Quinoa and Pumpkin Salad

This Quinoa and Pumpkin Salad is wholesome, delicious and makes a fantastic lunch or dinner. It’s also a great salad for anyone who preps their meals as it stores well in the fridge.

All the different textures and flavours in this salad are the reason why it’s so tasty. The soft and sweet pumpkin, the crunchy quinoa and pumpkin seeds, the lightly sour pickled shallots and mustard dressing, the fresh mint and the earthy, chewy kale work really well together.

While there are a few different ingredients and steps involved in this salad it actually is pretty simple to assemble. For example, you can cook the quinoa and pickle the shallots while the pumpkin is roasting in the oven. In this recipe, combining tasks will save you a lot of time.

The salad tastes lovely both warm and cold. However, I recommend adding the dressing at a later time (just before serving) if you don’t eat it straight away. Additionally, I’d only add the mint leaves once the salad is completely cold if you’re keeping it as meal prep in the fridge.

If you’re looking for more delicious meal prep ideas, make sure to also check out these recipes:

• Barley and Broccoli Salad with Tahini Dressing
• Roasted Carrot and Lentil Salad
• Black Rice Salad

I hope you enjoy this Quinoa and Pumpkin Salad. Please let me know how you go in the comments and don’t forget to tag me @nothangryanymore in your creations on Instagram. I love seeing them!

Annick

Quinoa and Pumpkin Salad

Annick

A delicious and wholesome salad. Perfect for lunch, dinner and meal prep.

5 from 4 votes

(Click on the stars to vote!)

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Lunch, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine modern, vegan

Servings 4 people

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

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Roasted Pumpkin

• 700 g Kent Pumpkin
• 1/2 tbsp neutral oil (e.g. canola, rice bran, sunflower)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 pinch salt

Crispy Pumpkin Seeds

• 20 g pumpkin seeds

Pickled Shallots

• 20 g sugar
• 40 g apple cider vinegar
• 60 g water
• 1/2 tsp peppercorns
• 1 shallot

Quinoa

• 150 g quinoa
• 200 g water
• 1 pinch salt

Kale

• 100 g kale
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Mint

• 1 handful mint leaves

Dressing

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

Roasted Pumpkin and Crispy Pumpkin Seeds

• Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.
• Clean the pumpkin skin, cut off any dry sides and take out any seeds.
• Cut the pumpkin into large chunks (with the skin on) and put the chunks into a bowl.
• Add the neutral oil, ground cumin, smoked paprika, maple syrup and salt to the pumpkin. Thoroughly mix everything until the pumpkin is coated with seasoning.
• Transfer the pumpkin chunks onto a tray lined with a silicon mat or baking paper.
• Roast the pumpkin for 30 minutes at 180°C fan.
• After 20 minutes, add the pumpkin seeds onto the same tray and toast for the last 10 minutes of the pumpkin chunks' roasting time.

Pickled Shallots

• Once the pumpkin is in the oven, thinly slice the shallot and add the slices to a heat-proof jar or bowl.
• Add the sugar, vinegar, water and peppercorn into a saucepan and bring the to the boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, pour the mixture on top of the shallots and let them pickle until the rest of the salad is ready.

Quinoa

• Rinse out the saucepan that was used for the shallots.
• Rinse the quinoa and then add it to the saucepan. Add the water and salt.
• Cook the quinoa on medium heat for about 10 minutes until the seeds expand in size. Then, turn off the heat, put a lid on the pan and let the quinoa steam for 5 minutes.

Kale

• While the quinoa is cooking, wash the kale, remove the leaves from the stalk and add the kale leaves to a bowl.
• Add the olive oil to the bowl and massage the kale for a few minutes until it starts to soften.

Dressing

• Mix the olive oil, mustard and vinegar in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Assembly

• Add the quinoa onto the bottom of the plate. Then, add the roasted pumpkin chunks and kale. Now, add some pickled shallots, crispy pumpkin seeds and mint leaves before pouring over the dressing. Enjoy!

Keyword kale, mint, mustard, pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, salad, shallots

Nutrition Facts

Quinoa and Pumpkin Salad

Amount Per Serving (300 g)

Calories 227 Calories from Fat 85

% Daily Value*

Fat 9.4g14%

Saturated Fat 1.3g8%

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3.1g

Monounsaturated Fat 4.5g

Cholesterol 0mg0%

Sodium 220mg10%

Potassium 704mg20%

Carbohydrates 31.3g10%

Fiber 6.3g26%

Sugar 6.6g7%

Protein 6.6g13%

Vitamin A 4752IU95%

Vitamin C 32.4mg39%

Calcium 116mg12%

Iron 3.1mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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