Are you looking for a simple and super healthy salad? This beet and quinoa salad with apples, carrots, and cabbage is it!! Made with popped quinoa and lots of fresh veggies, it's full of crunch and bright, beautiful colors.
Wondering where to find quinoa in your local grocery store? I wrote a post all about the most common places to find quinoa in grocery stores.
This quinoa beet salad has a couple of elements that make it super special. The sweet, earthy flavor of cooked beets adds something quite unique to the salad.
The second unique ingredient is popped quinoa. It's a great way to add a little crunch to the salad and is so easy to make you'll be popping grains all the time.
If you enjoy the popped quinoa, you might also enjoy this Dark Chocolate with Popped Amaranth and this Winter Greens Salad with Popped Amaranth.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- A beautiful salad with bright colors and a combination of textures.
- A delicious mash-up of savory and sweet flavors. The apples enhance the natural sweetness of the beets.
- An easy recipe you can make ahead of time.
Ingredients
Making beet quinoa salad utilizes wholesome, mostly fresh ingredients. Here's a look at the highlights. Quantities and the full list are in the recipe card further down the page.
- Quinoa: Any variety of quinoa will work.
- Beets: Golden and red are my favorites to use for salads. You can buy these already cooked or buy fresh and cook them yourself.
- Carrots: Brings a nice contrast of color for the beets.
- Red cabbage: Adds amazing crunch and texture to the beet salad.
- Apples: Fresh apples pair well with the beets, enhancing the natural sweetness of the beets. Gala apples are my apples of choice but you can use your favorite apple for salads.
- Nuts: Use your favorite but I recommend walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
How to Make Beet Apple Salad with Popped Quinoa
Here's an overview of what goes into making this quick and easy beet salad. Let's start with the popped quinoa and then assemble the salad.
Step 1: Make Popped Quinoa
- Heat your pan over medium-high heat until it is hot.
- Add half of the quinoa to the pan. Gently swirl the pan to start popping the quinoa. It should only take about 10-30 seconds to pop.
- Quickly remove it from the pan.
- Repeat with the remaining quinoa.
TOP TIP: It's important to cook only a small amount of quinoa at a time. Keep the pan hot and cook it in batches for the best results. It burns quickly so as soon as it's popped remove it from the pan.
Step 2: Prep and Assemble the Salad
Now that the quinoa is popped and the beets are cooked. The rest is so easy!
- Add all the ingredients for the salad into a bowl. Gently mix, but don't overdo it as the beets will bleed all over everything.
- Drizzle a vinaigrette over the salad and serve. This salad is best served and eaten right away.
How to Serve
This salad can be eaten just like this, but I prefer it with dressing. You can opt for something bought at the store such as this Blush Wine Dressing and Raspberry Poppy Seed by Brianna's.
If you prefer a homemade dressing, this Creamy Apple Cider Vinaigrette or Red Wine Vinaigrette both work great with quinoa beet salad.
Make it heartier! Add some flaked salmon, grilled chicken, or keep it vegetarian with some chickpeas.
Serve it with soup. Adding soup to serve alongside turns this into a healthy meal. Choose a simple lentil soup or a bowl of chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles.
How to Store
Beet quinoa salad is best eaten immediately. The beets will bleed, the apples turn brown, and the popped quinoa gets soggy when stored.
However, if you know you will have leftovers, it's best to keep everything separate.
Store the apples with a bit of lemon juice squeezed over it. All the fresh ingredients can be stored in the fridge. The cut apple won't last more than 1-2 days but the other ingredients can be stored for up to five days.
Keep the popped quinoa in a cool, dry place at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Expert Tips
- After combining the salad ingredients, do not overmix. The beets release more juices and stain all the other ingredients in the salad.
- For best flavor, roast or cook fresh beets to use for salads.
- Cook the quinoa in small amounts to prevent burning.
- Make sure to constantly move the pan when cooking the quinoa.
FAQs
Beetroot salad is a healthy addition to your meals. Beets are full of lots of nutrients and are especially rich in folate, copper, and manganese. They also have a high amount of nitrates which may have a positive effect on lowering blood pressure.
Yes, most definitely! It can actually be eaten both raw and cooked in salads. My preference is for cooked beets as they have a sweeter flavor after cooking especially when roasted in the oven.
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Easy Beet Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Popped quinoa
- 2 tablespoons quinoa
Easy beet and quinoa salad
- 2 cups cubed or sliced cooked beets Golden and red are my favorite types to use.
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
- 2 cups apple cubes gala apples are my apples of choice
- ½ cup chopped nuts optional
- 1 cup vinaigrette of choice
Instructions
Popped quinoa
- Heat your pan over medium high heat until it is hot.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the quinoa to the pan. Gently swirl the pan to start popping the quinoa. It should only take about 10-30 seconds to pop.
- Quickly remove it from the pan.
- Add in the next tablespoon and pop again.
Putting together the salad
- Add all the ingredients for the salad into a bowl. Gently mix, but don't overdo it as the beets will bleed all over everything.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and serve. This salad is best serves and eaten right away.