Fall Quinoa Salad

I don’t think it is any secret that I love quinoa. I almost always cook up an entire bag and freeze it for quick and easy meals. If you have an Instant Pot pressure cooker, cooking quinoa is super easy.

Quinoa is so versatile and you can add it to lots of recipes, from breakfast to dinner. 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. You’ll find stuffed peppers, chili, and more at Rachel Cooks, all with quinoa as the main ingredient.

Flavorful Fall quinoa salad

A hearty autumn recipe. This quinoa salad is a perfect recipe for fall. It stars roasted butternut squash, a winter squash that is harvested in late fall. Sweet dried cranberries, crunchy roasted pepitas, briny feta cheese, and bacon … what more could you want?!

Tasty homemade vinaigrette. The easy vinaigrette with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard has fall vibes, too, and can be used with other salads. It’s a cinch to whip up a batch of this dressing.

Can be made ahead. Fall quinoa salad can be made up to a couple of days in advance which makes it perfect for lunchboxes or a quick meal when you get home from work. I usually store the bacon and pepitas separately so they stay crisp.

Plenty of ways to make it your own. This quinoa salad, like most salads, can be tweaked and adapted to your family’s preferences. You can use a different grain, make it vegetarian, add greens, change up the cheese or nuts, and so on. It’s really quite versatile.

Ingredient Notes

• Quinoa: Either white quinoa or tri-color quinoa is fine. You’ll need 1 cup of uncooked quinoa which makes 3 cups of cooked quinoa. It’s easy to make and can be cooked ahead of time. Follow the package directions to cook it. Quinoa should be rinsed with water before cooking to remove a bitter coating.
• Butternut Squash: This bell-shaped winter squash is smooth and light tan on the outside, with dark orange flesh inside. Look for a squash that weighs around 2 pounds. Don’t worry if you can only find larger squash. You can roast the extra and use it for another meal.
• Bacon: I love the flavor that bacon brings to this salad. I usually buy center-cut bacon because it’s a bit leaner. You’ll need about 6 slices.
• Dried Cranberries: Chewy and sweet, dried cranberries provide the perfect textural contrast to the soft squash and quinoa.
• Cheese: The recipe calls for blue cheese but really, any type of cheese works well in this salad. Choose your favorite.
• Roasted Pepitas: If you remove the hard outer shells of pumpkin seeds, what’s left is green seeds called pepitas. Like most nuts and seeds, they taste best when they’re roasted. You can use sunflower seeds, pecans, walnuts, or almonds if you prefer.
• Maple Mustard Vinaigrette: The salad is dressed with a homemade vinaigrette made with olive oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, black pepper, and minced shallot. I love the the fall flavors of this vinaigrette!

How To Make This Fall Quinoa Salad

I usually multi-task when making this salad. While the quinoa cooks, you can roast the squash and cook the bacon in the oven at the same time.

Cook the quinoa. Follow the package directions for cooking the quinoa. It usually takes 30 minutes or less, start to finish.

Prep the squash. Cut the squash in half, from stem to bottom. Scrape out the seeds and use a vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife to remove the outer peeling. Cut the squash into roughly half-inch cubes. In a large mixing bowl, coat the cubed squash with olive oil, and lightly season with salt and pepper.

Roast the squash. Spread the cubed squash on a large rimmed baking sheet, or a sheet pan. Bake in a preheated oven (400°F) for about a half hour, stirring once or twice. The squash should be tender and lightly browned.

Bake the bacon. I love that you can cook the bacon in the oven at the same time as the squash. Arrange the slices on a foil-lined sheet pan and pop them in the oven on a different rack. It will take fifteen to twenty minutes (there’s no need to flip the bacon!). Keep an eye on it towards the end of the baking time so it doesn’t get too done.

Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, cider vinegar, and minced shallot. Add a few grinds of black pepper.

Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, toss together the cooked quinoa, roasted squash, dried cranberries, cheese, and pepitas. You want to use a gentle touch to avoid crushing the squash. Add the vinaigrette and lightly stir until combined.

Serve. The salad can be served right away while still warm. Top it with the crumbled bacon and pepitas. If you prefer, refrigerate the salad until you’re ready to serve it. Add the bacon and pepitas right before you serve it.

Recipe Variations

• Add green power. Mix in finely chopped greens of your choice, like spinach, kale, arugula, and so on.
• Not a fan of dried cranberries? Substitute dried apricots, dried cherries, raisins, or dates. Chopped apples or sliced grapes would be perfect in this salad, too.
• Use a different grain. You can make this salad with fine couscous, farro, brown rice, or another grain of your choice.
• Take a shortcut. Instead making your own vinaigrette, buy a similar dressing.
• More fall salad recipes: Try this similar yet different salad, farro salad with butternut squash. This roasted cauliflower salad with arugula and sweet potato (no grains) is so good, too! We also love this warm kale salad with roasted root vegetables.

Get a head start: Quinoa can be cooked and refrigerated for up to a week. Bacon can be fried ahead of time, too. Try baked bacon. I like to cook a whole package and freeze the extra to add to sandwiches and salads. The butternut squash can be prepped ahead. Peel and cube the squash; refrigerate for up to a week.

Refrigerate: The assembled salad will keep in the fridge for at least 4 days in a covered container. I usually store the bacon and pepitas separately and add them to the salad right before serving so they stay crisp.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

• Cook quinoa according to package directions. One cup of uncooked quinoa will make 3 cups cooked. Cool slightly. You can cook the quinoa a day or two ahead if you want.

  1 cup uncooked quinoa, or 3 cups cooked quinoa

• While quinoa is cooking, preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray a large rimmed sheet pan with nonstick spray. Peel squash (I use a vegetable peeler), cut in half, and scrape out seeds. Cut squash into generous ½ inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups of diced squash.

  1 butternut squash, about 2 lbs.

• In a large bowl, combine the cubed squash, olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Toss until squash is coated with oil. Arrange squash in an even layer on prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring halfway through, until squash is fork tender and lightly browned.

  1 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper

• The bacon can bake in the oven at the same time as the squash. To bake bacon, line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lay strips of bacon on foil in a single layer. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crisp. Watch closely towards the end of cooking time so bacon doesn’t burn. Remove bacon to paper towel-lined plate to drain. When cool, break or cut bacon into bite-sized pieces.

  6 slices center cut bacon, about 6 oz.

• Make vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine olive oil, minced shallots, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and black pepper. Whisk vinaigrette ingredients until combined.

  ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons finely minced shallot, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, or to taste

• In a large mixing bowl, lightly toss together cooked quinoa, roasted squash, bacon, cranberries, cheese, and pepitas; toss. Add vinaigrette, toss lightly to combine.

  ½ cup dried cranberries, ½ cup crumbled blue cheese, ⅓ cup roasted pepitas

• The warm salad can be served immediately, at room temperature, or chilled. Refrigerate until ready to serve. If preparing in advance, store bacon and pepitas separately and add right before serving.

• Cheese: Many types of cheese go well with this salad. We recommend blue cheese, gorgonzola, feta, goat cheese, or smoked gouda (finely diced) but if you have another favorite, feel free to substitute it.
• Make it vegetarian: Omit bacon. If you like, add a can (15.5 oz.) of rinsed and drained garbanzo beans (chickpeas).
• Storage: Refrigerate the salad in a covered container for up to 4 days. For best results, store the bacon and pepitas separately and add them to the salad right before serving, so they stay crisp.

Serving: 1cup, Calories: 334kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.003g, Cholesterol: 6mg, Sodium: 632mg, Potassium: 613mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 12124IU, Vitamin C: 24mg, Calcium: 123mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!