This Cranberry Quinoa Salad with pomegranate, feta, kale and butternut squash is a gorgeous, vibrant and healthy side dish to serve at any occasion, but is especially appropriate for Fall & Winter! Make it in advance to allow all of the flavours to intensify! {Gluten-free, Vegetarian & Nut-free}
When it comes to food, one of my favourite types of salads are the ones that are filled with vibrant, refreshing and colourful fruits and vegetables. A prime example is this quinoa salad with cranberries, pomegranate, kale and butternut squash.
I mean, look at those colours. It’s like happiness in a bowl!
The sweet burst of flavour from the cranberries and pomegranate, in addition to the saltiness of the feta, crunch of the pumpkin seeds, fluffy quinoa and tangy orange salad dressing equates to one delicious and nutrient packed quinoa salad recipe that tastes better the longer that it sits.
It’s the perfect winter or fall quinoa salad to make use of all of that seasonal produce and it’s super versatile so it can be served up warm or cold!
It really can’t get much better than that!
For more quinoa salad recipes, be sure to try out this Greek Quinoa Salad and Mexican Quinoa Salad!
Why we love this quinoa salad with pomegranate and feta
- Loaded with nutrients: When it comes to fruits and veggies, generally the more rich in colour they are, the more nutrients they contain! There’s no shortage of colour or nutrients in this salad. A great way to get in some extra vitamin A, C, fibre and antioxidants!
- Great for meal prep: This salad makes up a large batch so it’s perfect for eating throughout the week since it tastes better the longer that it sits. It takes a bit of time to prep, but once it’s done, you can eat it all week long. Such a delicious lunch or side!
- Perfect for entertaining: This quinoa salad has a beautiful presentation, so it’s ideal for serving to guests or making for potlucks. Plus you can make it in advance and serve it cold so you don’t have to worry about reheating!
Ingredient notes
- Quinoa: Forms the base of the salad. Rinse the quinoa well before cooking to reduce any bitterness. You can also sub in couscous.
- Broth: Adds some additional flavour to the quinoa while it’s cooking. Use a low sodium or no salt added vegetable or chicken broth.
- Pomegranate: Adds a splash of colour and sweetness. Purchase the seeds already removed from the pomegranate to save time or buy a whole pomegranate and take the seeds out yourself (see below for tips).
- Squash: The butternut squash is roasted and caramelized before being added to the salad. Purchase pre-diced butternut squash or chop it up yourself. You can also sub in sweet potato if desired.
- Kale: Be sure to remove the tough stems before chopping the kale up finely into small bite-sized pieces. We don’t want large pieces of kale throughout the salad.
- Dried cranberries: For a pop of sweetness. Look for dried cranberries that are naturally sweetened with no added sugar for a healthier option.
- Feta Cheese: Adds a slight saltiness to the salad to compliment the sweet and savoury flavours. Use light or full fat crumbled feta cheese. You can also sub in goat cheese or leave it out all together.
- Pumpkin Seeds: For some crunch. Use unsalted pumpkin seeds or sub in sunflower seeds or nuts of choice. Slivered almonds or walnuts would also work well.
For the orange salad dressing:
- Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for the base of the dressing.
- Apple cider vinegar: Adds a slight tanginess to the dressing. Use the one with the mother for the most health benefits.
- Maple syrup: Use 100% pure maple syrup or sub in honey.
- Orange juice concentrate: Adds some extra sweetness and a slight citrus flavour. You can typically find orange juice concentrate in small cans where the frozen juice is.
Step by step instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the diced squash on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast squash for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until soft and tender when pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, cook quinoa in broth according to package directions.
- While the squash and quinoa are cooking, combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl or jar and whisk until well combined
- Place kale in a large bowl and pour on half the dressing. Massage leaves for about 2-3 minutes until softened. Next add cooked quinoa, squash, pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, and feta cheese and mix until ingredients are equally distributed.
- Pour remaining dressing over the salad and mix until evenly distributed.
- Place salad in fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow flavours to come together.
Recipe Notes:
- To save time, make the quinoa in advance and purchase the pomegranate seeds that have already been removed from the pomegranate. You can usually find these in the produce department in most grocery stores. You can often also purchase pre-diced butternut squash to save time chopping.
- Be sure to massage the leaves of the kale well with the dressing prior to adding the other salad ingredients. This helps to reduce the bitterness and toughness of the kale.
- I recommend letting the salad sit with the dressing on for at least half an hour (or longer) before serving to allow some time for all of the flavours to meld together. It’s one of those types of salads where the longer it sits, the better it tastes.
- It’s perfect for serving to company because you can make it well in advance. One less thing to worry about when the guests arrive. Plus, as we said before. It’s super pretty.
How to store quinoa salad
You can store this salad in a bowl covered or in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to four days.
Recipe FAQs
You can freeze cooked quinoa, but not the entire quinoa salad as the ingredients wouldn’t taste very good once thawed.
To freeze the cooked quinoa, allow it to cool completely. Next, transfer it into freezer safe containers or ziploc bags. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the quinoa in the fridge for 24 hours before using it.
Yes! In fact, I find that quinoa salad typically tastes better when made in advance and is left to sit overnight in the fridge. That way the quinoa has time to absorb all of those delicious flavours!
Some quinoa salads are more nutritious than others — it all depends which ingredients go into the salad. Due to all of the vibrant fruits and veggies, this quinoa salad in particular is definitely a nutrient loaded salad. See the full nutritional breakdown below!
Butternut squash
- Rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Magnesium, Potassium
- Low on the glycemic index which equates to more stable blood sugar levels
- Contains compounds known as beta-carotene and lutein which are classified as flavonoids that may help to protect human cells from the damaging effects of oxygen. Flavonoids have been researched extensively for their possible role in affecting or inhibiting cancer cell growth.
Kale
- Source of fibre which is helpful for managing blood sugar levels and keeping you feeling full for longer
- Rich in vitamins A, C, K and folate, which is important for the central nervous system
- Source of phosphorus, potassium, calcium and zinc
- Kale gets its dark green pigment from lutein and zeaxanthin, which can help protect against macular degeneration and cateracts.
Pomegranate
- Excellent source of fibre
- Rich in vitamins C and K
- Good source of folate, potassium and copper
- Pomegranates also contain antioxidants called polyphenols. Polyphenols are a type of antioxidant known to combat unstable molecules that can cause damage to your cells and DNA over time. These harmful molecules are called free radicals. There are a variety of polyphenol antioxidants in every pomegranate. The gorgeous red hued arils contain anthocyanins which are especially beneficial for a healthier brain and heart.
Couple these vibrant fruits and veggies with some fibre-packed quinoa, and pumpkin seeds which are a source of healthy fats, zinc and vitamin E, and you’ve got one nutrient-rich salad. Particularly helpful for boosting immunity especially at this time of year during cold and flu season.
See why I love these colourful salads so much?
Expert Tips: How to Remove Pomegranate Seeds
Method #1 (the messier method):
- Using a knife, cut the pomegranate in half across the equator.
- Next, use your knife to make small cuts in the white part of each pomegranate half (also known as the membrane).
- Get a large bowl. Using a sturdy spoon to hit the back of the pomegranate half several times over the bowl. The seeds will fall out into the bowl. Turn the pomegranate and repeat until all the seeds are extracted.
Method #2 (the less messy preferred method):
- Follow steps 1 and 2 from above.
- Once you’ve made cuts in the membrane, submerge the scored pomegranate half in a bowl of water and gently pry it apart into sections.
- With your hands and pomegranate half in the water, gently pry the seeds out of the membrane. The seeds should sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane should float to the surface.
- Throw away the membrane and strain the remaining seeds. Place the seeds on a paper towel and pat dry. Once you’ve removed the seeds, they can be placed in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
What to pair with quinoa salad
Quinoa salad pairs well with really any type of protein, but is especially nice with turkey, chicken, pork loin, sausage or salmon.
Or make it plant-based by leaving out the feta and adding lentils or chickpeas!
This quinoa pomegranate salad tastes especially good paired with the following recipes:
- Grilled or roasted chicken (marinated in one of these healthy chicken marinades)
- Mini Turkey Meatloaf Muffins
- Cranberry Party Meatballs
- Cranberry and Pistachio Stuffed Turkey Breast
- Dijon Mustard Salmon with Walnuts
This recipe is very flexible since you can serve it cold, room temperature or as a warm quinoa salad.
Recipe variations
- Make it vegan: Leave out the feta.
- Swap out the grains: Use couscous instead of quinoa.
- Add more protein: Add diced chicken, turkey, lentils or chickpeas.
- Different veggies: Swap out the butternut squash for sweet potatoes and the kale for baby spinach.
More similar recipes
- Healthy Squash Casserole
- Spinach Orange Salad with Pomegranates & Almonds
- Kale Salad with Cranberries
- Kale Avocado Salad with Blueberries and Feta
- Roasted Beet & Carrot Kale Salad
- Blueberry Mandarin Broccoli Salad
- No-Mayo Broccoli Apple Salad
- Christmas Wreath Salad
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Quinoa Salad with Cranberries, Pomegranate & Butternut Squash
Ingredients
For the quinoa salad:
- 1 small butternut squash cubed into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups diced butternut squash)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1 cup dry uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups no salt added vegetable broth
- 4 cups chopped kale leaves
- 3/4 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
For the orange salad dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate slightly thawed
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the diced squash on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Roast squash for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until soft and tender when pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, cook quinoa in broth according to package directions.
- While the squash and quinoa are cooking, combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl or jar and whisk until well combined.
- Place kale in a large bowl and pour on half the dressing. Massage leaves for about 2-3 minutes until softened.
- Next add cooked quinoa, squash, pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds and feta cheese and mix until ingredients are equally distributed.
- Pour remaining dressing over the salad and mix until evenly distributed.
- Place salad in fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow flavours to come together.
Notes
- To save time, prepare the quinoa in advance and purchase the pomegranate seeds that have already been removed from the pomegranate. You can usually find these in the produce department in most grocery stores. You can often also purchase pre-diced butternut squash if you want to save time chopping.
- Be sure to massage the leaves of the kale well with the dressing prior to adding the other salad ingredients. This helps to reduce the bitterness and toughness of the kale.
- I recommend letting the salad sit with the dressing on for at least half an hour (or longer) before serving to allow some time for all of the flavours to meld together. It’s one of those types of salads where the longer it sits, the better it tastes.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted October 2018 and was updated December 2021 to include better tips and photos.
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