Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

“Quinoa Salad? More like QuinWOW salad!” – direct quote from my husband after he tasted this Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

Besides getting rave reviews from my husband, this Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad has a bright, fresh, clean flavor that just makes me feel good when I’m eating it. The citrus flavors from the dressing, the rich creaminess from the goat cheese, the sweet roasted butternut squash and the freshness of the parsley just combine really beautifully with the earthy quinoa. This dish makes a great side dish, but it’s also really nice in a larger serving for lunch. To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!

Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

I was inspired to make this Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad after visiting the Sabra headquarters last week where their chef made us a quinoa salad with butternut squash. It was incredible, so I couldn’t wait to get home and make my own. I used some different flavors, so it doesn’t taste the same, but I love this one as well! I totally recommend cooking the quinoa ahead of time. I tossed mine into our rice cooker on the white rice setting and it turned out perfect, so if you have a rice cooker that’s recommended!

Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

Looking for more tasty lightened up salads? Check out my Greek Orzo Pasta Salad, Harvest Apple Salad, Hummus Chicken Salad, Doritos Taco Salad, Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad, Cheeseburger Salad, Avocado Chicken Salad, Chicken Souvlaki Salad and more in the Salad section of my recipe index!

Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad
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5 from 2 votes
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Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

This Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad has a bright, fresh, clean flavor with creamy goat cheese and sweet butternut squash!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb cubed uncooked butternut squash, cut into ½” cubes
  • 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • 3 cups cooked quinoa, room temperature (I used a mixture of white and red)
  • 2 oz crumbled goat cheese
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cubed butternut squash in 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with cracked sea salt. Spread the squash onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Pace into the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
  • When the squash has cooled, combine it in a mixing bowl with the quinoa and stir in the goat cheese and parsley.
  • In a small bowl, combine the remaining tablespoon of oil, the orange juice, lemon juice, cider vinegar and honey and stir together until combined. Pour over the quinoa mixture and stir until the salad is evenly coated with the dressing. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Notes

To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
Nutrition Information per (1/2 cup) side dish serving:
125 calories, 18 g carbs, 2 g sugars, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 4 g protein, 2 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com)
MyWW SmartPoints per (1 cup) serving: (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Green: 6 SmartPoints/ Blue: 6 SmartPoints/ Purple: 3 SmartPoints
Weight Watchers Points Plus:
3 per (1/2 cup) side dish serving, 7 per (1 cup) lunch sized serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition information below)