Chipotle Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad
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This Chipotle Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad is the perfect fall meal. Roasted squash, tender quinoa, black beans, kale & a chipotle dressing!
I am so excited to be cooking fall recipes again. I forget how much I love butternut squash until the colder months roll around. It is such a versatile veggie, and it is the star of this Chipotle Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad! You get a little bit of everything in this salad. Quinoa, beans, veggies…and the most delicious chipotle dressing. This can be served at room temperature or chilled and is perfect for meal prepped lunches!
Step One: Roast the Squash
Peeling and cubing a butternut squash can be a little annoying – so if you happen to find it prepped at the grocery store, buy it to cut down on prep time.
But, if you’re like me, and you’re working from scratch, here is what you wanna do. Use a peeler to peel the squash. Cut it in half and remove the seeds with a spoon – just like you would do with a pumpkin.
Cut the squash into bite-sized cubes. Add to a parchment-lined baking sheet with avocado oil & a dry seasoning mix. Toss to coat and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, flipping every 10 minutes. Once fork tender, remove from the oven, add salt if needed, and transfer to a bowl to cool.
Step Two: Make the Quinoa
Making quinoa is super simple, just like making rice. Just be sure to rinse the quinoa thoroughly before adding it to a sauce pan.
Pour over broth (or water) and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, cover the quinoa, lower the heat and simmer for 20-ish minutes. You want the quinoa to be tender and all of the liquid to be absorbed.
Fluff the quinoa when it is done and transfer it to a bowl to cool.
Step Three: Make the Dressing
This dressing is one of my absolute faves. It has tang, sweetness and the perfect kick!
Here is what you need:
- avocado oil – or sub olive oil
- apple cider vinegar
- chipotle pepper
- adobo sauce – from the chipotle can
- garlic
- agave – or sub maple syrup
- cumin
- salt & pepper
Add everything to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. I ended up not needing to add salt to my dressing!
Step Four: Assemble
Now it is time to bring everything together. First we want to massage the kale – this will make it tender, and easier to digest. Just add the chopped kale to a salad bowl and pour over 1/2 of the dressing. Use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale.
Add the chilled quinoa, black beans, red onion & cilantro to the kale. Pour over the rest of the dressing and toss.
Finish off the salad by topping it with the squash. You can gently toss it into the salad, but I think it looks prettier having the squash on top.
You can serve this at room temperature or chilled. Make it ahead of time for easy on-the-go lunches. You are going to want to make this salad once a week. It is healthy, tasty and screams FALL!
Tips & Tricks
The cooking time for the squash will depend on how big you cut the pieces.
If you are sensitive to spice you can cut down the amount of adobo sauce in the dressing.
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Chipotle Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD
- 1 cup quinoa dry
- 2 cups broth I used vegan chicken broth
- 1 medium butternut squash about 4 cups
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- salt to taste
- 2 handfuls kale chopped
- 1 15-ounce can black beans drained & rinsed
- 1/2 red onion sliced
- 1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
FOR THE DRESSING
- 1/2 cup avocado oil or sub olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 chipotle pepper from a can
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the chipotle can
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 1 tablespoon agave or sub maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- salt & pepper to taste
Equipment
- sauce pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Rinse the quinoa and add it to a sauce pan with the broth. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer for 20-ish minutes – or until the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
- Meanwhile, peel the squash, cut it in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Cut the squash into bite-sized cubes. Add to the prepared baking sheet with the oil & dry seasonings. Toss to coat and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, flipping every 10 minutes. Once fork tender, remove from the oven, add salt if needed, and transfer to a bowl to cool.
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- To assemble, add the kale to a a large bowl and pour over 1/2 of the dressing. Use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale. Add the quinoa, black beans, red onion & cilantro to the kale. Pour over the rest of the dressing and toss. Top with the squash. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Video
Notes
- The cooking time for the squash will depend on how big you cut the pieces.
- If you are sensitive to spice you can cut down the amount of adobo sauce in the dressing.
The seasonings, the dressing, roasted squash…everything about this is so flavorful!! It does take a little while to make, but if you can do it on a weekend, it will be well worth it. We enjoyed it one evening for dinner and then my husband and I both took it to work the next couple of days for lunch. Delicious!
Love leftovers for lunch! So glad you both loved it!
This was delicious! Especially loved the dressing. The squash was so good that roasted potatoes and onions joined the party! Just enough kick from the chipotle to balance the sweetness.
So glad you liked it Sally!
Everyone in my family lived this! So much the high schoolers want to take it to school for lunch this week!
Wooooo! That sounds like a win to me!