Looking for savory pumpkin recipes? You have to try this delicious Roasted Pumpkin Quinoa Salad! This gorgeous fall salad is easy to make and bursting with flavorful ingredients, like tangy feta cheese, peppery arugula, and zingy pickled onions. You're going to love the warm, autumnal flavors!
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ginnie's Take
I love hearty, grain-based salads. They're perfect for a light lunch or dinner, they make a tasty side dish, and they're easy to customize with seasonal ingredients. This Roasted Pumpkin Quinoa Salad is a recent favorite that I know you're going to love! It's beautiful (perfect for the holidays), easy to make, and the vibrant autumn flavors are absolutely mouthwatering.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Delicious - This colorful salad is loaded with mouthwatering flavors and textures: roasted pumpkin, tangy feta cheese and pickled onions, crunchy pumpkin seeds, tender quinoa, and peppery arugula. So delish!
- Easy to Make - The salad is simple to prepare, and while it has a few steps, a number of them (like roasting the pumpkin and cooking the quinoa) are mostly hands off.
- Customizable - You can easily customize this salad according to your tastes (or what's in your pantry). And you'll find lots of tasty ideas below!
Jump to:
Ingredients
This fall salad recipe is made with easy to find ingredients! Here's what you'll need:
- Pumpkin - You'll need some pumpkin, of course. For this recipe, you want to use a sugar (or pie) pumpkin (not a larger jack-o'-lantern style pumpkin). They have a better flavor and texture for cooking. The pumpkin is mixed with extra virgin olive oil, cumin, cinnamon, and ginger before roasting.
- Quinoa - Grab some quinoa, too. Quinoa is a seed, but it's used like a grain, and it's a good source of protein and fiber.
- Cheese - This recipe calls feta cheese, which pairs really well with the pumpkin (and other ingredients).
- Pickled Onions - You'll make some Quick Pickled Onions, which are super simple to prepare with a red onion, white wine vinegar (other types work, too), sugar, and salt.
- Pumpkin Seeds - The salad is tossed with pepitas, a green pumpkin seed that has no hull. Sunflower seeds, or nuts (such as walnuts or pecans) make a great substitute.
- Greens - Peppery arugula pairs perfectly with the hearty roasted squash and cooked quinoa.
- Herbs - Chopped parsley and mint give the salad a wonderful fresh, herbaceous flavor.
- Dressing - You'll make a homemade Citronette salad dressing with fresh lemon, olive oil, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and shallots. It's so good, plus really quick and easy to prepare!
This recipe is naturally vegetarian, nut free, and gluten free! You can easily adapt it to other diets, too. Check out the Variations section below for tips.
You'll Also Need
You'll need a sharp knife and a vegetable peeler for the pumpkin, along with a baking sheet to roast it (these sheet pans are my fave). You'll also need a small pot to cook the quinoa, a mason jar (or small bowl) to prep the dressing, and a large bowl to mix everything together.
How to Make Quinoa Pumpkin Salad
This beautiful Roasted Pumpkin Salad has a few steps, but each one is easy! You'll find a detailed recipe card below, but here's an overview of the steps:
- Make the pickled onions. Combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a jar. Microwave until hot, the add a sliced red onion. Set aside for later.
- Cook the quinoa. Next, you'll cook the quinoa in salted water until tender. Once it's done cooking, let it cool slightly before mixing with the other ingredients.
- Roast the pumpkin. While the quinoa cooks, toss the chopped pumpkin with the spices, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then you'll roast it until tender and lightly browned. Tip: When prepping the pumpkin, save the seeds to make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!
- Prepare the dressing. While the other ingredients cook, make the dressing. You'll combine the fresh lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, shallots, salt, and pepper in a mason jar, then shake until the dressing is emulsified (it should look thick and creamy). Tip: If you don't have a mason jar, you can whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl instead.
- Mix the ingredients. When the quinoa and pumpkin are ready, add them to a large bowl, along with the feta, some of the onions, pepitas, parsley, and mint. Stir everything together, then season to taste.
- Add the arugula. Gently toss the arugula with the other ingredients just before serving.
Alright, time to dig into your scrumptious Pumpkin Quinoa Salad! Doesn't it look delicious?
Variations
This Pumpkin, Feta, and Quinoa Salad is super easy to customize! Here are a few ideas to try:
- Pumpkin - Substitute winter squash (such as butternut or delicata) for the pumpkin.
- Cheese - Replace the feta with goat cheese, blue cheese, or fried halloumi.
- Onions - Use fresh red onions or green onions instead of the pickled onions.
- Quinoa - Swap out the quinoa for other grains, like brown rice, farro, bulgur, wheat berries, millet, or freekeh. Couscous would also be delish!
- Greens - Replace the arugula with other tender greens (such as baby kale or spring greens), or mix the salad with heartier massaged kale.
- Seeds + Nuts - Sub sunflower seeds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, almonds, or other nuts for the pumpkin seeds.
- Dressing - Toss the salad with this Lemon Honey Dressing, Lemon and Olive Oil Vinaigrette, or this Maple Syrup Vinaigrette instead of the Citronette.
- Vegan + Dairy Free - Skip the cheese (or use a plant based substitute) to make the salad vegan and dairy free.
Serving Suggestions
This Roasted Pumpkin Salad makes a great light lunch or dinner. Serve the salad on its own, or pair it with homemade Garlic Bread, soup (like this Broccoli Stalk Soup, Instant Pot Potato Soup, or Kale and Chickpea Soup), and / or a sandwich (such as this Broccoli Rabe Grilled Cheese or these Halloumi Wraps).
With its vibrant colors and autumnal ingredients, this salad is an excellent side dish for fall feasts and special occasions, like Thanksgiving or Christmas! Serve it with an impressive main course (try this Veggie Wellington or these Mushroom Strudels), and a few sides (like these Squash Mashed Potatoes, Pomegranate Brussels Sprouts, Sourdough Bread Stuffing, and this Cranberry Relish).
Storage
The arugula will start to wilt once it's tossed with the other ingredients, so this Quinoa and Roast Pumpkin Salad is best freshly made. However, if you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container for up to three days (pick out any wilted greens, as necessary).
If you'd like to prepare the recipe in advance, you have a couple options. You can prep the separate components (quinoa, pumpkin, onions, and dressing), then toss everything together just before eating. Or you can mix everything together except for the arugula, then add the arugula when you're ready to serve the salad.
Related Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, try my Pumpkin Couscous Salad and this Kale, Quinoa, and Sweet Potato Salad next! And you'll love these hearty salads, too:
- This Quinoa Arugula Salad is super simple to make and so delicious.
- You won't be able to resist this unique Kale, Apple, and Pumpkin Seed Salad!
- Serve this delightful Fall Harvest Salad all season long.
- This easy Kale Cranberry Salad makes a wonderful side for any autumn or winter meal!
- Make this tasty Roasted Veggie and Wheat Berry Salad the next time you're craving something healthy and hearty.
- This filling Winter Kale and Freekeh Salad is loaded with veggies and nutritious whole grains!
- Pair this flavorful Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with all your fall and holiday meals.
P.S. Check out all of my pumpkin and quinoa recipes for more dinner inspiration!
Pumpkin Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
For Pickled Onions:
- ½ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
For Quinoa:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For Pumpkin:
- 1 (2 pound / 907 gram) pie pumpkin, peeled and chopped (about 6 cups)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
For Dressing:
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- ¼ cup finely diced shallot
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
For Salad:
- 4 ounces (113 grams) feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons pepitas
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 4 cups arugula
- kosher salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
Prepare Pickled Onions:
- Combine vinegar, sugar, and salt in a mason jar (or medium bowl).
- Microwave for 45 to 60 seconds, or until hot. Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Add onions to jar (or bowl), then press down to submerge in liquid. Cover and set aside.
Prepare Quinoa:
- Combine quinoa, 2 cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium pot over high heat.
- Bring to a boil, then cover pot and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 to 18 minutes, or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender.
- Remove from heat, then fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool slightly before using.
Prepare Roasted Pumpkin:
- Once quinoa starts cooking, place chopped pumpkin on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with cumin, cinnamon, and ginger. Season generously with salt and a few grinds pepper. Mix well.
- Roast pumpkin for 40 minutes (or until browned and tender), flipping halfway through. Set aside to cool slightly.
Prepare Dressing:
- Combine olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, maple syrup, mustard, salt, and pepper in a mason jar (or small bowl).
- Cover jar, then shake ingredients together (or whisk, if using a bowl) until the dressing is thickened and looks creamy.
Assemble Salad:
- Add ½ cup pickled onions (drained), quinoa, pumpkin, feta, pepitas, parsley, and mint in a large bowl.
- Drizzle ½ the dressing over the salad, then mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add extra dressing, if desired (you will have leftovers).
- Gently mix in arugula, then serve. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
