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Warm Quinoa & Kale Salad with Balsamic Beets

5 from 1 reader review
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 4
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Ingredients

Balsamic Beets

  • 2 bunches baby beets, scrubbed and trimmed (about 12 beets total)
  • ½ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Kale, Quinoa, Assembly

  • ½ cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 bunch curly kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely sliced
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • pecorino romano shavings, to finish (parm or grana padano would be great too)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Place the trimmed beets in a 2 inch deep ceramic or glass dish. Pour the balsamic vinegar and olive oil in. Sprinkle the brown sugar, salt and pepper around the beets. Cover dish with foil and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, stir the beets up a bit and continue to roast, uncovered, for 20 more minutes. They should be quite tender. Remove from the oven and allow dish to cool.
  • In a small saucepan, place the rinsed quinoa and 1 cup of water. Add a pinch of salt. Place pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is mostly cooked and the little tails start to pop out. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  • In a large soup pot, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and smoked paprika. Stir around until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the quinoa, a splash of water and half of the kale. Stir around until kale begins to wilt a bit. Add the remaining kale, season with salt and pepper and keep stirring. The kale should all be slightly wilted, but still firm. Take off the heat and transfer kale and quinoa mixture to your serving bowl.
  • Arrange roasted beets on top of the greens and quinoa. Drizzle salad with the balsamic cooking liquid in the pan (there should be about ¼ cup of it left). Scatter the pecorino shavings on top and serve.

Recipe Notes

  • If you only have access to bigger beets, just cut them into quarters or sixths pre-roasting.
Warm kale, quinoa, and balsamic beet salad is a hearty and delicious cold weather salad with only 10 ingredients.