For week 2 of my Vegetarian Challenge, I knew that I wanted a “refrigerator salad.” By that, I mean a salad that I can prepare at the beginning of the week and will hold up well in the refrigerator for several days. Building the salad on a base of cooked grains, using sturdy vegetables, and roasting the vegetables to remove some of their moisture helps this Roasted Cauliflower and Quinoa Salad stay fresh like the day you made it, well into the week. I’ve also tested freezing this salad and it freezes SO WELL! Almost unnoticeable changes once reheated.
This recipe was inspired by two of my favorite recipes, Yellow Jasmine Rice and my classic Roasted Cauliflower Salad, so if you’re a fan of either of those, you’re going to love this one as well. I didn’t make a dressing for this salad, because there was already so much flavor going and it was moist enough for my liking, but if you want to try a dressing, I would suggest either the Lemon Turmeric Dressing from my Autumn Quinoa Salad, or the Lemon Tahini Dressing from my other Roasted Cauliflower Salad.
Substitutions
You have several options with this salad. If you want to cut costs even more, you can substitute couscous for the quinoa. Just make sure to use proper amount of liquid, as suggested by the cooking instructions on the package of couscous. Raisins make a great substitution for the dried cranberries, and you can probably use a handful or two of kale, chopped very fine, in place of the parsley. I sometimes have success with spinach holding up in salads like this, so long as the other ingredients are significantly cooled before combining with the spinach.
Roasted Cauliflower and Quinoa Salad
Servings 6 2 cups eachIngredients
- 1 head cauliflower ($3.49)
- 1 small red onion ($0.28)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- pinch salt and pepper ($0.05)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.12)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 1 tsp turmeric ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon ($0.02)
- 2 cups quinoa ($2.39)
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries ($0.29)
- 3 cups vegetable broth* ($0.39)
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds ($0.44)
- 1 cup chopped parsley ($0.45)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Chop the cauliflower into florets and slice the red onion into 1/4-inch strips. Place the cauliflower florets and sliced red onion into a large bowl, along with the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the cauliflower and onion until they are well coated in oil.
- Spread the cauliflower and onion out onto a large baking sheet, then transfer them to the oven. Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes, give them a good stir, then roast for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the onions are caramelized and the cauliflower is browned.
- Meanwhile, prepare the quinoa. Rinse the quinoa well in a wire mesh sieve. Add the butter, garlic, turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon, to a medium sauce pot. Place the pot over medium heat. Stir and cook the spices for one minute.
- Add the drained quinoa to the pot with the butter and spices. Also add the dried cranberries and vegetable broth. Stir to combine, then place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring it up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let the pot simmer for 20 minutes, with the lid in place.
- After simmering over low for 20 minutes, the quinoa should have absorbed all of the broth. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa. Add the sliced almonds and stir to combine. Allow the quinoa to cool slightly.
- Transfer the cooked quinoa and roasted cauliflower and red onion to a large bowl. Add the chopped parsley and stir until everything is combined. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat (can be eaten warm or cold).
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Roasted Cauliflower and Quinoa Salad – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preheating the oven to 400ºF. Chop one head of cauliflower into florets and slice one small onion into 1/4-inch strips. Place both of them in a bowl and add 2 Tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the cauliflower and onion until they are well coated in oil.
Spread the cauliflower and onion out onto a large baking sheet. Transfer them to the oven and roast for 20 minutes, then stir, and return them to the oven.
Roast for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the onions are caramelized and the cauliflower florets are browned.
While the cauliflower is roasting, begin the quinoa. Rinse 2 cups of quinoa in a wire mesh sieve. Add 2 Tbsp butter, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cumin, and 1/8 tsp cinnamon to a medium sauce pot. Stir and cook the spices in the butter over medium heat for about one minute.
Add the rinsed quinoa to the pot, along with 1/3 cup dried cranberries. We’ll cook the cranberries with the quinoa so they can plump up in the hot liquid.
Finally, add 3 cups vegetable broth to the pot and give everything a brief stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring it up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes (with the lid on).
After 20 minutes, all of the broth should have been absorbed. Fluff the quinoa, add 1/4 cup sliced almonds, and stir to combine. Let the quinoa cool slightly.
Add the cooked quinoa to a large bowl along with the roasted cauliflower and red onion, and 1 cup of chopped parsley.
Stir everything to combine, then it’s ready to serve! You can serve this salad warm, or refrigerate it for later and serve it cold.
Crunchy, earthy, and a little sweet, this Roasted Cauliflower and Quinoa Salad will fill you up and keep you full!
Loved the recipe!! Made minor changes including adding yellow beets and a side of plain yogurt with lemon juice and a bit of salt for some freshness.
I didn’t have enough quinoa by accidentally, so I used half quinoa/half red lentils. It still turned out delicious!! Thanks for this recipe!
Loved making this! I use the better than bouillon instead of boxed veggie broth which makes the flavor 10x better! Love the sweetness that the slight cinnamon and cranberries give the quinoa salad. Can’t wait to have the leftovers again tomorrow.
After meal prepping this yesterday and awaiting my lunch today I was so excited. Having just finished this meal, I can’t wait for tomorrow…I would infinity percent make this again! I’m going to try this cold tomorrow after heating it today. So delicious. I saw another comment about adding in kale, that seems like a wonderful idea to get even more veggies in the mix.
Beth, I honestly do not know what I would cook without you. So a huge THANK YOU! Your website has helped me increase my knowledge of what kind of spices work together and now I even have some basic marinades and sauces memorized thanks to the many dishes on this website.
Thank you!!
I was super skeptical of this, but Beth kept talking about it, so I had to give it a try!
It was absolutely delicious!! I made two changes – first, I used curry powder because I didn’t have tumeric on hand. I also used cilantro instead of parsley because my grocery delivery brought that on accident – I actually really liked the cilantro in it, so I think I would do that again!!
Really recommend this! I’ve eaten it hot and cold and it’s amazing
I LOVE this recipe. I’ve been a Budget Bytes fan for over a year now and I’ve made quite a few recipes from the site, but this is one of my favorites. I’ve made this twice now and I’ve made a few minor adjustments that are just personal preferences. I subbed spinach for parsley, and I sprinkled some goat cheese on individual servings for some added protein and acidity. I’m also going to add the dried cranberries towards the end of the quinoa cooking time so that they still plump, but maybe make the quinoa less sweet (I believe I have sugar-added cranberries). This dish is so inventive and I’m really impressed.
This is just so good! I’ve been using freekeh as I can’t eat quinoa. The first time I used almonds and the second time toasted pine nuts I had left over. Sometimes I eat it with a few cubes of feta cheese on top.
This is great. I’ve made it twice now and used finely chopped kale along with all the other ingredients.
While everything is still warm I pour it on top of the kale in a big bowl and mix it together. The heat helps wilt and soften the kale and the parsley goes in after it cools. Very tasty, thanks for the recipe!
What a great idea! Now I want to try kale with mine next time. :)
This made for an outstanding lunch all week. I had some leftovers on this lovely Saturday, so I heated them up and topped with a couple of fried eggs and avocado for brunch. Yum!!
This was divine!! I subbed spinach for parsley but that was the only change. It was gone in three days!
This salad is so good! I used a bag of frozen Trader Joe’s tri color califlower and subbed earth balance butter to make it vegan. I only made half the quinoa mix because it seemed like a lot but used the whole amount of califlower and it turned out great!
I love this recipe! It’s so easy to think that quinoa is a boring food to eat especially when it’s not flavored up with other things like cucumber, zucchini and soy or tamari sauce. Instant pots have made cooking fun
Thanks again for a great recipe!
Made this for lunch today and it is SO FREAKIN GOOD! I subbed pepitas for the almonds bc that’s what I had, and threw some fresh spinach in to wilt. Cannot wait to try it tomorrow; I feel like this is one of those recipes that ages well!
I made this yesterday, and couldn’t believe it didn’t need a dressing, but you’re right — it didn’t need a dressing. Using red onions was a nice touch. My mom and I enjoyed this a lot, and it’s easy and it does make a ton. I’d be curious to see if freezing worked, though I suspect not because of being something you don’t really reheat?
Yes, it froze SO WELL. So well in fact, that after I reheated it in the microwave I couldn’t even tell it had ever been frozen!
Belatedly, I can second you and verify that it was fantastic after being frozen. I gobbled all the thawed salad right from the refrigerator and it tasted great!
Your Yellow Jasmine Rice is a favorite of mine so I knew right off the bat I would love this. I didn’t have any quinoa on hand so I just used rice again and had it as a side with some pork tenderloin. I might be going against the spirit of your vegetarian challenge this month having it with meat, though. ;)