Roasted Veggie Salad with Quinoa

The Garden & Saucier

Roasted Veggie Salad with Quinoa

The Strategy:

Proof that a meat-free meal can still command the center of the table. Roasting the butternut squash, carrots, and parsnips until their edges caramelize turns humble vegetables into something deep and almost sweet, while nutty quinoa, fresh basil, and toasted pine nuts make it a genuine main course. A simple lemon-butter, spooned on in two stages, ties the whole warm, golden bowl together.

Serves: a crowd | Total Time: 60 minutes till it’s time to eat

Ingredients

For the roasted vegetables

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes, about 3 to 4 cups
6 to 8 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, about 2 to 3 cups
6 to 8 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, about 2 1⁄2 to 3 cups
2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges, about 2 cups
10 to 12 baby portobello mushrooms, stemmed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper

For the lemon-butter

1⁄2 cup butter, melted, 1 stick
juice of 1 lemon, about 3 tablespoons

For finishing

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved, about 1 cup
1⁄4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Overhead prep flat-lay of cubed butternut squash, carrot and parsnip pieces, red onion wedges, baby portobellos, uncooked quinoa, fresh basil, a wedge of Parmesan, pine nuts, melted butter, and a halved lemon on marble

Instructions

Roast the vegetables

Preheat your oven to 425°.
Place the butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, onion wedges, and mushrooms onto a baking sheet.
Season with salt and pepper.
Stir the melted butter and lemon juice together in a bowl. Pour half of this over the vegetables and toss to coat.
Roast until the vegetables begin to turn golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the pan and transfer the vegetables to a large bowl.

Assemble the salad

Cook the quinoa according to the package directions.
Season the quinoa with salt and pepper.
Add the quinoa to the bowl of roasted vegetables. Toss in the basil, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts.
Pour in the remaining lemon-butter and toss to coat.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Close-up of golden roasted vegetables and quinoa being tossed with fresh basil, shaved Parmesan, and toasted pine nuts in a large bowl

Thing to Note:

This is a yummy main course salad on a day when you’re craving a meat-free meal. You can absolutely change out the veggies for anything you have in your fridge and substitute with your favorite herbs and nuts. You can even change out the quinoa for orzo pasta. It all works!

The full recipe lives in the Vault

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The Heart of the Table

This is the salad I make when the garden is generous and the table is full — a big, golden bowl that lands in the middle and disappears whether or not there is meat in sight. There is something deeply satisfying about coaxing so much flavor out of a pan of roasted roots, and because it is just as good at room temperature, it is a gift to any host: make it ahead, set it out, and let it hold court while you tend to everything else.

A gorgeous single-view lifestyle photo of Roasted Veggie Salad with Quinoa in a wide ceramic bowl scattered with basil and pine nuts.

Neighborly Grace

THE PRESENTATION: Serve this in your widest, shallowest bowl so the color does the decorating — the burnished squash, the flecks of green basil, the pale shaved Parmesan. A scatter of extra toasted pine nuts and a few whole basil leaves across the top just before serving makes it look like you fussed far more than you did.
THE POUR: An earthy, autumnal bowl like this wants a wine with a little weight — a lightly oaked Chardonnay or a soft Pinot Noir for the grown-ups. For the table at large, a sparkling apple cider over ice picks up the sweetness of the roasted roots.
THE VIBE: Harvest-table warm and generous — the kind of unhurried gathering where the good bowl comes out, the light turns golden, and no one minds going back for seconds.

Chef’s Recommendations

The Roast It Serves: Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb
Bread for the Table: Herby Buttermilk Bread
The Pork Beside It: Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
The Other Harvest Plate: Chicken Marsala Harvest Bowl

The Estate Table

Build tonight’s menu around this dish.

✦ Set the Table

Roasted Veggie Salad with Quinoa

Roasted Veggie Salad with Quinoa

The full recipe lives in the Vault

The Heart of the Table

Neighborly Grace

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