Roasted Kale and Eggplant Quinoa Salad
Forget boring salads! Roasted eggplant and kale, fluffy quinoa, toasted pine nuts, and shaved parmesan make this salad cozy, inviting, and perfect as a side dish or plant based lunch! (gluten-free, vegetarian)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: about 6 cups 1x
- Category: side dish
- Method: roasted
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 medium eggplant, cubed (about 4 cups)
- 4 cups roughly chopped kale
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 3 cups cooked quinoa (warm or cold)
- 1/4 cup freshly shaved parmesan cheese
- Maple Dijon Vinaigrette, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Cut eggplant into uniform 1 inch cubes. Toss with 1/2 tbsp of the olive oil half of the salt and spread onto one of the baking sheets. Chop kale into uniform pieces and toss with remiaing 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and salt. Spread onto other baking sheet, leaving a little room for pine nuts. Add pine nuts to the baking sheet with the kale.
- Roast kale and pine nuts 10 minutes. Roast eggplant 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Prepare the dressing by whisking together all of the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, toss together cooked quinoa, eggplant, kale and pine nuts. Add parmesan and dressing to taste. Toss to coat and serve warm or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Cook the quinoa in chicken or vegetable broth for more flavor.
- Omit parmesan for vegan.
- If you don't have pine nuts, you can use almonds or walnuts, or simply leave them out.
- Salad will keep in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
Keywords: roasted eggplant quinoa salad, quinoa salad with eggplant and kale
Find it online: https://livelytable.com/roasted-eggplant-quinoa-salad/