Quinoa Salad with Roasted Squash, Caramelized Onions and Wilted Spinach

This easy, gluten-free and vegetarian salad is warming, hearty and the best mix of textures and flavors! Festive, flavorful, and delicious warm or cold, it pairs with everything and is equally perfect for a holiday table or meal prep!

Winter Quinoa Salad gluten free squash warm #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com
Quinoa Salad with Roasted Squash, Caramelized Onions and Wilted Spinach

Savory, Satisfying and Delish!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclaimer.

This is the first salad I make when craving Fall flavors and this salad is everything!

It’s such a delicious mix of flavors and textures, and it’s easy to make.

Perfect for a weekday meal, meal prep or the holidays!

New! I added a cooking video to this page so you could see just how simple it is to make this gluten-free Quinoa Salad with Roasted Squash, Caramelized Onions and Wilted Spinach.

If you’re new to this website, at the bottom of every recipe page is a printable recipe with exact measurements and directions.

roasted squash winter quinoa salad gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

Original post…

This simple salad is a winter upgrade of our Autumn Quinoa Salad and is sooooo perfect right now.

Even in the cold weather (and we are definitely in a cold snap right now!), we love a good salad.  Only now, we are loving heartier and warmer salads.

This Quinoa Salad is warming and cozy but still fresh tasting!

Just 7 ingredients plus an olive oil/ lemon juice dressing, this salad is easy to prep but still packed with different flavors & textures and DELISH!

It’s simply cooked quinoa, caramelized onions, roasted butternut squash (substitute sweet potatoes if you don’t have squash), fresh baby spinach, dried cranberries, salted cashews and fresh sage all tossed with a little EVOO and lemon juice.

 Quinoa Salad gluten free squash warm #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

It’s the best flavor combo!

The caramelized onions, roasted squash and wilted spinach give the best warming flavors and pair perfectly with the brighter lemon juice and tart cranberries, while the salted cashews provide just a little crunch.

Delicious warm or room temp, this Quinoa Salad is a versatile dish working equally well alongside other roasted veggies or grilled protein or even with the addition of feta or goat cheese.

And this recipe makes a large quantity, making it perfect for a crowd or for dinner, lunch and meal prep.

Quinoa Salad sweet potato caramelized onions gluten free squash warm #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

 

All you need to make it is:

quinoa

2 onions

cubed butternut squash or sweet potato

fresh baby spinach

salted cashews

dried cranberries

fresh sage

lemons for lemon juice

extra virgin olive oil

and a little salt.

roasted squash winter quinoa salad gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

And it comes together quickly because so much is made at the same time.

After prepping the ingredients, the squash (or sweet potatoes) roasts (for 30 minutes) at the same time that the quinoa cooks (20 minutes) and the onions caramelize (20-25 minutes).

So you can see how the salad comes together quickly.

roasted squash winter quinoa salad gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

After all those are prepared, you just mix it all together with the simple dressing.

Let’s talk about the caramelized onions…

A lot of this salad’s flavor comes from the caramelized onions.

There are lots of ways to caramelize onions but the key is to not rush the cooking, let them cook up slowly.

Onions are naturally high in sugars and when they cook, they soften and get tender, releasing sugars which give them that yummy caramelized flavor as they continue to cook up and brown when you cook them slowly over a medium low heat for about 20-25 minutes.

After they are caramelized, stir in the sage.

roasted squash winter quinoa salad gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.comWhile they slow cook, the quinoa also cooks.

I follow the directions on the package and make the quinoa by combining 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups water and bringing to a boil.

Then reduce to simmer and cover for 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.

Works every time!

roasted squash winter quinoa salad gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

And roast the squash with simply olive oil or neutral oil of choice and some salt.

To make it easy, I usually purchase already cubed butternut squash from the grocery store.

Other times, I use sweet potatoes and just cut them into cubes. Both work great!
roasted squash winter quinoa salad gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

Then when everything is cooked up and still warm we assemble the salad.

Mix the quinoa with the cranberries and simple lemon juice/ olive oil dressing (it’s very light!). There’s not a lot dressing so don’t be surprised… you don’t need a lot here!

The add in the caramelized onions/ sage.

Then we mix in the still warm squash and fresh spinach and gently combine so that the spinach wilts just a little bit.

roasted squash winter quinoa salad gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

Pro Tip: If you don’t get to mix in the spinach while the quinoa and squash are still warm you could saute it for just a few minutes so it start to wilt prior to adding to the salad.

Next top with cashews and enjoy!

Pro tip: if you’re not serving this all at once or using it for meal prep, don’t stir in the cashews until ready to serve. This will help make the salad taste fresher.

 Quinoa Salad sweet potato caramelized onions gluten free squash warm #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

 

Enjoy as is, or even add goat cheese or feta.

Hope you love it as much as we do!

For more hearty salads, click here.

For Thanksgiving Recipes, click here.

PIN it!

Roasted squash caramelized onion winter quinoa salad gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

 

Scroll down for recipe and leave a rating/comment if you make it. We love hearing from you!

Recipe

 

Share on Facebook Pin Recipe Print Recipe Rate this Recipe
4.48 from 36 votes

Winter Quinoa Salad with Roasted Squash, Caramelized Onions and Wilted Spinach

This easy, gluten-free and vegetarian salad is warming and hearty, perfect for cooler days. Delicious warm or cold, it makes a large quantity, keeps well for several days and pairs with everything.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Salads, Sides, Veggies
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan
Keyword: quinoa salad recipe, hearty gluten-free vegetarian salad, gluten-free fall recipes, hearty gluten-free salad, quinoa salad with roasted squash caramelized onions, Fall quinoa salad
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa uncooked
  • 2-3 cups butternut squash cubed
  • kosher salt for sprinkling on squash
  • 2 medium onions thinly sliced into rings (approximately 2 cups)
  • approximately ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup dried cranberries or more to taste could also use dried cherries
  • 2-3 tablespoons EVOO divided plus extra for roasting squash
  • 1-2 tablespoons fresh sage chopped
  • ½ cup salted cashews more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1- 1 1/2 cups packed baby spinach
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Make Quinoa

  • Rinse quinoa
  • In a medium saucepan, add quinoa and 2 cups of water.
  • Bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.

Caramelize Onions

  • Meanwhile, heat 1-2 tablespoon oil to cover the base of a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Add onions, sprinkle with salt and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally until soft and golden brown, approx 20-25 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and stir in sage.
  • Tip: If you're not using a non-stick pan and get the brown crispy parts on the base of the skillet, add a tablespoon or two of water to the pan stir over medium low heat for a minute. The brown parts will "lift" from the pan and you can add them to the quinoa salad at the end for extra flavor if you want.

Roasted Butternut Squash (roast while quinoa cooks and onions caramelize)

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Gently toss cubed squash with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral oil of choice, place in a single layer on baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt.
  • Bake 30 minutes, or until tender with crispy edges.
  • Set aside.

Make Dressing

  • Mix together remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and lemon juice.

Assemble

  • Add cranberries to the dressing and let sit for a minute or two.
  • Add dressing along with cranberries to cooked quinoa and toss to combine.
  • Add onions and sage to the quinoa mixture and toss to combine
  • Add squash and spinach to warm quinoa mixture and gently combine and let spinach wilt from warmth of quinoa and squash. Pro Tip: If quinoa and squash not warm enough, you could saute spinach for 1 minute or two to get it a little wilted.
  • Add in cashews. Pro Tip: if not eating the entire salad at once, hold out some of the cashews and add in when serving. That way they will stay crunchy and salty.
  • Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the extra brown bits from the caramelized onions skillet as desired. Add more lemon juice as desired. Stir well and enjoy!
  • Serve warm or room temperature.
  • Stays well in the refrigerator for several days in a sealed container.
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!

41 thoughts on “Quinoa Salad with Roasted Squash, Caramelized Onions and Wilted Spinach

  1. 5 stars
    Loved the combination of the sweet onions and the sage in there! Such a great combination! Thanks for another great recipe!?

  2. This was delicious! My husband even loved it ? Will definitely make more of your quinoa salads. Thank you for your wonderful recipes!

  3. 4 stars
    This salad is the perfect combination of fall veggie, sweet, savory tastes all in an amazing dish. Will definitely make again!

  4. 5 stars
    This salad is simply YUM! I sent half to college with my son and he loves it too. I used frozen, organic squash because I had it on hand. It saved time, but I will definitely use fresh next time.

  5. 5 stars
    This tastes amazing!! Such an easy recipe and so good even left over. I added sautéed mushrooms to mine and I love the added flavor it gave it.

  6. Omg I love this! Omitted the lemon juice but it was still very good. I cooked the onions, added chicken broth and added the qunioa in the same pot to soak up all those flavors. I will definately be making this again.

  7. This was yummayyyy. I loved the simple dressing! I didn’t have sage on hand, but still an excellent dish

  8. I made this today, followed recipe as written. I thought it was great! Added a heavy dose of pepper at end. Welcome Fall!

  9. 5 stars
    Loved the mix of textures and different tastes ie sweet, salty, tangy, savory. Very good leftover. I made this after Christmas and added some leftover prime rib Will definitely go into my fall/winter rotation

  10. I know i am late to the game, but just made this and is delish, stupendous, amazing!
    Thank you for this recipe!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating