Warm Salad: Baked Spinach & Crispy Quinoa Salad

Pantry Recipe

Warm Salad: Baked Spinach & Crispy Quinoa Salad

First, what’s a baked salad? It’s a salad where all the ingredients are baked: Greens, veggies, toasted grains and seeds, and you can even serve it with warmed dressing. This is a Tik Tok trend that has deep culinary roots. Warm salads have been around for thousands of years (hello, ancient Romans).

This is perfect to meal prep for winter through early spring. It can also be delicious using peak summer greens. This trend works well with hearty and bitter greens like: Kale, Swiss Chard, romaine, dandelion, endive, arugula, spinach, and escarole.

Add-ins that would be delicious: Fresh herbs like torn basil, parsley or cilantro leaves, baked nuts like pistachios, or slivered almonds, cheeses like goat, feta, or blue cheese, and proteins like baked turkey, chicken, salmon, and chickpeas.

Pro Tip: I never mix items on the baking sheets, all ingredients have different cooking times. Def let me know if you make this recipe! Tag me @chefcarlacontreras on Instagram + see the salad in action!

Eat Well,

xo Chef Carla

PS: Learn how to make gorgeous filling salads in this mini-course. Insta-worthy Salads are just a drizzle of olive oil away! Let’s Make Salads

Ingredients:

Serves 4

Salad Ingredients: 

1 butternut squash, medium diced, skin and seeds removed, baked

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in 1/2-inch pieces, baked

2 cups cooked quinoa or other grain

4 Tbsp. olive oil divided

20-ounce box of baby spinach

2 Tbsp. nut and seed mixture

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Ingredients for Lemon Balsamic Dressing

2 Tbsp. balsamic

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 Tbsp. honey

1 tsp. Dijon mustard or whole grain mustard

1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil, depending on how much acid you like

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. On separate parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets (you can use one over and over again) add the diced butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, and sliced radishes. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste and bake.

3. Bake the butternut squash for 30 to 35 minutes, the cubes should be golden and cooked through. Bake the Brussels sprouts 20 to 25 minutes, take them out when they’re crispy.

4. Drizzle the quinoa with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and an even layer on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy.

5. Toss the 1/2 the spinach with 1 Tbsp. olive oil on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes until wilted. Add the other half of the spinach once it comes out of the oven and toss with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, salt and pepper.

6. Assemble the salad with the baked spinach as the base, adding the baked butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, and add any toppings you like salted and roasted pepetias, baked chickpeas, and or cheese like feta (you could bake the cheese too)!

Dressing Directions:

1. Mix the balsamic, lemon, and honey in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil until incorporated. Taste along the way and see if you like more or less oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper.

Storage Tip:

1. Keep everything in separate containers to keep fresh (yes, this is delicious as a left-over and eaten cold).

Hungry For More…

My Shop:

Shop my favorites: Kitchen, wellness, home, online courses, business tools, and more! Shop here

Show Up Fully Podcast:

Sharing what it's like to Show Up Fully for your Real Life. Plus actionable tips & journal prompts for you! Listen here

Free Cooking Meditation Album:

Cultivate presence while you shop, cook, clean, and eat food that nourishes you (and others in your life.) Grab it here

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small percentage of the sales. I appreciate your support!

---

Checkout These Recipes: