Harvest Quinoa and Brown Rice Salad
This post contains affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Harvest Quinoa and Brown Rice Salad is a simple, delicious side dish. Naturally gluten free and made with only a few ingredients, it goes with any dinner! Packed with butternut squash, cranberries & brussels sprouts – it’s perfect for the holidays or a healthy fall meal! This post is sponsored by my friends at Path of Life.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my policy and more about affiliate links.
This Harvest Quinoa and Brown Rice Salad is simply one of the best fall side dishes you’ll make. It’s made with only 10 ingredients like butternut squash, cranberries, pecans and goat cheese.
AND it only takes 35 minutes to make!
It would be absolutely perfect for serving at your holiday table, but it’s also simple enough to make that you can enjoy it for an easy weeknight side dish!
I’d probably pair it with this Crockpot Whole Chicken and maybe some Garlic Rosemary Roasted Brussels Sprouts for a delicious, balanced meal.
My favorite part about this dish is how quickly it comes together. No standing over the stovetop, or babysitting a pan in the kitchen.
Simply roast up some veggies, add in a few other pantry staples, and toss with Path of Life’s Quinoa & Brown Rice. (Which btw if you haven’t tried this WHAT are you waiting for??)
We absolutely love Path of Life’s delicious frozen foods. Our freezer is always stocked with them, and we love how easy they make our lives.
This Quinoa & Brown Rice is ready to eat in 4 minutes. Yes, you read that right! 4 minutes in the microwave and you’ve got perfectly fluffy brown rice + quinoa with no messy pans or waiting time! It’s the best!
We use their products all the time, whether it’s adding to Lemon Chicken Soup or just as a quick side with dinner!
Sure, you could take the time to cook your own rice and quinoa.. but that’s also time you could spend doing other things! With the holidays coming up, I love taking short cuts like this that save me time in the kitchen while still tasting so delish!
While I love making this on a weeknight, I love it even more for a holiday side.
Holiday cooking can be stressful, especially if you’re trying to make complex dishes that you don’t normally cook or balance having multiple pans cooking on the stove at different temps and times.
This recipe is super simple and easy to follow, and you won’t even need to take up a burner on the stove! (Even the most novice chefs can make this!)
Whether you enjoy this Harvest Quinoa & Brown Rice Salad along side turkey and your favorite holiday side dishes, meal prep it to have with lunches for the week, or put it alongside a simple weeknight dinner – I’m confident you’ll love it as much as we do!
Ingredients for this harvest salad:
To make this harvest salad we used:
- olive oil
- pepper
- dried cranberries
- balsamic vinegar
- pecans
- Path of Life Quinoa & Brown Rice Salad (Click here for a store locator to find it near you!)
We also used these baking sheets+ silpat baking sheets
Substitutions for this recipe:
To make vegan/ dairy free: omit the goat cheese
To make nut free: omit pecans or sub with pumpkin seeds
Squash: You can sub butternut squash with delicata squash
Cheese: Not a fan of goat cheese? Try feta or even a little parmesan!
Dried Fruit: If you don’t have dried cranberries, raisins will work
Other Dressings: I haven’t tried this recipe with other dressings but if you’d like to try one of these Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes I think it would work!
Add Protein: Toss in some cooked protein for a complete meal. We love to cook Turkey Breast in Crockpot or our Healthy Chicken Salad and add it to salads like this!
Other healthy side dish recipes:
- Smashed Potatoes
- Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
- Easy Farro Salad
- Green Beans Almondine
- Spiralized Potatoes
Harvest Quinoa and Brown Rice Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups butternut squash cubed in small ½ inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon sage minced finely
- 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 2 cups brussels sprouts quartered
- 1 bag Path of Life Organic Quinoa & Brown Rice
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- ⅓ cup goat cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Prepare a lined/greased baking sheet.
- Cut butternut squash into small pieces. In a bowl, toss the butternut squash with 1 tbsp olive oil and chopped sage to coat all of the pieces. Lay the squash flat on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
- While squash is baking, cut brussels sprouts and prepare other ingredients.
- Toss brussels sprouts with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil.
- After squash has baked for 15 minutes, push to one side of the baking sheet. Add brussels sprouts to the same pan. Return to the oven for additional 10 minutes.
- Once veggies are done roasting, heat Path of Life Quinoa & Brown Rice Mix per directions on the bag. In a big bowl, toss together rice mixture, cooked veggies, dried cranberries, pepper, balsamic vinegar and pecans. Add to a serving dish. Top with goat cheese + serve.
Notes
- To make vegan/ dairy free: omit the goat cheese
- To make nut free: omit pecans or sub with pumpkin seeds
- Squash: You can sub butternut squash with delicata squash
- Cheese: Not a fan of goat cheese? Try feta or even a little parmesan!
- Dried Fruit: If you don’t have dried cranberries, raisins will work
I would like to make this but don’t have access to Path of Life products. Can you estimate how much quinoa and brown rice is in “a bag”? The recipe sounds delicious!
probably about 2.5-3 cups. Hope this helps!
Can this be served at room temp?
Yes! You could also serve it cold, it’s delicious either way!
I made this the other night and it was so good!! The butternut squash/cranberry/goat cheese combo is delicious.
Totally agree, it’s a yummy combo!!