This Butternut Squash, Beet, & Quinoa Salad uses store-bought, prepped ingredients to put together a delicious, healthy and warm salad in no time!
I drank the Trader Joe’s juice this weekend. I’ve almost been protesting making a stop in because people around here are going nuts about it, I mean so crazy there was a cop sitting in the parking lot opening weekend directing traffic. People are literally parking a mile away to walk to this place. Because it’s the first store in our area, people are coming out of the woodwork.
For a minute, I forgot that this was a grocery store. I’m so not the type to stand in long lines to buy food. Grocery shopping is supposed to be a pleasant experience. It’s not Disney world!
The first weekend it opened, Eric wanted to go check it out. And yes, the main parking lot was full and I told him to turn around we weren’t going in… he insisted because we drove all the way there. Mind you, it’s 5 minutes from our house.
Anyway, we walked in and I had to walk out because people were invading my personal space. Not enjoyable.
The hype about this place has not calmed down yet and they say be BEST time to go is between 8-10am on weekdays. Or during torrential downpours, hey- whatever it takes right?
So I went in and realized why people are freaking out. I’m a believer in TJs after purchasing all my groceries and walking out of there $30ish below our usual grocery haul, with a bunch of hydrangeas to boot. This is quality food we’re talking about too.
Trader Joe’s made meal prepping so EASY too. Check out these chopped butternut squash and fresh, peeled beets!! Two foods that are hell to peel and cut already done for me!
Also– check this out. $2.29 for veggie fried rice (you can cook this in the microwave guys)… we added broccoli florets + grilled chicken + 2 cooked eggs and called it dinner last night. SOO GOOD, and takes minutes to make.
Okay- so have you been to Trader Joe’s yet? If you have one where you live, are the lines this crazy?
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Butternut Squash, Beet, & Quinoa Salad
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
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Pin RecipeDescription
This Butternut Squash, Beet, & Quinoa Salad uses store-bought, prepped ingredients to put together a delicious, healthy and warm salad in no time!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butternut squash
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 4 cups packed chopped kale
- 2 beets, peeled, cooked, and diced
- 1/3 cup dried tart cherries
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line pan with parchment paper and place butternut squash on pan. Season with salt, pepper, and a spray of olive oil.
- Roast butternut squash in oven for 40 minutes.
- In large skillet over medium heat, cook kale with a few tablespoons of water until it wilts a little.
- In large bowl, whisk together oil and apple cider vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
- Toss all ingredients in a bowl with dressing to coat. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 recipe
- Calories: 154
- Sugar: 4
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 20
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 5
Hi I’m Kristina LaRue, RD (registered dietitian nutritionist), Peloton addict and mama to two active and hungry boys. On Love & Zest, you’ll find healthy-ish recipes that fuel the whole family. I’m all about veggie-filled breakfast, meal prep recipes, healthier sweets, and easy weeknight dinners made in the Instant Pot or sheet pan.
Did you make one of my recipes?? Leave a review in the comments and tag @loveandzest #loveandzest on Instagram!
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I’m going to make this salad this weekend, which I’ll serve with a homemade croutons!
HI – Looks delicious, ! I noticed it said put the dressing on immediately to serve…what dressing did you use?
Thanks!!
★★★★★
Sorry that’s not very clear– it’s the apple cider vinegar and oil. 🙂
Your recipe for butternut-squash-beet-quinoa salad looks lovely, but appears to be missing information as to how long to (I assume) bake the squash on the parchment paper. Any info there?
Thanks,
Ellen
Hey Ellen! Sorry about that.. I’ve updated the recipe now!! Roast the butternut squash for 40 minutes.
the veggie fried rice was awesome!
Glad you liked it E. 🙂
I have a TJ’s about 15 minutes from my apartment, but I haven’t gone yet. I just never really was sure what they have there– is it like a normal grocery store with all your regular food items? Or more of a specialty store?
ooooo. I think you’d like it.. especially since it’s pretty close to you. It’s like a normal grocery store with lots of store brand items that are great quality, low price organics, and super cheap and unique/food freezer meals. It’s not super speciality like Whole Foods Market but they don’t have EVERYTHING…like marshmallows (true story– hubby craving rice crispy treats)
Love TJ”s! The closest one to us is about 30 minutes away and each time we get to go I could seriously spend hours in there. It can get pretty busy but lately each time we’ve gone it hasn’t been too bad 🙂
This is such a pretty salad! So fresh and loving all the flavors in here!
Thanks Kelly! I hope it calms down a bit for us, or I’ll just go during slower hours.
I adore TJ’s, so cheap and so many qualities products! There are 2 about 15 minutes from me and I usually go in the evenings and it’s pretty crazy (the aisles are small and volume of people is large- especially around the free samples!) They told me the crowds die down after 7pm on week nights but for now I’ll endure the crowds.
I guess it’s worth the traffic… the staff members were delighted to help me which made the experience even better.