This Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe is hearty, wholesome, and full of contemporary taste! Serve it as a aspect 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 aspect dish, nevertheless it’s so hearty and satisfying that it may be the primary occasion, too.
And when you occur to have leftovers, you’re in luck! This quinoa salad retains effectively when you make it forward of time, so it’s an important recipe to meal prep for wholesome lunches all through the week.
Through the years, I’ve shared numerous 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 shiny. I hope you find it irresistible too!
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Elements
Right here’s what you’ll must make this Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe:
- Quinoa, in fact! Quinoa cooks like a grain, nevertheless it’s really a grain-like seed that hails from South America. It’s naturally gluten-free and full of fiber and plant-based protein. Discover my technique 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 you should definitely plan forward.
- Persian cucumbers – For crunch.
- Crimson onion – For sharp depth of taste.
- Feta cheese – I like its creamy texture and tangy taste on this quinoa salad recipe, however be at liberty to skip it when you’re vegan.
- Kalamata olives – I’m an olive convert! For years, I averted olives, however their briny, salty taste takes this salad to a complete new stage.
- Toasted pine nuts and roasted chickpeas – They add protein, nutty taste, and plenty of 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 quite a lot of leafy herbs right here, resembling mint, parsley, oregano, thyme, and/or basil.
- Italian dressing – Brilliant, tangy, and flecked with (extra) herbs, it ties the entire salad collectively!
Discover the whole recipe with measurements under.
Methods to Cook dinner Quinoa
Cooking quinoa is quite a bit like cooking rice:
- Rinse the quinoa in a high quality 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.
- Carry the water to a boil, then scale 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, lined, for 10 minutes to proceed to steam.
Then, fluff with a fork! 1 cup dry quinoa yields 3 cups cooked. For extra quinoa-cooking suggestions, try my information to prepare dinner quinoa.
For this recipe, I like to recommend cooking the quinoa forward. It needs to be cool or at room temperature if you toss the salad collectively. If it’s nonetheless heat, it’ll wilt the arugula and contemporary herbs. Cook dinner it at the least an hour and as much as 2 days earlier than you assemble the salad.
Methods 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 purple pepper flakes and tossing once more.
Season to style, including extra dressing as desired. Prime with the roasted chickpeas and serve!
Recipe Variations
This wholesome quinoa salad recipe is scrumptious as written, however that doesn’t imply you’ll be able to’t play with it! Have enjoyable customizing it primarily based on what you’re craving or what you have got readily available. Listed below are just a few concepts to get you began:
- Make it vegan. Skip the cheese! Add just a few additional olives or roasted tomatoes to amp up the savory taste.
- Change the grain. As an alternative 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 totally. As an alternative, stir in a cup of roasted broccoli, 1/2 cup roasted purple 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 aspect dish with a summer time dinner. It pairs effectively with traditional cookout fare like veggie burgers, black bean burgers, portobello mushroom burgers, or BBQ jackfruit sandwiches.
It’s additionally a beautiful vegetarian principal dish. Spherical out the meal with grilled greens or sautéed yellow squash.
When you have leftovers, this Mediterranean quinoa salad packs up completely for lunch. For the most effective taste, retailer a number of the contemporary herbs individually and scatter them on proper earlier than you eat. I additionally advocate seasoning to style with salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and/or an additional squeeze of lemon juice after this salad has spent just a few days within the fridge.
Extra Favourite Hearty Salads
Should you love this straightforward, wholesome quinoa salad recipe, attempt one among 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 aspect dish. For fast 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 purple onion
- â…“ cup toasted pine nuts
- 1 recipe Italian Dressing, plus 2 further garlic cloves, grated
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly floor black pepper
- Crimson pepper flakes
- 1 cup roasted chickpeas
Stop 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 purple pepper flakes and toss once more. Season to style, tossing with extra dressing as desired. Prime with the roasted chickpeas and serve.
Make this recipe vegan by omitting the cheese.
