Recipe: Balsamic Glazed Salmon with Quinoa & Butternut Squash

You’re probably thinking “Salmon sounds fine, but quinoa…? butternut squash…??” This actually turned out to be quite a delicious combo: Balsamic Glazed Salmon+ Quinoa with Roasted Butternut Squash.  

The two dishes use the same oven temperature and, if you combine the steps just right, the kitchen work flow is pretty stress free. This was my first time making butternut squash and it turned out to be really simple, too!

Salmon and balsamic glaze reheat well, so does the quinoa with butternut squash (note that the spinach is supposed to be a bit wilted, so pack them fresh in the lunch box to achieve the desired texture after reheating.)  

You can definitely increase the salmon portion, however seafood is expensive so it may be worth a trip to Costco to get the best priced fish.  Enjoy!

For more ideas on what to pair salmon with, check out what goes with salmon – 20 yummy ideas.

Ingredients

  1. One (2 lb) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4″ chunks
  2. Extra-virgin olive oil
  3. 2 tsp thyme
  4. Salt and pepper
  5. 1 cup balsamic vinegar
  6. 3 tbsp maple syrup
  7. 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  8. 1 tbsp minced garlic
  9. 4 cups vegetable broth
  10. 1 1/2 cups quinoa
  11. Six 6 oz salmon fillets, with skin
  12. 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  13. 4 oz baby spinach

Also read: Best Coffee Substitute in Baking

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Place squash in a 9″ x 12″ baking pan, add thyme, coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix until each piece is well coated, spread out to a single layer. Place into the oven to roast for 20 minutes.
  3. Place a small saucepan over medium heat, add balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and minced garlic. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low simmer. Cook until thick, about 15 minutes.
  4. In a medium saucepan, bring vegetable broth to a boil and stir in quinoa. Simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes. Drain quinoa, set aside.
  5. Place a large piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and arrange salmon pieces, skin side down. Season each piece with salt and pepper.
  6. After roasting the butternut squash for 20 minutes, take it out of the oven and stir. Return baking pan with butternut squash and baking sheet with salmon to the oven, bake for 10 minutes.
  7. Salmon should be cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. The salmon skin should be sticking to the aluminum foil, making it easy to lift up the salmon without the skin.
  8. Combine butternut squash and quinoa in a large bowl, add cranberries.
  9. To assemble, divide salmon and quinoa/butternut squash, drizzle balsamic glaze onto salmon, then add spinach. This helps spinach to not get overcooked when reheated.

And this is it! Enjoy and let me know how it turned out. Also, you can continue reading my previous articles – I recommend checking out the Best Coconut Oil Creams and Lotions for Face Wrinkles next.

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