Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Dried Cranberries, & Red Onion

By Maria Lichty

Updated March 26, 2019

View RecipePin Recipe4.1589

Last week we were on a sugar high from all of the Halloween candy recipes I posted.  We are all sugared out. Don’t worry, it won’t last long, but today we are sharing a healthy recipe. I blame Josh for my latest obsession-sweet potatoes and kale. Ever since he created that Sweet Potato Kale Pizza, I have been craving them like mad. I could easily eat that pizza every night, but to mix things up I created a Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Dried Cranberries, & Red Onion.

I used black quinoa for this salad because I love the color, especially against the orange sweet potatoes and green kale. It really makes the sweet potatoes and kale pop. If you can’t find black quinoa, you can use regular quinoa or even red quinoa. I roasted the sweet potatoes, red onion, and kale to bring out their flavors. I tossed the vegetables and quinoa together and drizzled the salad with balsamic vinegar. I also added dried cranberries for a little hint of sweetness.

This salad is simple to make and can be served as a main dish or side dish. We enjoyed it for dinner and ate the leftovers for lunch the next day. It is good warm and straight from the fridge-I was too lazy to heat it up the second day:) The fall flavors are divine. I am going to make this salad for Thanksgiving. It is pretty to serve, easy to make, and delicious to eat. Plus, it is vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free. If you are hosting Thanksgiving and might have guests with special dietary needs, make this salad. Everyone can enjoy this one!

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Vegetarian

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Dried Cranberries, & Red Onion

4.15 from 7 votes

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Ingredients

  

• 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and chopped
• 1/2 medium red onion sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups kale
• 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar divided
• 1 cup uncooked black quinoa
• 2 cups water
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

 

• 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place sweet potatoes and red onion slices in a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss together and then put them on a large baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender. Stir a few times while baking.
• 2. Drizzle kale with 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. When the sweet potatoes and onions have been in the oven for 15 minutes, put the kale in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until kale is wilted and starting to get a little crispy.
• 3. While the vegetables are roasting, make the quinoa. Using a strainer, rinse the black quinoa under cold water. Add quinoa, water, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let cool quinoa cool to room temperature.
• 4. When the vegetables are done roasting, let them cool to room temperature. Chop up the red onion slices and kale. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, sweet potatoes, red onion, and kale. Drizzle the salad with remaining three tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and add in the dried cranberries. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

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If you like this Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Dried Cranberries, & Red Onion, you might also like:

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• Black Quinoa Salad with Mango, Avocado, & Tomatoes from Two Peas and Their Pod