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Quinoa Salad with Butternut Squash, Dried Cranberries & Pepitas
5 from 15 votes

Quinoa Salad with Butternut Squash, Dried Cranberries & Pepitas

This quinoa salad combines roasted butternut squash cubes with dried cranberries and crunchy pepitas for a balanced texture and mildly sweet flavor profile. The citrus honey dressing adds brightness and a touch of acidity, complementing the naturally sweet roasted squash. This dish serves well as a hearty side salad or a light vegetarian main, especially suitable for seasonal fall meals when butternut squash is at its best.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American, Vegetarian, gluten-free

Ingredients

For the salad:
  • 1 butternut squash peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
  • olive oil
  • black pepper for seasoning squash, freshly ground
  • salt for seasoning squash, freshly ground
  • 2 cups quinoa
  • 4 cups water
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup Pepitas
For the Citrus Honey Dressing:
  • orange juice of 3 large
  • orange zest of 1 large
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • black pepper to taste, freshly ground
  • salt to taste, freshly ground

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place butternut squash on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss until squash is well coated. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the squash for 30 minutes, turning once, until tender.
  2. While the butternut squash is roasting, cook the quinoa. Add quinoa, water, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let cool quinoa cool to room temperature.
  3.  In a large bowl, combine quinoa, butternut squash, dried cranberries, and pepitas. In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, zest, olive oil, and honey. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle over quinoa salad. Toss until ingredients are well dressed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  4. Note-you can use agave or maple syrup instead of the honey to make a vegan salad.