash? I’ve got you covered in this guide to cooking squash. You’ll find out how cook all varieties of squash, with lots of recipes for the squash, too.
Dried cranberries give this quinoa salad a sweet, tangy chewy element, and the feta cheese adds a tangy-salty bite. And bacon — well, that’s just obvious.
The homemade vinaigrette is easy to make and could be used for most any salad. Simply whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard. Add a few grinds of coarse black pepper, and a pinch of salt.
Make it your own
- Mix in chopped greens of your choice: spinach, kale, arugula, etc.
- Add toasted nuts or seeds, like walnuts, pepitas, or sunflower seeds. Or top it with this savory granola.
- Stir in chopped apples or sliced grapes.
- Substitute dried apricots, dried cherries, or raisins for the dried cranberries.
- Instead of feta, try gorgonzola or goat cheese.
Want more fall flavors? I know you do! Try this similar yet different salad – a farro salad with butternut squash. It also has bacon, cranberries, and feta. It’s pretty amazing. Or this roasted cauliflower salad with arugula and sweet potato — so good!
More Quinoa Recipes
- Vegan Quinoa Salad with Brussels Sprouts & Pepitas
- Kale Sweet Potato Salad with Quinoa and Creamy Chili Lime Dressing
- Southwestern Quinoa Bowl with Chicken
- Kale Quinoa Salad with Walnuts, Cranberries, and Feta
- Quinoa and Wheat Berry Salad
- Quinoa Hummus Wrap {vegetarian}
- Breakfast Quinoa with Chia and Cinnamon
- Quinoa Bowl Recipe with Roasted Tomatoes, Ricotta and Balsamic
Autumn Quinoa Salad with Maple Mustard Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- black pepper to taste
For the salad:
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 3 cups roasted, diced butternut squash (I use [this recipe]
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat feta cheese
- 6 ounces center cut bacon, chopped into one inch pieces
Instructions
- Add vinaigrette ingredients to small bowl and whisk until combined. OR: Put all ingredients in a jar and shake until combined (my preferred method!).
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. One cup of uncooked quinoa will make about 4 cups cooked. Cool slightly.
- Fry bacon pieces until crispy. Remove bacon to paper-towel lined plate to drain.
- Place cooled quinoa, roasted squash, cranberries, feta, cooked and drained bacon, and dressing in a large bowl and stir gently to combine. If preparing in advance, leave bacon out until last minute so that it remains crispy.
- Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold. It tastes great all three ways! Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Make this vegetarian by leaving out the bacon! Quinoa packs a ton of protein.
- Add toasted walnuts, sunflower seeds, or pepitas, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
This is so completely right up my alley. I love the feta in here!
Swoon! I love Quinoa – especially any version that includes sauces and fall flavors!
I’m nuts about quinoa, too! I can’t get enough of the stuff! This looks great, and I’ve been thinking about trying quinoa pancakes… maybe with banana. YUM!
totally making this vinaigrette and then probably drinking it with a straw ;)
i love quinoa too Rachel. And can you believe? i only just tried it for the first time earlier this year. so many wonderful comforting fall flavors in this side dish. my sister is obsessed with quinoa (more than me) and she would FLIP for this stuff. :)
This is embarrassing, but Ive only tried quinoa once..Ive had a box sitting in my pantry for months and I haven’t known what to do with it..even though there are about a million and one ways people make use of it! You’ve convinced me to give it another shot…Im good with anything that includes bacon :)
I like the fall flavors here!
Rachel, love all those fall colors!
That dressing with the quinoa looks divine! I’m always afraid to serve my main squeeze quinoa as well, hearing him try to pronounce it is even better!
Haha! Ben says “Ken–waa”
This is such a perfect fall salad – I really love the combination of sweet and tart and salty. So delicious!