Roasted Brussels Sprouts Quinoa Salad |Cooking With Amanda

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Quinoa Salad Photo

The winter months tend to be full of heavy and calorie rich meals that fill and warm your body. So, why not to try something lighter, but as tasty as the winter comforting foods? Lunch is the perfect time of day to try to eat a warm and delightful salad, instead of a hearty creamy soup. Now, of course I am not against creamy soups, but normally they are full of extra calories that we just don't need, especially this time of the year where we are all trying to keep eating more nutritious food.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Quinoa Salad Image

This very colorful and bright salad is loaded with pomegranate seeds, roasted Brussels sprouts and quinoa totally hits the spot. You can have it warm or cold, and it even remains delicious and very tasty the next day! What makes this salad so good is the roasted Brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar. By adding the rich vinegar, the sprouts will taste so good that I swear even the Brussels sprouts haters will love this salad.

The best part of this salad is its versatility. Why? Because if you don't have Brussels sprouts or if you don't like this green veggie, you can roast another vegetable like sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash, beets and so on. I guarantee that your salad will be delicious with anyone of these options.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Quinoa Salad Pic

The dressing is also healthy and pretty easy to make. I love to make my own salad dressing because when it comes to flavor, homemade salad dressings taste much better than the store-bought dressings any time.

This dressing is made with pretty basic ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. It is very simple, but delicious. Remember the salad dressing should be simple, so as not to interfere with the flavors of the balsamic vinegar in the roasted Brussels sprouts.

Thanks a lot for reading! I really hope you enjoy this roasted Brussels sprouts quinoa salad as much as I enjoyed making it.

Print Save

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Quinoa Salad Recipe

Embed

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cups brussels sprouts, cut in half
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

For the Dressing:

3 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, freshly ground

Directions

For the Quinoa:

Place quinoa into a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water for 2 or 3 minutes. Drain for a few minutes.
Bring water to a boil in a medium pan, add the quinoa, a clove of garlic and salt.
Turn down the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for about 15 or 20 minutes until the quinoa is fluffy.
Remove the garlic clove from the pan as it was only used for flavoring.
After cooking, just let the quinoa rest for a total of five minutes.
After five minutes you can remove the cover, fluff and separate the grains with a fork. Set the quinoa aside.

For the Brussels Sprouts:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a medium bowl, add Brussels sprouts and toss with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
In a medium roasting pan lined with parchment paper, spread Brussels sprouts out evenly and in a single layer on the baking sheet.
Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.

To Make the Salad:

In a mixing bowl, add roasted Brussels sprouts, the quinoa, and pomegranate seeds.
Drizzle with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss gently until the salad is fully combined.
Either serve the salad warm or let it completely cool.