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Best Broccoli Salad with Quinoa

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Best broccoli salad with quinoa, almonds, dried cranberries, and bacon tossed with a lemon poppy seed dressing.

Best Broccoli Salad with Quinoa

Gotta love a good broccoli salad! You agree?!

This one skips the mayo and is tossed with a lemon poppy seed dressing. It tastes unbelievably fresh and yet still has all of the desirable textures and flavors of a great broccoli salad. We have been doing a lot of roasting of veggies this past winter and so it’s great to mix in a little more fresh tasting flavors.

This one’s a keeper!

Umm…will you accept this broccoli??😂

Best Broccoli Salad with Quinoa

Do it!!! You won’t regret making this salad! I mean there’s bacon in it for all of you questionable broccoli lovers out there. Remember when broccoli was only served with a mountain of cheddar cheese on top? Times have changed you guys and so has the way we eat broccoli.

Please make this for your summer cookouts, spring birthday celebrations, pot lucks, and weekday meals. It’s great for all of those and more. It has a little bit of sweetness from the dried cranberries and a little bit of salty from the bacon and together it just works like a charm!

Best Broccoli Salad with Quinoa

Who knows, it might even convert those broccoli haters out there.

We always have a few family get togethers at my parent’s cabin over the summer and I can see this broccoli salad making it to those dinners for sure!! This broccoli salad is like the green bean casserole of summer. You just have to have it there.

And I love that the broccoli salad part only has 5 ingredients!! Oh, and the ingredients for the lemon poppy seed dressing can just be added to a mason jar and shaken up and you got your dressing!

Best Broccoli Salad with Quinoa

Best Broccoli Salad with Quinoa

Best broccoli salad with quinoa, almonds, dried cranberries, and bacon tossed with a lemon poppy seed dressing. 
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Salad

Ingredients
  

Broccoli Salad

  • 1 bunch fresh broccoli
  • 2 strips bacon cooked
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice, about 2 lemons
  • 1 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp plain greek yogurt
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp honey

Instructions
 

Broccoli Salad

  • Cook quinoa according to package instructions and set aside
  • Wash broccoli. Cut into bite site florets and add to large bowl. Add dried cranberries, almonds, and bacon and toss together. Once quinoa is done cooking, mix in. 

Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

  • Add all ingredients to a mason jar and shake well until blended. Add dressing to salad and refrigerate at least one hour prior to serving. 

Notes

I shredded about 1/4 of the broccoli mainly for aesthetic reasons and is not necessary. 

Best Broccoli Salad with Quinoa

 

More Great Salads

 

Spring Spinach Salad

Spring Spinach Salad with the Best Raspberry Vinaigrette

 

Cauliflower Rice Salad

Winter Cauliflower Rice Salad with Lemon Dressing

Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti with Mushrooms & Italian Turkey Sausage

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Whole grain thin spaghetti with mushrooms and Italian turkey sausage seasoned with fresh sage. Prepare yourself for a fantastic meal with not that much time involved to get it all to come together!

Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti with Mushrooms & Italian Turkey Sausage

Who is in need of a new pasta recipe?!! I am always searching and testing out new ways to change up our pasta game. There’s so many possibilities.

I actually created this recipe off of an old 3SS recipe but with major updates and improvements. I’m happy to say we all went nuts for this pasta!

I start off by cooking the ground Italian turkey sausage and then sautéeing the mushrooms and shallots and adding some fresh sage, salt, and pepper. The aroma from the mushrooms and shallots is basically enough for me to know I am going to be eating something amazing.

Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Italian Turkey Sausage

Meanwhile, I cook the noodles in a separate pot to al dente, drain, and add the mushrooms to the pasta along with parmesan cheese, a little half and half, and the Italian turkey sausage.

The result…

Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Italian Turkey Sausage

These kind of meals are my favorite because they are so fun to make for a night in over the weekend but are easy enough to make during the week. I cannot stress enough what the fresh sage does for this pasta. It’s just so incredible.

Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Italian Turkey Sausage

Ingredients

Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti
Cremini Mushrooms
Shallots
Fresh Sage
Salt/Pepper
Vegetable Broth
Italian Turkey Sausage
Parmesan Cheese
Half and Half
Olive Oil

Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Italian Turkey Sausage

Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti with Mushrooms & Sausage

Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Italian Turkey Sausage

Whole grain thin spaghetti with mushrooms and Italian turkey sausage. Prepare yourself for a fantastic meal with not that much time involved to get it all to come together!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dinner, Pasta
Servings 7

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground Italian turkey sausage
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh sage
  • pinch kosher salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 8 oz whole grain thin spaghetti
  • 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup half and half

Instructions
 

  • Cook ground Italian turkey sausage in a skillet 6-8 minutes over medium high heat or until cooked through. Set aside. 
  • Add olive oil to a clean skillet and cook over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook 6-8 minutes or until softened. Add shallots, fresh sage, and salt and pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to a simmer and let cook another 5-7 minutes. 
  • Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook as directed on package instructions to al dente. Drain and add cooked mushrooms to the pasta along with the parmesan cheese and half and half. Stir to combine well. Add cooked Italian sausage and mix in. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

May substitute cremini mushrooms with any other mushrooms you have on hand or prefer. 

Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Italian Turkey Sausage

 

More Great Pasta Recipes

 

Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Whole Grain Pasta

Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Whole Grain Pasta + Zoodles

 

Favorite Lasagna Recipe

Favorite Lasagna Recipe

Spring Spinach Salad with the Best Raspberry Vinaigrette

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Baby greens and cabbage tossed with orange slices, grapes, quinoa, dried cranberries, and toasted walnuts. There is nothing boring about this salad!

Spring Spinach Salad with the Best Raspberry Vinaigrette

The sun is shining! It’s shining so bright and reflecting off all of the snow that I can barely look outside. I love it though and I am hopeful that the temperature is going to increase a bit in the next few weeks. I miss my walks outdoors. Just not so much that I’m willing to walk in these conditions tbh.

This salad is what you are going to want on your Monday! It’s full of flavor, nutrition, and crunch! Everything a salad needs in order to be on your favorites list.

Spring Spinach Salad with the Best Raspberry Vinaigrette

I have to admit daylight savings time isn’t so bad. Ya, we lose an hour but we gain an hour of sunlight and that is evvvverrrything!! I will be happy to go to my daughter’s dance class in the evenings and not walk out when it’s pitch-black.

Daylight savings time is the beginning of longer days and I love everything about that. Grilling season is coming and just the ability to stand being outside for longer than 5 minutes. That in and of itself is something to smile about!

Spring Spinach Salad with the Best Raspberry Vinaigrette

Around our house, we often find we end up enjoying the salads I toss together in 15 minutes more than our main entrée. This spring spinach salad is one of those salads. It’s simple yet so unbelievably delicious that you won’t forget about it.

Ingredients

Spinach/Dark Greens
Green Cabbage
Orange
Grapes
Quinoa
Walnuts
Dried Cranberries

 

Spring Spinach Salad with the Best Raspberry Vinaigrette

Spring Spinach Salad with the Best Raspberry Vinaigrette

Spring Spinach Salad with the Best Raspberry Vinaigrette

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Salad, Salad Dressing
Cuisine Gluten Free
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

Spring Spinach Salad

  • 5 cups spinach
  • 1 cup green cabbage shredded
  • 1 orange peeled and sliced
  • 1/4 cup quinoa uncooked
  • 1/2 cup grapes halved
  • 1/3 cup walnuts chopped
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Raspberry Vinaigrette

  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 3 tbsp frozen raspberries
  • 1/4 tsp lemon zest
  • pinch kosher salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp honey

Instructions
 

Spring Spinach Salad

  • Preheat oven to 350℉. Arrange walnuts on baking sheet. Toast for 5-8 minutes and set aside. 
  • In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil. Add quinoa and cook according to manufacturer's instructions. Set aside and let cool. 
  • In a large bowl, toss spinach/dark greens, cabbage, grapes, orange slices, dried cranberries, and about 1/2 cup quinoa (you may have some leftover). Add dressing just prior to serving. 

Raspberry Vinaigrette

  • In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until smooth. Store in fridge until ready to add to salad. Recipe makes more dressing than necessary for one salad. (Makes 1 1/4 cups)

 

 

More Great Salad Recipes

Winter Cauliflower Rice Salad

Winter Cauliflower Rice Salad with Lemon Dressing

 

Best Blueberry Spinach Salad

best blueberry spinach salad

 

Berry Delicious Spinach Salad

Berry Delicious Spinach Salad