Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
This Mediterranean Quinoa Salad is colorful, hearty, packed with wholesome ingredients and is ready just in 30 minutes.
Quinoa salads are popular for a reason. They are easy, quick to prepare and make it a good base for any veggie. Plus, it’s a powerhouse ingredient because it has a higher protein content than any other grain. Quinoa is so nutritious that NASA has used it to feed astronauts on long-term space missions.
In fact, one cup of cooked quinoa provides about 8 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fiber. Unlike some plant proteins, quinoa is a complete protein, meaning that it contains all nine essential amino acids that our bodies cannot make on their own.[1]
Both protein and fiber you find in this salad will keep you feeling satisfied!
Ingredients
This healthy quinoa salad recipe is delicious as it is, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play with it! Have fun customizing it based on what you’re craving or what you have on hand. Here are a few ideas to get you started
- Quinoa: a hearty, protein-packed base for our salad that adds the perfect balance of fluffy and crunchy texture.
- Cucumbers – For crunch and
- Cherry tomatoes – They add rich savory flavor and yummy chewy texture to this salad.
- Red onion – For sharp depth of flavor.
- Kalamata Olives: Known as ‘Greek black olives,’ Kalamata olives are deep-purple, plump and oblong. These were the olives I grew up eating and those you will find in many Greek and Mediterranean recipes. You can typically find them at the Olive Bar in large grocery stores or in the same aisle as jarred olives. Purchase the pitted variety for easy chopping.
- Parsley: adds a burst of freshness and brightens up all of the flavors in the salad.
Steps to make Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
This Mediterranean salad recipe has all the qualities of a Greek Salad with a plant-based twist! Simply:
- Make the vinaigrette. In a small mason jar or glass container, combine the red wine vinegar, olive oil, fresh garlic, Italian seasoning, fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Shake or whisk vigorously for 30 seconds to emulsify.
- Dress the quinoa. Place the cooked quinoa (preferably warm – see PRO TIP below) in a large bowl and drizzle half of the dressing on top. Stir to combine.
- Add the prepared vegetables. Add the cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, chopped parsley and red onion. Toss together with the remaining dressing.
- Sprinkle more parsley, taste for seasoning and add, if necessary. Serve warm, room temperature or cold.
Final tips
- Pouring the dressing over the quinoa while it is still warm ensures the quinoa absorbs more flavor. The tiny grains act as a sponge to soak up that wonderful dressing.
- Cook the quinoa ahead of time. The quinoa should be cool or at room temperature when you toss this salad together. If it’s too warm, it’ll kind of cook the fresh veggies.
How to store leftover
Everything in this dish will last a while in the fridge without getting soggy, so it’s perfect for fresh meals all week! You can easily pop all of the salad components into a mason jar or storage container for a great portable on-the-go meal idea, and it will stay delicious in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Serving suggestion
Since this recipe is packed with protein, fiber and fat, I often enjoy it as a complete meal for lunch. But for those nights when I want a hearty, full-flavored meal, I serve this simple quinoa salad as a side dish to some of my favorite meat dishes such as:
You’ll like every bit of it. It’s finger-lickin’ good! Enjoy it, friends!🌞
For more hearty salads, Try these ones:
Detoxing Beet and Carrot Salad
Lentil Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato
Thank you for your support and follow us along here! That’s a sunshine in my heart! If you would like to see more, you also can find us on Instagram and follow us there as well! Did you make this recipe? I’d love to see your creations by tagging a picture here #thesunshinekitchen__. If you want to support our business, the best way to do it, it’s sharing our recipes, so more people will know about them. Your opinion is important to us! Leave us your feedback by rating and commenting at the bottom of this page!
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 cup cucumber cut in slices
- ¾ cup Kalamata olives pitted and sliced
- ½ cup red onion cut in slices
- 1 cup parsley chopped
Dressing
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- half of a lemon juice
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a small glass, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning salt and pepper. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds to emulsify.
- Place the cooked quinoa in a large bowl and drizzle half of the dressing on top. Stir to combine.
- Add the rest of the ingredients: cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, Kalamata olives, parsley. Toss together with the remaining dressing.
- Top with parsley and feta cheese(optional). Serve warm or cold!
Notes
- If you are planning to serve to a crowd, feel free to cook the quinoa one day in advance and drizzle it with half of the lemon vinaigrette recipe while it is still warm (as noted above). I would then store the dressed quinoa, remaining dressing and all other ingredients in separate containers in the fridge.
- When ready to serve, add all the ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss to combine.
- Everything in this dish will last a while in the fridge without getting soggy, so it’s perfect for fresh meals all week! You can easily pop all of the salad components into a mason jar or storage container for a great portable on-the-go meal idea, and it will stay delicious in the fridge for up to 5 days.