If you want to make a salad that you can prepare at the beginning of the week and will hold up well in the refrigerator for several days, this cauliflower and quinoa salad recipe is what you need. Follow Apronese to see how to make it.
Substitution Options
If you want to cut costs, you can substitute couscous for the quinoa.Raisins make a great substitution for the dried cranberries, and you can use a handful or two of kale, chopped very fine, instead of the parsley.
You can also have spinach holding up in salads like this, so long as the other ingredients are significantly cooled before combining with the spinach.
Cauliflower and Quinoa Salad Recipe
This salad is perfect for meal prep or brown bagging your lunch.
Author: Beth
Prep Time: 20 mins / Cook Time: 35 mins / Total Time: 55 mins
Servings: 6 (2 cups each)
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower ($3.49)
- 1 small red onion ($0.28)
- 2 tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- pinch salt and pepper ($0.05)
- 2 tbsp butter ($0.12)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 1 tsp turmeric ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon ($0.02)
- 2 cups quinoa ($2.39)
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries ($0.29)
- 3 cups vegetable broth ($0.39)
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds ($0.44)
- 1 cup chopped parsley ($0.45)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Chop the cauliflower into florets and slice the red onion into 1/4-inch strips. Place the cauliflower florets and sliced red onion into a large bowl, along with the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the cauliflower and onion until they are well coated in oil.
- Spread the cauliflower and onion out onto a large baking sheet, then transfer them to the oven. Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes, give them a good stir, then roast for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the onions are caramelized and the cauliflower is browned.
- Meanwhile, prepare the quinoa. Rinse the quinoa well in a wire mesh sieve. Add the butter, garlic, turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon to a medium sauce pot. Place the pot over medium heat. Stir and cook the spices for one minute.
- Add the drained quinoa to the pot with the butter and spices. Also, add the dried cranberries and vegetable broth. Stir to combine, then place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring it up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let the pot simmer for 20 minutes, with the lid in place.
- After simmering over low for 20 minutes, the quinoa should have absorbed all the broth. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa. Add the sliced almonds and stir to combine. Allow the quinoa to cool slightly.
- Transfer the cooked quinoa and roasted cauliflower and red onion to a large bowl. Add the chopped parsley and stir until everything is combined. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat (can be eaten warm or cold).
Nutrition
Serving: 2 cups ・ Calories: 396.73 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 55.87 g ・ Protein: 12.55 g ・ Fat: 15.5 g ・ Sodium: 582.05 mg ・ Fiber: 8.6 g
The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.
Equipments
- Mesh Sieve
- Chef’s Knife
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
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How to Make Cauliflower and Quinoa Salad – Step-by-step Photos
Step 1: Begin by preheating the oven to 400ºF. Chop one head of cauliflower into florets and slice one small onion into 1/4-inch strips.
Place both of them in a bowl and add 2 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the cauliflower and onion until they are well coated in oil.
Step 2: Spread the cauliflower and onion out onto a large baking sheet. Transfer them to the oven and roast for 20 minutes, then stir, and return them to the oven.
Step 3: Roast for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the onions are caramelized and the cauliflower florets are browned.
Step 4: While the cauliflower is roasting, begin the quinoa.
Rinse 2 cups of quinoa in a wire mesh sieve. Add 2 tbsp butter, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cumin, and 1/8 tsp cinnamon to a medium sauce pot.
Stir and cook the spices in the butter over medium heat for about one minute.
Step 5: Add the rinsed quinoa to the pot, along with 1/3 cup dried cranberries. We’ll cook the cranberries with the quinoa so they can plump up in the hot liquid.
Step 6: Add 3 cups of vegetable broth to the pot and give everything a brief stir to combine.
Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring it up to a boil.
Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes (with the lid on).
Step 7: After 20 minutes, all the broth should have been absorbed.
Fluff the quinoa, add 1/4 cup sliced almonds, and stir to combine. Let the quinoa cool slightly.
Step 8: Add the cooked quinoa to a large bowl along with the roasted cauliflower and red onion, and 1 cup of chopped parsley.
Step 9: Stir everything to combine, then it’s ready to serve!
You can serve this salad warm, or refrigerate it for later and serve it cold.
This cauliflower and quinoa salad freezes so well. I didn’t make a dressing for this salad, since there was already so much flavor going.
But if you want to try a dressing, you can make the lemon turmeric dressing from my quinoa salad, or the lemon tahini dressing from my other roasted cauliflower salad.
