Roasted Squash and Quinoa Bowl with Kale and Feta
- Savory
- Light
- Oven
Oven-roasted squash and crisp kale piled over fluffy quinoa, finished with salty feta, toasted pumpkin seeds and juicy pomegranate seeds. A light, protein-rich bowl with a bright olive oil dressing.
- Total
- 50 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 30 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Roasting · Absorption rice
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 200°C. Rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear, then drain well.
~5 min
Rinsing washes away the bitter saponin coating on the grains, so the finished quinoa tastes clean and sweet rather than soapy.
-
Tip the quinoa into a baking dish, add 300 ml water and 0.25 tsp salt, and stir. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and bake for 25 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender.
~25 min
A tight lid traps steam so the quinoa cooks evenly and absorbs the water gently, like a pilaf, instead of drying out in the oven.
Absorption rice Use a tight lid and resist stirring; the quinoa is done when the water is fully absorbed and the grains show a little white spiral.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the quinoa bakes, cut the roasted squash into 2 cm chunks and spread on a baking tray. Tear the kale into bite-sized pieces, discarding tough stems, and add to the tray. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, 0.25 tsp salt and the black pepper, then toss to coat.
~8 min
Coating everything in oil helps it conduct heat and brown rather than steam, and even 2 cm pieces cook at the same rate.
Tearing the kale rather than chopping it gives ragged edges that crisp faster in the oven, so keep the pieces roughly the same size for even baking.
Roasting Spread the vegetables in a single layer with space between them so they brown instead of steaming; crowded trays go limp and pale.
-
Add the pumpkin seeds to a clear corner of the tray and bake for 15 minutes, until the kale edges are crisp and the squash is hot through.
~15 min
A clear corner keeps the seeds from burying under the vegetables, so they toast evenly and turn crisp instead of going soft.
Roasting Spread the vegetables in a single layer with space between them so they brown instead of steaming; crowded trays go limp and pale.
-
While step 4 cooks
While the tray bakes, crumble the feta into a small bowl and pick the pomegranate seeds from the shell. Whisk the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil with a pinch of salt to make a dressing.
~6 min
Whisking the oil with salt disperses the seasoning evenly and lightly emulsifies the dressing so it coats the bowl instead of pooling.
-
Fluff the baked quinoa with a fork and divide between two bowls. Top with the kale, squash and pumpkin seeds, scatter over the feta and pomegranate seeds, and spoon the dressing over the top.
~5 min
Let the quinoa stand covered for 5 minutes off the heat before fluffing; the trapped steam finishes the grains and keeps them separate.
