Can I save leftover salad?

We recommend eating this salad as soon as it's tossed for best results. Leftovers will wilt quite a bit in the fridge. If you'd like to keep leftovers, we recommend using kale instead of spinach here, which will hold its shape better in the refrigerator.

How many servings does this make?

As written, this recipe makes enough salad for 3-4 entree portions or 6 side salad portions. If you add protein (we love adding slow cooker maple dijon chicken or mustard baked salmon ) and a side dish (like crusty bread ), you can easily stretch this salad to 5 main dish portions. Like most spinach salad recipes , this dish is also VERY forgiving: Feel free to add more or less of any ingredient to stretch it to fit your family's preferences!

Can I use a different dressing?

Absolutely! We love this classic maple dijon vinaigrette, but this quinoa salad recipe works well with a bunch of different dressings. Try it with our cilantro yogurt sauce (or the avocado dressing in our cilantro chicken salad !), grab your favorite lemon vinaigrette with fresh lemon juice (bonus points if you add a bit of lemon zest over the top of the salad as a garnish!), or try a dressing with lots of herbs (we love fresh parsley here).

Do I have to serve this salad warm?

Nope! This quinoa spinach salad is just as good cold. If you'd like, you can prep the individual components ahead of time (cook the quinoa, roast the sweet potatoes, and make the dressing) and store them in individual airtight containers in the fridge until you're ready to assemble.

Warm Spinach Salad with Quinoa and Sweet Potato

Name: Warm Spinach Salad with Quinoa and Sweet Potatoes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ½ cup quinoa, uncooked; 1 large sweet potato (about 1 pound), peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces; 1 Tablespoon olive oil; ½ teaspoon ground cumin; ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika; Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste; ¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds); 1 teaspoon dijon mustard; 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup (optional); 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; Kosher salt, to taste; 5 ounces baby spinach (about 5 heaping cups); ½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Description

This fall salad is packed with flavor and easy to customize! Warm quinoa and roasted sweet potato create a warm spinach salad that wilts the greens ever so slightly for a hearty, cozy meal.

Ingredients

Scale

For the warm components:

½ cup quinoa, uncooked
1 large sweet potato (about 1 pound), peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
1 Tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

For the dressing:

1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup (optional)
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste

To assemble the salad:

5 ounces baby spinach (about 5 heaping cups)
½ cup crumbled feta cheese

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Instructions

Heat oven to 425° Fahrenheit.
Cook quinoa according to package directions until it is soft and fluffy. Set aside. Roast the sweet potato and prep the rest of the ingredients while the quinoa is cooking!
Roast the sweet potato. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss diced sweet potato, olive oil, cumin, paprika, kosher salt, and a few turns of cracked black pepper together until the potato is evenly coated with spices. Spread the sweet potato out in an even layer on your lined baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes, tossing the sweet potatoes halfway through cooking, until they are easily pierced with a fork and lightly browned around the edges.
Toast pepitas in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are fragrant and very lightly browned. Set aside.
Mix the dressing. Combine dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, and a pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk vigorously to combine, until you have a smooth dressing. (You can also shake the dressing together in a small mason jar with a tight-fitting lid).
Assemble the salad. Toss cooked quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, toasted pepitas, spinach, feta, and dressing together in a large bowl. The residual heat of the quinoa and sweet potatoes will wilt the spinach ever so slightly, giving you a warm, cozy salad. Serve immediately.

Notes

How to cook quinoa. We typically rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve, then transfer it to a small saucepan with a 2:1 ratio of water to quinoa (in this recipe, we used 1/2 cup quinoa + 1 cup water). Some people prefer to use slightly less water to cook their quinoa; cook your grains however you like them best! Cover, bring to a low boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low until quinoa has absorbed all of the water. This usually takes 20-25 minutes in total. When quinoa is cooked, turn off the heat and leave the pot covered on the stove while you finish the rest of the salad prep. Learn more: How to cook fluffy quinoa.

Additions and Substitutions. Use sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, or pecans in place of the pepitas. Swap some or all of the spinach for kale, arugula, or your favorite mixed greens. Add extra spices to the roasted sweet potatoes (garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, or your favorite everyday spice blend). Use crumbled goat cheese, shaved parmesan, or shredded white cheddar instead of feta. Swap butternut squash or acorn squash for the sweet potato (you may need to adjust the cooking time). Add protein (crispy bacon or prosciutto, chicken, salmon, shrimp) or extra toppings (sliced shallot or red onion, kalamata olives, dried cranberries, or croutons are all tasty additions here!)

Dressing amounts. As written, this recipe makes enough dressing for a lightly-dressed salad. If you like more dressing, we recommend doubling the dressing recipe. Save any extra dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use it on salads later in the week!

This recipe is very forgiving! You can eyeball each of these ingredients pretty easily. Make it once as written to get a feel for it, then add more or less of any ingredient to better suit your tastes. Some of our recipe testers added some extra quinoa; some doubled the feta cheese; others added extra spices to the sweet potato for more of a kick!

Serving sizes. This salad serves 3-4 as a main dish or 6 as a side salad (keep in mind exact number of servings will always vary depending how much salad you like to eat!)