Are you looking for the ultimate healthy and hearty salad to celebrate the beautiful, vibrant colors and delicious flavors of fall? A stunning, satisfying, and completely crave-worthy dish that is a true powerhouse of nutrition? This incredible Roasted Beet and Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad is that perfect recipe! We’re talking tender, earthy roasted beets and sweet, caramelized sweet potatoes, tossed with fluffy quinoa, fresh spinach, and creamy goat cheese, all brought together with a zesty, homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
This isn’t just another boring salad recipe; it’s your definitive guide to a flavor and texture explosion in a bowl. We’ll show you the simple but crucial secrets to the fluffiest quinoa and the most perfectly roasted root vegetables. This is a wholesome, satisfying, and stunningly flavorful one-bowl wonder that is perfect for meal prep, a healthy lunch, or as a show-stopping side dish for your holiday table.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Healthy & Hearty Fall Salad
What makes this Roasted Beet and Sweet Potato Salad so spectacularly delicious is its incredible combination of textures and its perfectly balanced, sweet, earthy, and tangy flavors. This healthy, vegetarian, and naturally gluten-free dish is a masterpiece. The base of the salad is a fluffy and satisfying bed of quinoa and fresh spinach. This is topped with a fantastic duo of roasted root vegetables: deeply sweet and creamy sweet potatoes and earthy, tender beets. The entire salad is then studded with a jewel-toned medley of tangy, creamy goat cheese and chewy, antioxidant-rich goji berries, and brought together with a simple, from-scratch balsamic vinaigrette.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 50 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 4 |
The Essential Ingredients for This Vibrant Salad
This recipe uses a handful of fresh, high-impact ingredients to create its signature fresh and savory flavor.
- The Roasted Root Vegetables:
- Beets & Sweet Potatoes: The number one secret to delicious, not bland, root vegetables is to roast them! Roasting them at a high heat brings out their natural, deep sweetness and creates beautiful, crispy, and caramelized edges.
- The Quinoa Base:
- Quinoa: A fantastic, naturally gluten-free seed that is packed with protein. The secret to a perfect, fluffy result is to rinse it well before cooking and to let it steam, covered, off the heat for a few minutes.
- The Balsamic Vinaigrette: A simple but perfectly balanced, classic vinaigrette.
- Ingredients: 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave.
- Instructions: Simply whisk or shake all the ingredients together in a small bowl or a jar with a lid until well combined.
- The “Superfood” Add-ins: A classic and wholesome combination of tender fresh spinach, tangy, creamy goat cheese, and chewy, antioxidant-rich goji berries.
Step-by-Step to the Perfect Fall Salad
This elegant meal comes together in just a few simple, parallel stages.
Step 1: Roast the Beets and Sweet Potatoes
Step 1: First, preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C). Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: On the baking sheet, toss your 3 cubed beets and your 1 cubed sweet potato with a drizzle of coconut oil or olive oil and a generous pinch of salt.
Pro Tip: For the easiest prep, you can roast your beets whole, wrapped in foil. Once they are tender, the skins will slip right off! Then you can cube them.
Step 3: Spread the vegetables in a single, even layer.
Step 4: Roast for about 30 minutes, until the beets and sweet potatoes are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork.
Part 2: Cook the Quinoa
While the vegetables are roasting, cook your quinoa. In a small pot, combine your 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa with 1 cup of water or vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a low boil.
Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit and steam, still covered, for about 5 to 10 minutes. This is the key to a perfectly fluffy result! Fluff with a fork.
Part 3: Assemble and Serve
Step 1: In a large salad bowl, toss your 3 cups of chopped spinach with the 1 tablespoon of goji berries and the 1 ounce of crumbled goat cheese.Step 2: Add your warm, roasted beets and sweet potatoes to the bowl, along with the fluffy, cooked quinoa.Step 3: Drizzle with your prepared Balsamic Vinaigrette and toss everything together to combine.
Enjoy the salad immediately while it is still slightly warm, or serve it chilled.
Beet and Sweet Potato Salad (with Quinoa!)
A healthy and hearty vegetarian fall salad featuring roasted beets and sweet potatoes. In this simple recipe, cubes of fresh beets and sweet potato are roasted in the oven until tender and slightly caramelized. The warm roasted vegetables are then tossed with cooked quinoa, fresh spinach, sweet goji berries, and tangy goat cheese. The entire salad is brought together with a simple, homemade dressing made from flax seed, olive oil, and agave.
Ingredients
- For the Salad:
- 3 Beets
- 1 Sweet Potato
- Pinch of Salt
- 1/2 Cup Uncooked Quinoa
- 3 Cups Spinach
- 1 Tbsp Goji Berries
- 1 oz. Goat Cheese, crumbled
- Coconut oil spray
- For the Dressing:
- 1 Tbsp Flax Seed
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Agave
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Peel and cube the beets and sweet potato. Place them on a baking sheet, lightly spray with coconut oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
- Roast for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and tender when pierced with a fork.
- While the vegetables are roasting, cook the quinoa according to the package directions and set it aside.
- Make the Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed, olive oil, agave, and pepper.
- Assemble the Salad: In a large bowl, combine the fresh spinach, goji berries, and crumbled goat cheese.
- Add the warm roasted beets, sweet potato, and cooked quinoa to the bowl.
- Drizzle with the prepared dressing and toss everything to combine. Serve immediately.
Notes
- This is a complete and healthy vegetarian meal, perfect for a fall lunch or dinner.
- Roasting the root vegetables brings out their natural sweetness and gives them a delicious texture.
- The components of this salad can be prepared ahead of time and stored separately, making it a great option for meal prep.
- The instructions in the original article were incomplete; final assembly steps have been inferred for clarity.
The Ultimate Meal-Prep Guide
This hearty salad is the absolute perfect recipe for meal prepping!
- Prep Your Components: You can cook your quinoa, roast your beets and sweet potatoes, and whisk together your dressing at the beginning of the week.
- Store Separately: Store everything in separate, airtight containers in the refrigerator. The quinoa and roasted vegetables will keep for up to 5 days, and the dressing will keep for up to a week.
- Assemble: Each morning, or the night before, you can simply layer your fresh spinach, a scoop of the quinoa, a scoop of the roasted veggies, and your toppings in your meal-prep container. Pack your dressing separately to add just before serving.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the absolute, number one easiest way to peel beets?
The secret is to roast them whole first! Simply wash and trim your beets, rub them with a little olive oil, and wrap them individually in aluminum foil. Roast them at 400°F for about 50-60 minutes, until they are tender. Once they have cooled enough to handle, you can use a paper towel to simply rub the skins, and they will slip right off—no peeler required!
Q2: How do I make a simple and delicious balsamic vinaigrette?
It’s so easy! The classic ratio is 1 part vinegar to 2 or 3 parts oil. A fantastic, basic recipe is to whisk together 1/4 cup of a good quality balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
Q3: Can I make this quinoa bowl ahead of time for meal prep?
Yes, this is a perfect meal-prep recipe! For the absolute best and freshest result, it is a great idea to store all your prepared components separately in the refrigerator. The cooked quinoa, the roasted vegetables, and the dressing will all keep beautifully. Then, you can simply assemble a fresh bowl with your spinach and goat cheese just before serving.
Q4: How do I keep my quinoa from becoming bitter or mushy?
The most important secret to great quinoa is to rinse it thoroughly in a fine-mesh sieve under cold running water before you cook it. Quinoa has a natural, protective coating called saponin, which can taste bitter. Rinsing it removes this coating. The key to a fluffy, not mushy, result is to let it steam, covered, off the heat for 5-10 minutes after it has cooked.
Q5: Can I make this recipe vegan?
Yes! To make this recipe completely vegan, simply omit the goat cheese or substitute it with your favorite brand of a crumbled, dairy-free feta substitute. Be sure to also use agave or maple syrup in the dressing instead of honey.