Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad with Soft-Boiled Eggs (2024)

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01.18.13

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I walked into my kitchen with one goal in mind: make a hearty salad without having to go to the store. I still on occasion walk into my kitchen and feel ho-hum, as if all the ingredients I have can't make one decent meal. I used to be horrible about this and that would often lead to me convincing M to order food (but, I'd do it in a way that seemed like he came up with the idea to order food so I didn't feel guilty about not tackling something in the kitchen).

I knew I wanted a salad. I bought lettuce at the store (my first time since March- I get so spoiled with the CSA) with the goal of making a big salad. I needed some color in my life.

However, the lettuce was as far as I got. I had no plan for this salad other than I wanted it to be hearty. I started with my lone sweet potato (because it is the time of year when I only develop recipes with sweet potatoes-not really, but it always feels like it), some quinoa, gorgonzola that I bought awhile ago with intentions to make other things, and just for good measure, some sunflower seeds. I tossed the whole thing togetherwith a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and called it good.

Well almost good. I mean, why stop there when you can add eggs? I've always loved hardboiled eggs on my salad but recently I've felt on a roll with runny eggs (of course, this salad can also be made with hardboiled- it's really up to you!)

This salad is perfect for a bit of January pick-me-up. It's the type of meal you eat and then feel like you can tackle the world (although thinking back, that might have been all the tea I drank right before eating this salad). Either way- it's delicious and perfectly filling.

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Ingredients

Scale

Sweet Potatoes:
1 medium sweet potato
1/2 medium onion
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
Quinoa:
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water
Salad:
2-3 handfuls of lettuce
1/3 cup gorgonzola
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2-3 eggs

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 400˚. Cube sweet potato and onion. Toss with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and rosemary. Roast until tender, 20-25 minutes.
Rinse quinoa and combine with water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, reduce to low heat, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for another 5 minutes, still covered.
Let sweet potatoes and quinoa cool while making soft-boiled eggs.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and reduce to a fast simmer. Add eggs and let cook for 5-7 minutes (5 minutes for runny yolks, 7 minutes for slightly firmer yolk). Remove and place in an ice bath for 60 seconds.
In a large bowl combine lettuce, sweet potatoes, quinoa, sunflower seeds, and gorgonzola. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over salad and toss together. Top salad with eggs.

29 comments on “Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad with Soft-Boiled Eggs”

This salad looks like the perfect mid-week winter meal!
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This is gorgeous Erin! And so packed with goodness. Eggs on top of anything make such a good meal 🙂
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The eggs and just the right amount of quinoa make this salad. I don't have the ingredients to make this right now, but I am now craving a soft boiled egg.
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Soft-boiled eggs in salad is a great idea! I usually go for hard-boiled in my salads, but I think next time I'm going to have to mix it up a bit. 🙂
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This is truly the perfect salad. And those eggs on top? Swoon.
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Yum! We're huge soft boiled egg fans! Thanks for the reminder; I haven't thought of doing so in a while. And I've never thought of putting one on a salad!
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Oh, you've really made me want to master the soft-boiled egg with this one, Erin. Must give this a try.
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Um, yes please!
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You inspired my dinner tonight! I made some tweaks based on what I had in the house, but that's the spirit of this dish, right? I did the sweet potatoes, onions, and quinoa like you, but I used spinach instead of lettuce, goat cheese instead of gorgonzola, omitted the eggs and sunflower seeds, and instead added black beans and avocado. No dressing...just a drizzle of lemon juice on top. Thanks for the inspiration!
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I absolutely love putting eggs on salads. This recipe is beautiful, photogenic and I cannot wait to try it!
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Hi Erin! Thanks for the delicious and easy Quinoa recipe. I usually only cook with the white seeds but have heard that the black have a much stronger flavour and are equally as nutritious, so I'll have to try them.
Here is a great post on some of the many health benefits of Quinoa - http://theapplediaries.com/what-is-quinoa/
Thanks again!
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See Also
Az egész világon tarolt ez a töltött tojás! Ne hagyd ki te sem Húsvétra!
1. I actually found the black didn't taste much different but then again, I had it mixed in with a whole mess of ingredients!
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I absolutely love this idea. Putting eggs on a salad is one of my favorite quick strategies! I've never soft poached an egg before though... very excited to try. I can't wait to explore your site more because I can tell there is a lot that I am going to love!
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Oh goodness, this looks so tasty! I would have never thought to put a soft boiled egg in a salad! Can't wait to try this.
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This is delicious and just as beautiful with roasted carrots and almond slivers instead of sunflower seeds. I went for the hard boiled version of egg. YUM!
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Looks lovely. How many does it serve?
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mmmmm art food!
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Runny eggs makes everything better
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[...] Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad with Soft boiled Egg by Naturally Ella [...]
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[...] Saturday: Salad (using leftover sweet potato and quinoa) [...]
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Yum I just made this and it was great. Delicious flavor balance plus great levels of protein. Thanks!
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This was amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!
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Just a really wonderful recipe!! We just had it for the sixth time and just love it. Even the little ones like it. Thanks so much!!
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How many portions is this for? I'm trying to to work this in a food prep meal. Thanks!
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1. Roughly 2 large, 3-4 small portions
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Delicious. I made your yummy salad for a family get together and the bowl was scraped clean. I stumbled upon you site by googling the ingredients I had available
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love all of these ingredients, even specifically soft boiled eggs, sweet potatoes are one of my favorites too, and haven't seen these all in one place as beautifully as in this recipe, so thank you!
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Hey, I love this recipe and we keep coming back to it. However, I'm not able to eat gorgonzola at the moment (or any unpasteurised or blue cheeses) - what would you suggest as an alternative?
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1. Feta or Goat Cheese would be nice and I believe, most brands use pasteurized milk!
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Welcome to my little internet nook. On this site you'll find over a thousand vegetarian recipes, pantry knowledge, and more. I'm ever obsessed with food from gardening, cooking, and preserving. I hope you'll find endless inspiration on these pages and visit often.

Virtual hugs, Erin (aka: e.l.l.a.)

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