Pumpkin, Beetroot And Quinoa Salad Recipe

If you’ve made a commitment to healthy eating, ensuring you have a lot of variety in your diet can help you stick to your goals in the long term.

Eating different fruits and vegetables can keep your meals interesting as well as ensuring you’re getting the micronutrients your body needs to function at its best. 

This salad is suitable for a vegetarian or vegan diet and is packed with colourful, wholesome ingredients and flavour. No matter your dietary preferences, making vegetables the star of your meals is a great way to boost your nutritional intake — try this salad recipe today!

Pumpkin, Beetroot And Quinoa Salad Recipe

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 small beetroot

• Oil spray 

• Sea salt

• Ground pepper

• 120g (4oz) pumpkin

• 120g (4oz) quinoa

• 1 large orange

• 2tsp dijon mustard

• 300g (10.5 oz) tinned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

• 80g (3 oz) of dairy or non-dairy cheese grated or crumbled

• Handful chopped fresh parsley 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan-forced) and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Place the beetroot wedges on the lined baking tray and spray lightly with oil spray. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, add the pumpkin and spray lightly with oil spray. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Bake in the oven for a further 15-20 minutes or until the beetroot is tender and the pumpkin is soft and lightly browned, turning with tongs halfway through. Set aside to cool.

4. To cook the quinoa, bring the quinoa and 400ml water to the boil in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10-12 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. To save time, the quinoa can be cooked the night before and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

5. Peel the orange over a small bowl to catch the juice. Cut the orange into segments and set aside.

6. To make the dressing, squeeze the remaining orange membrane over the small bowl to extract any extra juice. Add the mustard and 2 tsp of water and whisk until well combined.

7. Add the beetroot, pumpkin, quinoa, chickpeas, orange segments, cheese and parsley to a mixing bowl. Drizzle over the dressing and toss gently to combine.

8. To serve, place the pumpkin, beetroot and quinoa salad on a serving plate. Enjoy!

Prepare this salad ahead of time for busy days 

The pumpkin, beetroot and quinoa can all be cooked ahead of time if you’re a fan of meal preparation and then combined with the rest of the ingredients when you’re ready to eat.

You can also try adding your own garnish — this salad is great with a small handful of chopped walnuts or currants if you want to mix things up.

If you like dishes with pumpkin, try our recipe for Healthy Roasted Vegetable Pizza — it’s simple to make, and so delicious!