This Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe is hearty, wholesome, and filled with contemporary taste! Serve it as a facet dish, or take pleasure in it as a meal by itself.
This Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe is contemporary and flavorful. It’s a scrumptious addition to the menu of any potluck, cookout, or picnic. It will probably simply go as a facet dish, but it surely’s so hearty and satisfying that it may be the primary occasion, too.
And should you occur to have leftovers, you’re in luck! This quinoa salad retains nicely should you make it forward of time, so it’s a fantastic recipe to meal prep for wholesome lunches all through the week.
Over time, I’ve shared a lot of quinoa salad recipes on the weblog, however I’m particularly smitten with this one. Roasted tomatoes, olives, and feta pack it with savory, briny taste, and a easy olive oil and lemon dressing makes it good and vivid. I hope you adore it too!
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Components
Right here’s what you’ll have to make this Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe:
- Quinoa, after all! Quinoa cooks like a grain, but it surely’s really a grain-like seed that hails from South America. It’s naturally gluten-free and filled with fiber and plant-based protein. Discover my methodology for cooking it within the callout under.
- Roasted tomatoes – Roasted cherry or grape tomatoes add wealthy, savory taste and chewy texture to this salad. They take a while to make, so remember to plan forward.
- Persian cucumbers – For crunch.
- Pink onion – For sharp depth of taste.
- Feta cheese – I like its creamy texture and tangy taste on this quinoa salad recipe, however be happy to skip it should you’re vegan.
- Kalamata olives – I’m an olive convert! For years, I prevented olives, however their briny, salty taste takes this salad to a complete new degree.
- Toasted pine nuts and roasted chickpeas – They add protein, nutty taste, and many crunch. Tip: Use store-bought roasted chickpeas to save lots of your self a prep step.
- Arugula and combined herbs – They make this salad good and contemporary! I like to make use of a wide range of leafy herbs right here, equivalent to mint, parsley, oregano, thyme, and/or basil.
- Italian dressing – Shiny, tangy, and flecked with (extra) herbs, it ties the entire salad collectively!
Discover the whole recipe with measurements under.
The best way to Cook dinner Quinoa
Cooking quinoa is so much like cooking rice:
- Rinse the quinoa in a wonderful mesh strainer to take away its bitter pure coating.
- Place in a medium saucepan with a tightly becoming lid. Add 1 3/4 cups water for each 1 cup of quinoa.
- Deliver the water to a boil, then cut back the warmth to low. Cowl and simmer for 12 to fifteen minutes, or till the water is absorbed.
- Flip off the warmth and let the quinoa sit, coated, for 10 minutes to proceed to steam.
Then, fluff with a fork! 1 cup dry quinoa yields 3 cups cooked. For extra quinoa-cooking ideas, take a look at my information to methods to prepare dinner quinoa.
For this recipe, I like to recommend cooking the quinoa forward. It ought to be cool or at room temperature while you toss the salad collectively. If it’s nonetheless heat, it’ll wilt the arugula and contemporary herbs. Cook dinner it at the very least an hour and as much as 2 days earlier than you assemble the salad.
The best way to Make Quinoa Salad
The primary steps on this quinoa salad recipe are cooking the quinoa and roasting the tomatoes. You’ll be able to prep each as much as 3 days prematurely. Retailer them in an hermetic container within the fridge till you’re able to make the salad.
Subsequent, make the dressing. A easy mix of extra-virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, and herbs, it’s fast to whisk collectively in a bowl or jar.
Then, toss the salad collectively. In a big bowl, mix the quinoa, veggies, herbs, feta, olives, pine nuts, and half the dressing. Toss to coat earlier than including the salt, pepper, and pink pepper flakes and tossing once more.
Season to style, including extra dressing as desired. High with the roasted chickpeas and serve!
Recipe Variations
This wholesome quinoa salad recipe is scrumptious as written, however that doesn’t imply you may’t play with it! Have enjoyable customizing it primarily based on what you’re craving or what you could have available. Listed below are a couple of concepts to get you began:
- Make it vegan. Skip the cheese! Add a couple of additional olives or roasted tomatoes to amp up the savory taste.
- Change the grain. As a substitute of quinoa, use farro or Israeli couscous. Observe that the salad will not be gluten-free.
- Swap the dressing. Substitute the Italian dressing with Greek salad dressing or lemon French dressing.
- Combine up the veggies. Substitute chopped spinach or massaged kale for the arugula, or skip the greens solely. As a substitute, stir in a cup of roasted broccoli, 1/2 cup roasted pink bell peppers, or a diced avocado.
- Take a shortcut. Substitute the roasted tomatoes with contemporary cherry tomatoes, halved, or oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes.
Let me know what variations you attempt!
What to Serve with Quinoa Salad
Serve this quinoa salad recipe as a facet dish with a summer time dinner. It pairs nicely with traditional cookout fare like veggie burgers, black bean burgers, portobello mushroom burgers, or BBQ jackfruit sandwiches.
It’s additionally a stunning vegetarian essential dish. Spherical out the meal with grilled greens or sautéed yellow squash.
In case you have leftovers, this Mediterranean quinoa salad packs up completely for lunch. For the perfect taste, retailer a number of the contemporary herbs individually and scatter them on proper earlier than you eat. I additionally suggest seasoning to style with salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and/or an additional squeeze of lemon juice after this salad has spent a couple of days within the fridge.
Extra Favourite Hearty Salads
Should you love this simple, wholesome quinoa salad recipe, attempt one in all these hearty salads subsequent:
Quinoa Salad
Serves 6
This Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe is wholesome and scrumptious! Full of roasted tomatoes, cucumbers, and contemporary herbs, it is an ideal meal prep lunch or dinner facet dish. For quick meeting, roast the tomatoes prematurely.
- 3 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 recipe Roasted Tomatoes
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 cup sliced Persian cucumbers
- 1 cup combined contemporary basil and mint leaves
- ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¾ cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- ½ cup diced pink onion
- â…“ cup toasted pine nuts
- 1 recipe Italian Dressing, plus 2 extra garlic cloves, grated
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly floor black pepper
- Pink pepper flakes
- 1 cup roasted chickpeas
Forestall your display from going darkish
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In a big bowl, mix the quinoa, roasted tomatoes, arugula, cucumbers, basil and mint, feta, olives, onion, and pine nuts.
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Toss to mix, then drizzle with half the dressing and toss once more. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and some pinches of pink pepper flakes and toss once more. Season to style, tossing with extra dressing as desired. High with the roasted chickpeas and serve.
Make this recipe vegan by omitting the cheese.
