Quinoa with Roasted Butternut Squash

Posted on October 21, 2015

This is my next attempt at squash. I was inspired by all of the new fall squash recipes. This week, I decided to try butternut squash. Like the spaghetti squash, I was able to find a butternut squash for 99 cents at the grocery store.

I obtained this recipe from Food Network. There is really nothing difficult about this recipe, and the ingredients are fresh and simple. The most time consuming part of this recipe is roasting the butternut squash. I recommend knocking out this part of the recipe first. The rest of the recipe takes very little prep and very little time.

My household had mixed reviews of the dish. My husband did not like it. My 4 year old refused to taste it. Only my one year old and I ate the dish. I often take any leftovers to my Mom the next day for her to try. My Mom said she enjoyed it. Although I enjoyed it too, I felt like it was missing something, but I couldn’t quite say what. This is a great fall side dish, and it really looks vibrant. I would say if you enjoy quinoa and butternut squash, definitely try at home.

Quinoa with Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients

One (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks (about 3 cups)

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup shelled pistachios

1 ½ cups quinoa

4 cups vegetable broth or water

¼ cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

3 ounces baby spinach
Directions

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.

Place the squash in a medium bowl and add 3 tablespoons of the oil, the thyme and 2 teaspoons of salt and season with pepper to taste. Mix until the squash is well coated. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and spread squash out into a single layer. Roast until a paring knife slides into the squash with no resistance, about 30 minutes, stirring about halfway through the cooking time. Put the pistachios on a small baking sheet and toast until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa in cold water in a fine-mesh strainer. Bring the broth or water to a boil and stir in the quinoa. Simmer, uncovered, until a small white spiral becomes visible in each grain, about 9 minutes. Drain the quinoa and transfer it to a medium bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the pistachios, cranberries, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.

Place the spinach in a large mixing bowl and toss with the hot squash until slightly wilted. Add the quinoa mixture and toss again. Serve warm or at room temperature.

From Food Network Kitchen