4.47 201 Published Jul 12, 2023, Updated Jul 24, 2023 This salad basically combines all of my favorite foods in one dish… sweet potatoes, kale, quinoa and chickpeas. The best part is definitely the roasted veggies, IMO. And I love the fact that the kale is also roasted and gets a little crunchy. It’s like having kale chips in your salad!
Why You’ll Love This Salad
Healthy and Protein-Packed: With nutrient-rich ingredients like broccoli, sweet potato, chickpeas and quinoa, this salad is not only good for you, it’s also packed with plant-based protein. Meal-Prep Friendly: This salad only gets better as it sits, making it perfect for meal prep. Easily Adaptable: This salad is gluten-free, but can easily be made vegan and dairy-free. You can also easily customize this salad based on the ingredients you have on hand!
Ingredients Needed
quinoa – this is the base of the recipe! Quinoa is a good source of protein, high in fiber, rich in vitamins and minerals and naturally gluten-free. It’s also a complete protein, which means it has all nine essential amino acids including lysine… a rare find when it comes to plant-based foods. You can use any type of quinoa you like from white, black, red to tri-color. My favorite brand the Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa. water or veggie broth – the liquid used for cooking the quinoa. Water works just fine, but broth will add more flavor! broccoli – when roasted the broccoli florets become crisp and slightly caramelized. The best broccoli can be found by looking for heads that are dark green in color and firm to the touch. Avoid broccoli that has yellowing leaves or is limp. sweet potato – adds a touch of sweetness and lots of nutrients, including beta-carotene, and vitamin A to the salad. You’ll want to scrub your sweet potato well and then cut it into even cubes. I like to leave the skin on because that’s where a lot of the nutritional value is, but you can definitely peel your sweet potato if you prefer. chickpeas – adds more plant-based protein and a creamy, satisfying texture. I used canned chickpeas for convenience, but you could cook your own if you’d like. olive oil – for roasting the veggies and an essential ingredient for the dressing. kale – kale is such a superfood! It’s packed with nutrients like vitamins A, C and K and low in calories. When roasted, the kale gets a little crunchy, reminding me of kale chips! I used lacinato (aka dinosaur) kale, but feel free to use curly kale instead. fresh parsley – I love adding fresh herbs to my dishes and fresh parsley pairs perfectly with this salad! feta cheese – the feta adds a bit of creaminess and saltiness to this salad. lemon juice and apple cider vinegar – two ingredients in the dressing, adding some acidity and brightness. maple syrup – just a touch in the dressing to balance out the flavors. salt and ground pepper – essentials to enhance the flavors of this salad. crushed red pepper – if you like a bit of heat, feel free to add some!
How to Make
Cook quinoa: Rinse and drain quinoa if needed. Add the uncooked quinoa and water (or broth) to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to simmer, cover and let cook for 15 minutes. Once done, remove from the heat and fluff with a fork. Then, add the quinoa to a large mixing bowl to cool. Roast veggies: Add broccoli and sweet potato chunks to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Roast the veggies at 425ºF for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the kale and drained chickpeas to the baking sheet. Add more oil, salt and pepper, if needed and toss again. Roast for 15 minutes, stirring the veggies at least once. Combine: Once your veggies are tender, remove from the oven and add to the bowl with the quinoa. Add the parsley and feta to the quinoa bowl. Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar and maple syrup. Gently stir in oil, and add salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to taste. Serve: Drizzle dressing over quinoa/vegetable mixture and toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Enjoy!
Substitutions & Notes
Roasted Veggies – Have different veggies on hand? Use what you have! Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, zucchini or cauliflower would all be great additions to this salad. Chickpeas – I love the addition of roasted chickpeas in this salad but you could try a different type of bean! Protein – The chickpeas and quinoa do add a good amount of plant-based protein to this salad but you could absolutely add a grilled protein to this salad to make it even more filling! This apple cider vinegar chicken or air fryer chicken breast would be delish. Feta cheese – I love the addition of feta cheese, but you can easily swap it with another creamy cheese like goat cheese. If you’d like to make this salad vegan you can totally skip the cheese or use a dairy-free cheese like this Follow Your Heart dairy-free vegan crumbles or VIOLIFE Just Like Feta Block.
What to Serve With
This salad is filling enough to be enjoyed on its own, but it can also be served as a side dish. Here are a few ideas of what you could serve alongside this tasty salad:
Easy BBQ Jackfruit: This BBQ jackfruit sandwich replicates the taste and texture of pulled pork and would offer a delightfully sweet and smoky contrast to the salad. Honey Garlic Salmon: This salmon recipe is a simple yet flavorful dish that complements the robustness of the salad. The sweetness from the honey pairs well with the roasted vegetables in the salad. Apple Cider Vinegar Chicken: The tangy flavors of the chicken will pair beautifully with the robust, hearty flavors of the broccoli quinoa salad. My Favorite Black Bean Burgers: If you’re craving a burger, you have to try these black bean burgers! They’re loaded with flavor and would be delicious served alongside this salad.
How to Store Leftovers
This salad tastes wonderful warm, right after mixing the warm roasted veggies with the quinoa, but it also tastes great cold. I made one batch, ate it for dinner one night and then ate it for lunch and snacks several days in a row. Store any leftovers in the fridge for 4-5 days. As the salad sits it tends to soak up the dressing. If needed, add an extra splash of lemon juice to brighten it back up before serving.
More Quinoa Recipes to Try
Quinoa Tabbouleh Quinoa Fried “Rice” with Shrimp Slow Cooker Cheesy Mexican Quinoa Casserole Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bowl Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Casserole Grilled Chicken and Quinoa Meal Prep Bowls Jennifer Aniston Salad Easy Quinoa Salad Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl Southwestern Quinoa Salad Spring Quinoa Salad Greek Quinoa Salad Corn Quinoa Salad
Be sure to check out all of my quinoa recipes as well as the full collection of salad recipes on EBF!
