Spinach Quinoa Salad with Roasted Grapes, Pears, & Almonds
Updated March 26, 2019
Caleb has decided he doesn’t need to nap anymore. Ok, I will give him a little credit, he usually falls asleep for 20-30 minutes, but then he is wide awake and ready to play. I admire his energy, but it makes it difficult for mama to get things done. My work and personal time are very limited these days…and that includes my lunch time. I try to keep my lunches simple because I never know how much time I will have to cook or eat. This Spinach Quinoa Salad with Roasted Grapes, Pears, & Almonds is a new staple lunch for me. It is healthy, easy to make, and satisfying.
I fell in love with roasted grapes when I made this Roasted Grape, Blue Cheese, & Honey Crostini during the holidays. They are so good and I loved them in this salad. To make the salad, I roasted a pan of grapes and pears that I drizzled with honey. While the fruit was roasting, I cooked up some quinoa to add some hearty substance and protein to the salad. I also chopped up some almonds for a little protein, crunch, and heart healthy fat. I combined all of the ingredients in a pretty little bowl and whisked together a simple Lemon-Honey salad dressing to finish off my salad. It was the perfect lunch and I managed to make and eat most of it while Caleb was sleeping, he sat on my lap for the last few bites:)
I made enough salad so I would have leftovers and this salad was just as tasty the next day. Every day is an adventure with our little guy, but that is all part of the fun. He keeps me going and I love our time together. I do appreciate the days when I can sit down and enjoy a Spinach Quinoa Salad with Roasted Grapes, Pears, & Almonds. I need the nourishment to keep up with our sweet pea. He is a little Energizer bunny:)
Spinach Quinoa Salad with Roasted Grapes, Pears, & Almonds
Ingredients
- 2 cups red seedless grapes
- 2 large Bartlett pears chopped
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 cups water
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed and drained
- 8 cups fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- For the Lemon-Honey Dressing:
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine grapes and pears in a small bowl. Drizzle with honey and stir until fruit is well coated. Place fruit on a large greased baking sheet. Roast fruit for 15-20 minutes, or until grapes are slightly shriveled and pears are soft.
- 2. While the fruit is roasting, cook the quinoa. In a large pot, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Season water with a pinch of sea salt. Stir in quinoa and cook until water is evaporated and quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes. Pour quinoa into a medium bowl and fluff with a fork. Let cool to room temperature.
- 3. To make the Lemon-Honey Dressing: combine olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, close, and shake until well combined.
- 4. In a salad bowl, combine spinach, roasted grapes, pears, quinoa, and chopped almonds. Drizzle salad dressing over salad and toss until coated.
Have you tried this recipe?
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If you like this Spinach Quinoa Salad with Roasted Grapes, Pears, & Almonds, you might also like:
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the roasted fruit sounds perfect..I’m the only blogger yet now who hasn’t roasted grapes even after your other/older post on doing it…I have to try it now.
And isn’t it the worst when they sleep for 20 mins, just long enough to drift off and think they dont need a nap…that’s why I hated car rides home from places 20 mins away. Those car rides blew proper naptime out the window!
What a lovely combination of flavours!
Love adding grapes to salad- this looks wonderful!
Oh man! Teething seems to reset everything :(. Gorgeous lunch. Im a fan of grapes in salads-the sweetness does so much!!
I never would have thought to roast grapes! What a fantastic idea!
This sounds lovely. I adore roasted grapes in salad and can’t wait to try this!
i wish there was a way that people (or babies) who don’t want naps could pass their naptime privileges on to others…i’ll totally take caleb’s naps!
I have Quinoa on my grocery list for next month and am keeping my eye out for different ways to use it. Yours looks so good. A must try in my book:)
I love quinoa on salads. It gives it that little extra protein punch without adding meat! This salad looks great!
This salad looks beautiful and absolutely delicious, too.
Another great looking quinoa recipe! And, I love that it can be a quick lunch to grab, too! Judah takes a great 3-4 hour afternoon nap, so I’m lucky. But, I’ve been unmotivated at getting creative with our lunches each day.
I’m sure many mommies have given you advice (some welcomed and some unwanted) but I have followed the book “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child” since Judah was born and I truly believe it is responsible for making him such a great napper/bedtime sleeper. Many friends recommended it to me. And, when I say I “followed” the book, I mean I didn’t read it cover to cover. I just flipped through it and read the sections that pertained to his age at that time… still do. 🙂
Anyhow, the quinoa is beautiful!
What a beautiful salad! I love that bowl you served it in too.
I’ve never roasted grapes before and I have to say that I’m intrigued. Quinoa makes such a great base for a salad that is filling and delicious. You just wait until that little man is on the move………..watch out!!
Oh welcome to mommyhood girl! haha This salad looks wonderful, i do not eat quinoa enough! Will have to try this 🙂
This salad looks marvelous, Maria! I have only roasted grapes once, but I loved them, and I’m glad to see another great application for roasted grapes here. I hope your beautiful, healthy salad helps keep your energy levels up as you take care of your little Energizer bunny! 🙂 Thank you so much for the link love, too!
My baby has been like that too lately! It is ridiculously hard to get anything done. I make this type of salad a lot but I just throw
the grapes and apples in. I will have to try it with roasted grapes. Thanks for the beautiful recipe! And hope baby will start to sleep again for you!
Holy yum! Roasted grapes… *SWOON*
Your salad looks and sounds amazing! I would never of thought of roasting grapes, great idea!!
Love that you added almonds. Love a good crunch in salad!
You can never have too many quinoa salad recipes. And roasted grapes? They are amazing. Great combination!
Awwww, sweet little bebeeee.
This salad looks PIMP.
Roasted grapes, yum! My boys were never big nappers either.
This is yet another reminder that I really need to try the roasted grape thing. Looks absolutely delicious!
Love it! And perfect for a lunch pack!
What a lovely salad with tons of great flavor pairings! Thanks for sharing.
Roasted grapes seem to be the key for a busy mum!
This recipe looks fabulous. So colorful … plus Quinoa is such a wonder food! I am going to have Curt try it out and give it a a”shout out” on our dancingcarrots.com Thanks Maria!
Hey guys! I would like to pass on to you the Versatile Blogger Award! You two are wonderful at what you do and I am happy to share the award with you! In terms of your post – I love using fruit in salads for the textural elements and to add a nice sweetness. Beautiful photographs and recipe!
This salad is beautiful. I love that combination of flavors. Roasted grapes are delicious. Thanks for sharing.
i’m always looking for new salad ideas–this sounds like an awesome one!
Looks delicious. I still have to try the roasted grapes!
I hope this napping/non-napping phase goes by quickly for you! Sammy was a great napper, Gina however not so much…it can get frustrating!
What a nice lunch to treat yourself to! I have never roasted grapes, I’m crazy. Need to try this!
This is the perfect meal for Ash Wednesday! Thanks for posting a meatless, flourless, sugarless, and butterless meal that looks AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS. You have quite the talent! Good luck during this new stage of sleeplessness!
spinach and quinoa, two of my favorites
Welcome to mother-hood 😉 each moment is truly special, savour each second. For a quick lunch, this is perfect. I love the combination of flavours and textures. This would be great to even take to work tomorrow for lunch – – yumm!
this is so my kind of salad!!
Yummy! I love hearty and healthy salads like this!
This is a perfect salad. I love all of the combinations of textures and flavors. Well-done!!
The roasted fruit in this salad sounds wonderful! I love quinoa salad and experimenting with different mix-ins!
Mmm… this looks so good!!
I’m in love with this salad! It looks gorgeous and must taste amazing. I will be making it this week for sure!
This looks delicious! And try Becoming baby wise, if you would like to have a nice little napper.
🙂 It is a great book for guidelines on how to train kids to sleep well from the get-go.
My boyfriend never looks at the pantry before grocery shopping. So we ended up with more quinoa than we need… Which I’m not so upset about now after reading this. Delish!
I’m so impressed that you have time to not only make such a delicious salad, but to also take pictures of it! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Quinoa is such a great way to add protein! The colors in this dish look delicious!
You have me falling in love with Roasted Grapes too after all these delicious recipes! So great your making yourself a quick and healthy lunch, even with how busy you are 🙂
I love warm whole grains on a spinach salad. I found a 90 second bag of organic cooked brown rice and quinoa that works great for me, someone who’s trying to make a healthy lunch with a baby on my hip. I’ll have to try the roasted grapes some time. We always have those in the fridge for after school snacks.
I’ve been wanting to try roasted grapes for awhile now. This quinoa salad looks healthy, flavorful, and so delicious.
This looks like the perfect winter salad that is bright and fresh. Those grapes look amazing!
And I love that bowl!
I miss spinach, haven’t had it in a while. And with grapes it sounds like perfect dinner for me today.
This is a beautiful salad! I remember seeing your crostinis and telling myself to try roasted grapes. Well, this is a perfectly timed reminder for me to try them! I would love them in a salad. Love it!
You definitely need good nutritious food to keep up with your cutie! This salad sounds wonderful. I really need to jump on the roasted grape bandwagon.
Love the idea of roasted grapes and pears in this quinoa salad!
I’ve done cooked grapes on a pizza, and with salmon and chicken. Oh, and skewered with grilled chicken! But never just on a salad. Awesome idea!
I’ve never considered roasting grapes but this sounds so good. Although I think the crostini sound even better! Thanks so much for the idea!
Excited to try this! It sounds delicious!!!!
Love the salad, but I could use some help from anyone willing to answer. I’ve made quinoa several time, each time it comes out very sticky, not fluffy as others describe. I’ve tried two different variety, still no luck. Any suggestion on what I’m doing wrong?
The grapes and pears roasted with honey made this salad way too sweet, even with the citris dressing.
Love the Quinoa and spinach but the grapes and pears roasted just didn’t do it for me.
Just got around to making this, and it’s delicious! I made quite a bit extra of the pears & grapes; I’m sure I can find a delicious way to use those. I also found that I needed a little bit more dressing than this made, although that may just be my tastes. Thanks for this unique idea for a healthy lunch… love your site!
This is new favorite way to eat quinoa! It is so delicious. The roasted grapes and pears tasted like candy! I didn’t have any spinach so I added roasted broccoli for some green, but next time I’ll definitely use spinach. Love this recipe!
This is really delicious! I made it with white grapes, and it’s great that way too.
Made this last night and served with a piece of grilled Salmon- wonderful!
Looks awesome, adding this to my post today!
Made this tonight! So yummy! Even my husband liked it a lot!!
I made this for my parents as a side to a 5 hour roast spiced lamb shoulder over the weekend. My dad is a hearty meal man, but this salad and lamb combo went down a treat and earned unusual levels of praise! I had the salad for lunch the next day with the leftover lamb tossed through – super delicious! Thanks so much for such an amazing recipe!!!
I was standing in Trader Joe’s wondering what on earth I would make for my daughter’s first grade potluck tonight (I had promised a ‘giant salad’ <— smartly vague but still I had committed to something salad…) and I Googled 'spinach grape salad' and aimed for something WITHOUT the seemingly requisite Balsamic… voila, your recipe turned up and I've made something lovely, healthy, organic and best of all EDIBLE, woot! Thank you 🙂