Beet Quinoa Salad is filling, delicious and healthy! Using just five ingredients, you can create a dish that looks impressive yet is so easy to prepare.
Beet Quinoa Salad is a perfect side dish. If you are wondering what to bring to your upcoming holiday potluck or party, look no further. This salad can act as a full meal for your vegetarian friends, or as a great accompaniment to meat for the carnivores in your life.
Never cooked with quinoa before? Don’t worry! Quinoa is an awesome substitute for brown or white rice, pasta, farro or any other grain out there. Follow my guide for cooking the perfect quinoa and nail it every time.
The kicker? This salad is packing some big nutrition. Quinoa is gluten-free, full of protein and low-fat. Add in some beets, mandarin oranges and goat cheese, and you have yourself a well-rounded meal!
Ingredients for Beet Quinoa Salad
The best thing about this salad is that it is insanely easy to prepare. All you need to do is cook your quinoa and toss in the rest of the ingredients. This makes it the perfect dish for those hot summer nights when you don’t want to turn on the oven. It is also a great fall-back dish for potlucks, family parties and BBQs. Here are the ingredients you need to make it and how to use them:
- Quinoa: Quinoa is the base of this yummy salad. To make your life easier, prepare a big batch of quinoa a day or two in advance so it is already cooled and ready to be used for salad. Bonus: You can use your leftover quinoa to make my Superfood Quinoa Kale Salad.
- Goat Cheese: Creamy, tangy and decadent, goat cheese is the necessary fat that ties this yummy salad together. Looking for a substitute? Feta cheese works great too.
- Mandarin Oranges: Mandarin oranges are sweet, bite-sized and perfect to toss into salads. Often referred to as “cuties,” these little oranges are much more flavorful than navel oranges. When you are peeling them, make sure to take off as much of the white, bitter rind that you can.
- Fresh Herbs: Adding a little bit of fresh dill, green onion or parsley brings a pop of freshness to this dish.
- Beets: You can use boiled or pickled beets. Dice them up into uniform cubes for the best presentation.
- Other Ingredients to Add: Looking to mix things up a bit? Feel free to add pomegranates, apples, kale, almonds, cranberries or raisins to the mix.
Can you Prepare Beet Quinoa Salad In Advance?
If you are looking to prepare this dish early, do so only a day in advance. Keep it sealed in an airtight container in the fridge and only add the goat cheese in right before serving.
What to serve with Beet Quinoa Salad?
Although this salad can stand all on its own as a meal, it is also great as a side dish. Here are some of my favorite pairings:
- Smoked Beef Brisket: Tender, smoked beef brisket is the perfect savory compliment to a citrusy and fruity salad.
- Perfect Cast Iron Ribeye: Ultra-fatty ribeye needs a creamy, light side dish to bring it all the way home.
- Baked Steak with Vegetables: Bake your flank steak while you prepare your salad.
- Easy Air Fryer Baked Potatoes: These quick baked potatoes will round out your quinoa salad and make for a satisfying weeknight dinner.
- Homemade Kielbasa Sausage: Try your hand at making your own kielbasa! This savory, Eastern European sausage goes great with just about anything.
- Crispy Air Fryer Cod: In just 15 minutes, you can make crispy cod to pair with your salad.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 2 medium beets cooked
- 3 medium mandarins
- 1/2 cup goat cheese (feta is another great option)
- 2 tbsp Italian parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Clean and dice beets and mandarins into small cubes. Add quinoa, cheese and herbs to diced ingredients.
- To serve, toss all the ingredients together. Garnish with herbs and serve.
Delicious and healthy salad. Will be making again. It would be a nice addition to like a Thanksgiving meal I think. Thank you!
Hey Ruslana, yes for sure, perfect for the Holiday season!