Warm Spring Quinoa Chopped Salad.
This warm spring quinoa salad is chock-full of roasted vegetables, toasty quinoa and all the crunchy toppings. Golden, crisp quinoa is mixed with chickpeas and kale, then topped with pistachios, feta, radish and a lemon vinaigrette for the ultimate crunchy, warm salad that is satisfying and delish!
HELLO spring!
This warm quinoa salad is filled with chickpeas, kale, crunchy pistachios, creamy feta, radish, toasty quinoa and more. It’s drizzled with an incredible lemon dressing filled with herbs. And you’ll want to eat it over and over again this season.
It’s the first full day of spring and we have snow on the ground! Crazy for a year where we’ve barely had any snow.
That means it’s the perfect time of year to combine the seasons; to enjoy a salad that is filled with spring vegetables but also warm and cozy. Yes, we can have both!
If you haven’t heard of the “baked salad” trend, it was making its way around social media a few years ago. The idea of a baked salad doesn’t sound appealing to me, but that’s just because of the name!
The fact is that I’ve been toasting quinoa, roasted chickpeas and vegetables in salads for years. So what’s not to love?
Nothing! This is super delicious and a lovely way to bring in a new season when it’s still cold and gray.
It’s also a fabulous dish to make if you have leftover quinoa. The cooked quinoa gets so toasty and golden and crunchy in the oven and it’s everything. I could eat quinoa like this all the time.
This is how it comes together!
First, I throw half of the ingredients on a sheet pan to roast them. This includes kale, cooked quinoa, chickpeas and asparagus. I like to roast them at at least 425 degrees F and for about 15 minutes. And I give them a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper – then they are good to go!
I keep the seasons on that part simple because we’re making a delish, refreshing vinaigrette. A wonderful lemony herby dressing that will soak into the salad and give it even more flavor. It’s super easy to whisk up, so I do it while the vegetables and quinoa are in the oven. You can also make it ahead of time too.
There are also a few ingredients that don’t get warm up: chopped pistachios, crumbled feta and diced radish. These things add the creamiest, crunchiest texture to the salad and really elevate the flavor as well.
I can’t even express how delicious this is! The combination of the warm, crisp ingredients combined with the cool creamy cheese and the crunchy nuts – it cannot be beat. I am such a texture freak and this salad is right up my alley.
It also gets better as it sits!
The dressing sinks into the quinoa and the kale. It’s tangy and bright and tastes like a big forkful of spring.
Crunchy, cozy, crisp all while being refreshing and bright. This is how we bring spring into the air!
Warm Spring Quinoa Salad
Warm Spring Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa
- 1 14 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups shredded kale
- 12 to 15 asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed off
- olive oil for drizzling or spraying
- kosher salt and pepper
- ⅓ cup diced radish
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ⅓ cup chopped pistachios, roasted and salted
lemon vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons chopped herbs, like dill and chives
- kosher salt and pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the cooked quinoa, shredded kale, chickpeas and asparagus spears on a baking sheet. Spray or drizzle (and toss) with olive oil, then season all over with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is toasty and the kale is crunchy.
- Transfer all the warm ingredients to a large bowl. Drizzle on some of the dressing. Top with the radish, pistachios and feta. Toss well and add more dressing as needed. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed too.
- Serve!
lemon vinaigrette
- Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, honey, dijon, garlic, herbs and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Stream in the olive oil while whisking until the dressing is emulsified. This stays great in the fridge for a few days and you can make it ahead of time!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Chopped salads are the best salads.
4 Comments on “Warm Spring Quinoa Chopped Salad.”
Oh wow, this is absolutely delicious. Thank you!
Excellent! I replaced the red wine vinegar with champagne vinegar. I’ll definitely make it again.
Are you able to add grilled chicken to this recipe?Even if it’s not recommended to do so this sounds amazing😊
My husband went nuts for this…and he’s a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Next time I’ll be doubling the recipe!