Butternut Apple Cranberry Quinoa Salad

Sometimes the holidays call for new twists on family favorites or trying completely new dishes – and we’re sharing a great one today with this butternut apple cranberry quinoa salad made as part of a campaign that has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RecipeTwist #CollectiveBias
A dish can’t get much more full of fall harvest flavors than this quinoa salad made with butternut squash, apple, cranberries, and pecans! SUPER yum! I’ve been responsible for many holiday side dishes over the years and I love to change it up. I’m particularly fond of quinoa and thought its slightly nutty flavor would be perfect for a holiday side dish! Plus, I love that the colors in it are perfect for Thanksgiving! When making quinoa, I almost always cook it in broth. I used Swanson Chicken Natural Goodness 100% Fat Free No MSG Broth (I love that it has no MSG) to really help enhance the flavor of the quinoa! You don’t even need water – just cook it in 100% chicken broth! While the quinoa cooks in the chicken broth, you can roast up the squash (and then add the apples). Then you’ll toss everything together in a large serving bowl. All the flavors combine together for a salad that’s got a hint of both savory and sweet! YUM!

Here’s the recipe:

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5 from 1 vote

Butternut Apple Cranberry Quinoa Salad

This quinoa salad is bursting with fall flavors, perfect for Thanksgiving or any fall meal.

Course: Side

Servings: 6 -8

Author: Sara @ Mom Endeavors

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Ingredients

• 1 small/medium butternut squash peeled & cubed into bite-sized chunks
• 1/2 medium sweet onion diced
• 2 small Honeycrisp apples diced
• 1 Cup Quinoa
• 2 Cups Swanson Chicken Broth
• 1/2 dried cranberries
• 1/2 pecans chopped
• 4 TBSP butter melted
• 4 TBSP Pure Maple Syrup
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ginger
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Rinse, peel, de-seed, and cube the butternut squash. Dice the onion. Spread cubes & onion on a foil-lined baking sheet.
• In a small bowl, combine melted butter, 2 TBSP maple syrup and 1 tsp cinnamon. Brush that mixture over the squash and onions. Sprinkle with a bit of salt & pepper if desired. Roast for about 25 minutes.
• While the squash is roasting, cook quinoa according to package directions (using the chicken broth instead of water).
• Dice the apples and once the squash has cooked for about 15 minutes, add the apples to the squash & onions (the house will smell amazing at this point) and return to the oven.
• While everything cooks, chop up the pecans and prepare the dressing.
• In a bowl, combine olive oil, the rest of the maple syrup, vinegar cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger (along with a pinch of salt & pepper). Stir until well combined and set aside to use as a dressing.
• To assemble the salad, combine the quinoa, squash, onions, apples, cranberries, and pecans in a serving bowl. Toss with the prepared dressing.
• Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

*The squash in this is not overly sweet at all. If you'd like to up the sweetness, you could add more maple syrup or a couple tablespoons of brown sugar.

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A beautiful & tasty salad!!

What holiday recipes are your favorites?  You can check out even more delicious holiday recipe ideas here!  And, you can find everything you need for your holiday dishes at your local Walmart! I grabbed all my ingredients there!

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