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Our Butternut Squash with Rainbow Quinoa is a healthy and delicious recipe that is great served as a side dish (perhaps with our Crumb-Crusted Pork Chops) – or as a meatless main dish salad! This beautiful recipe came about all from ingredients we had on hand – as well as the desire for something a little healthier to eat!
First we roasted some cubes of fresh butternut squash in the oven. While that cooked, we sautéed onions and garlic in a pan on the stove. Then – in the same sauté pan – we added the quinoa and seasonings including sage and savory (poultry seasoning also works), raisins, some frozen cranberries we had on hand, plus vegetable stock to cook the quinoa. Once the quinoa was cooked through, we tossed in the roasted squash, some fresh parsley and some chopped walnuts!
This dish is a wonderful mix of earthy flavors from the quinoa, sweet caramelized butternut squash and raisins, tartness from the cranberries and crunch from the walnuts! (Feel free to adapt the ingredients based on what you have on hand in your own kitchen!) It can be served hot off the stove, or at room temperature.
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Butternut Squash with Rainbow Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 pound butternut squash, peeled, and cut into 1/4 inch thin bite sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 2 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dry sage
- 1/2 teaspoon savory or poultry seasoning
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup rainbow quinoa
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup walnut pieces, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a small bowl, mix squash with half the oil, salt and pepper. Pour out onto a sheet pan and roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
- While squash is roasting, in a medium pot, heat remaining oil over medium high and add onions. Sauté for three minutes then add garlic. Cook for 30 seconds and add sage, savory, cranberries, raisins, stock, quinoa and salt. Cover, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. After 12 minutes, turn off the burner and allow the quinoa to sit covered for 15 more minutes.
- After 15 minutes, add squash, parsley and walnuts.
- Stir and serve hot but also good cold or at room temperature.
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This dish looks lovely, can it be frozen?
Thanks
Hi Sharon – we haven’t tried freezing it ourselves but I think it would work. The butternut squash might be a little softer after being frozen however so if you don’t mind that, definitely give it a try!
Such beautiful colors and I love the combination of flavors. I also love meals that come from ingredients you have on hand, those end up often being the best.
Gorgeous colors and no doubt it tastes divine with those stuffing-inspired flavors! Pinned!
Thanks Alisa!
Lots of textures and flavors going on. You really un-boringified quinoa. (I know that’s not a word, but you get my meaning….)
Thanks Jameson! LOL – I love that word!
I just love a dish that comes together from what’s on hand, and it is so pretty!
Thanks Heather! (I love it too!)
This looks amazing! I love all the flavors and colors going on – you just know that this is an incredibly healthy salad!
Thanks so much Faith!
I love how you “dressed up” this butternut squash. It’s ready to go to the party now =) We grew hundreds of butternut squash this summer and I’m so boring, I just boil and mash. And you can get really tired of it that one, and I’m a 10 out of 10 for squash. Nice touch with the parsley on top.
Thanks Laura – We really love roasting the butternut squash! The caramelization gives it great flavor!