Maple Roasted Kabocha Squash & Quinoa Salad
Light, fluffy quinoa is combined with roasted kabocha squash, pomegranate seeds, fresh herbs, crunchy pistachio seeds and a sweet maple dressing. Gluten Free. Vegan.
We are all about simple ingredient lists and simple recipes around here on MPOF. Why? Because we like to try and keep our meals to under $4 a piece and we also don't like to spend a lot of time prepping on Sunday with lengthy recipes. Family time is much more important!
This simple salad is made of just a few items that you probably have on hand or could swap with something you do! Quinoa, kabocha squash (can sub with butternut or acorn squash), maple syrup, olive oil, salt, pepper, pomegranate seeds (can sub dried cranberries) and pistachios (almonds would work great!) Don't you just love the versatility in this recipe! Such a win!
This recipe can work as a stand-alone meal especially for our vegetarian and vegan friends or you can serve it as a side dish to your favorite protein such as chicken or fish. We added some diced chicken one day and it was LEGIT!
Maple Roasted Kabocha Squash & Quinoa Salad Ingredients:
For The Roasted Kabocha
1 medium kabocha squash (about 2lbs.), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoon real maple syrup
½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For The Quinoa Salad
1 batch maple roasted kabocha, as listed above
1 cup Quinoa
2 cups vegetable stock
½ cup pomegranate seeds
⅓ cup Chopped Italian Parsley
⅓ cup Thinly Sliced Scallions
½ cup pistachios
Salt and Pepper
Ingredients
For The Kabocha Squash
- 1 medium kabocha peeled and cut into cubes (about 2lbs)
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Pepper
- 1 cuop quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup pistachios
- ⅓ cup italian parsley chopped
- ⅓ cup Scallions chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 batch maple roasted kabocha squash
Instructions
For The Kabocha Squash
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Scatter the cubed squash on a large baking sheet and toss it with all of the ingredients until well-coated. Roast for 20 minutes, flip the pieces over with a spatula, and continue to roast for another 10-15 minutes, until the squash is soft and slightly browned with some caramelized spots.
For The Quinoa
- While the squash is cooking, add the quinoa and vegetable stock to a pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and cover the pan; cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid. Take the pan off the heat and allow the quinoa to rest for 5 minutes covered. Fluff with a fork.
- When squash is done, add to the pot with the quinoa and then add in pomerganate seeds, pistachios, herbs, salt & pepper. Gently toss. Enjoy right awar or divide into individual containers.
I love kabocha and quinoa! What a beautiful dish Sarah!
Ahhhh! Thank you so much, Wendy! And thank you for stopping by here!
This is the first time I have cooked kobocha squash so would have liked a measure for the amount. medium? Not a clue on small, medium, large. I didn't have pomegranate seeds so used cranberries in their place (craisins). Honestly this is a delicious meal! Thank you so much!
Diane - Thank you for your feedback! Just added an approximate weight to the recipe. Because you will discard the skin and seeds, a medium Kabocha squash will be about 3lbs in the store. =)