This quinoa spinach salad is loaded with fall favorites like butternut squash, chopped apples and quinoa. It’s is packed with nutrition and flavor. You’ll love the apple cider vinegar tahini dressing! 

Hi friends. How’s your Sunday going? We’ve spent most of the morning gearing up for a hurricane. … we went to Whole Foods for a few pantry staples; Lowe’s for a new flashlight and 711 for ice. I’m really hoping the storm creates less damage than what the meteorologists are predicting, but it’s always good to be prepared.

In other news, I’ve been getting super excited about pumpkin recipes lately. I’m truly sorry if you hate pumpkin. Not only are you missing out on a boatload of nutritional benefits, but I just noticed that all the recipes I posted recently have pumpkin in them, even these healthy apple cinnamon muffins. Like I said, I’ve been on a bit of a pumpkin kick… but you’ll be happy to know that today I have a pumpkin-less recipe that features more fall produce favorites — butternut squash, apples and greens. I’ve been eating these things separately or in other dishes, but finally decided to throw them all together for a tasty salad.

Hearty fall salads are seriously the best! In this Quinoa Spinach Salad, the roasted butternut squash makes it sweet and satisfying, while the apple and pepitas add a nice crunch. Quinoa adds some staying power and the spinach nourishes the body in a way that no other food (besides other leafy greens) can. If you like my garlicky kale salad, you’ll love this one because the dressing is almost exactly the same – I just added a little maple syrup to sweeten it up a bit. And if you enjoy this salad, you should also check out my full roundup of quinoa salad recipes.

If you make this fall harvest spinach salad be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Your feedback is not only helpful for the EBF team, but for other EBF readers as well!

Fall Harvest Spinach Salad

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★★★★★

4.8 from 6 reviews

• Author: Brittany Mullins
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 2 1x

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Description

Loaded with fall favorites like butternut squash, chopped apples and dried cranberries, this fall harvest spinach salad is packed with nutrition and flavor.

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Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (cooked according to package directions)
• 3/4 cup butternut squash, chopped
• 1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
• 1/3 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or pecans
• 3 Tablespoons dried cranberries

Tahini Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing

• 2 Tablespoons tahini
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons low sodium tamari or aminos
• 4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves of garlic)
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup

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Instructions

1. Prepare the squash by peeling it, cutting it in half and scraping out the seeds.
2. Cut the squash into bite-size cubes, place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and roast at 400° for 30-40 minutes, turning once or twice, until all the pieces are tender and have a few small brown spots.
3. If your pepitas or pecans are raw, you can toast them in the oven with the roasting squash. Spread seeds/nuts on a separate baking sheet and add to the oven with the butternut squash for 5 to 10 minutes or until the seeds/nuts are golden and crunchy, then remove from the pan to cool. Be sure to watch the seeds/nuts carefully because they can burn quickly. The pepitas will take less time to toast than the pecans because they’re smaller.
4. While roasting the squash, toss together spinach, cooked quinoa, apple and cranberries in a large salad bowl. Add cooled pepitas (or pecans) once they’ve been toasted.
5. Prepare dressing by placing all remaining ingredients (tahini through maple syrup) in a blender and blend until smooth.
6. Once the butternut squash is done roasting, allow it to cool and then place into the salad bowl with the other ingredients. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

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• Category: Salad
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
• Calories: 561
• Sodium: 641mg
• Fat: 21g
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Carbohydrates: 73g
• Fiber: 15g
• Protein: 23g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: fall harvest spinach salad