Quinoa salad with roasted veg & spinach
Quinoa is a great source of protein and magnesium. It’s a versatile base for a side dish or vegetarian meal, as a wide range of veggies and seasonings can be added. This wholegrain seed is also gluten-free.
Ready in
1 hour 15 minServing size
Serves 6 as a meal, or 8 as a side dishIngredients
- finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) dried thyme or dried mixed herbs
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) olive oil
- ½ tsp (2,5 ml) salt
- black pepper to taste
- 4-5 medium carrots, thickly sliced
- 6 baby marrows, thickly sliced
- 2 onions, cut into wedges
- 1 red pepper, cut into chunks
- 200 g broccoli, cut into florets
- ¼ cup (60 ml) coarsely chopped unsalted almonds
- 1 cup (250 ml) uncooked white quinoa
- ½ tsp (2,5 ml) salt
- 2 medium spinach leaves, shredded
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped fresh Italian parsley
- ¼ cup (60 ml) pumpkin seeds, toasted (see tip)
- lemon wedges to serve
Method
- Preheat oven to 200 °C.
- Mix the lemon rind and juice, dried herbs and half of the olive oil together in a large glass bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add carrots, baby marrows, onions and pepper and toss well to coat evenly. Spoon veggies in a single layer into a large oven dish. Roast for 20 minutes. Toss in broccoli and almonds and roast for another 10 minutes – the veggies should be cooked but not mushy.
- Meanwhile, place quinoa with salt and 2½ cups (625 ml) water in a pot. Bring to the boil over medium heat, reduce the temperature and simmer with the lid, for 20-25 minutes or until just cooked. Drain well. The quinoa is cooked when its ‘white tail’ is visible.
- Add the remaining olive oil to the quinoa and toss through.
- Mix spinach with roasted veggies and nuts in a large bowl and toss in the cooked quinoa, Italian parsley and pumpkin seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature with lemon wedges.
Tips
- Substitute white quinoa for brown lentils or red quinoa and cook for 25-30 minutes.
- Roast pumpkin seeds in a frying pan, over medium heat, without any oil, for a few minutes until aromatic. Take care as these can easily burn.

This recipe is from the Dash Edition
Download the recipe book