This simple quinoa salad is full of spinach, tomatoes, crimson onion, avocado and feta with a easy lemon dressing. It’s the right wholesome aspect dish!
If me, I like a superb quinoa salad! I’ve made so many through the years that I’ve constructed up fairly the gathering, however I nonetheless have a favourite that I’ll at all times make time and time once more.
That’s the recipe I’m sharing at the moment.
Why You’ll Love This Salad
- Straightforward to make – You solely want 8 predominant substances (plus salt and pepper) and as soon as your quinoa is cooked this salad comes collectively in about 10 minutes!
- Customizable – I like this recipe as is, however be happy to make it your personal! Use no matter veggies you could have readily available, add protein, use a special dressing… the choices are infinite!
- Meal-prep pleasant – This salad solely will get higher because it sits, making it excellent for meal prep.
// ★★★★★ Overview //
“This can be a keeper and really easy to make. I doubled the recipe and added some chopped celery for crunch. LOVED it! That is excellent as written however can also be an incredible base salad to make and add no matter contemporary greens I’ve readily available. Very versatile.” – Kyasi
Quinoa Salad Elements
Right here’s what you’ll must make this scrumptious (and tremendous simple) quinoa salad:
- quinoa – that is the bottom of the recipe and you should utilize any sort of quinoa you want from white, black, crimson to tri-color. Any selection will work for this recipe. On the subject of tips on how to prepare dinner quinoa for salad, it’s mainly the identical course of as regular, however I wish to make my quinoa a day prematurely, let it cool and chill it within the fridge in a single day after which use it for the salad the subsequent day.
- child spinach – child spinach has a gentle taste and texture that works completely on this quinoa salad. I like thinly slicing it or shredded it so the items are bite-size and simple to eat.
- cherry tomatoes – these little guys add such nice taste to the salad.
- crimson onion – the right approach so as to add a little bit of taste and crunch. You should utilize yellow onion if wanted.
- lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and pepper – as an alternative of an elaborate dressing, we’re utilizing these 4 gadgets so as to add a lightweight and refreshing taste to the salad.
- avocados – for some creaminess and wholesome fats.
- feta cheese – this provides such a superb taste to the salad so I wouldn’t advocate omitting it. If wanted you should utilize a vegan feta.
Recipe Variations
- Dairy-free: Use a vegan feta cheese just like the Comply with Your Coronary heart dairy-free feta crumbles.
- Add protein: Every serving of this salad already has 8 grams of protein, however you can at all times add extra by tossing in about 1 cup of chickpeas or white beans or including in some chopped grilled hen.
- Swap veggies: Have completely different veggies readily available? Use no matter you could have! Cucumber, broccoli, bell peppers or a special inexperienced would all be nice additions!
- Add herbs: For some added freshness, combine in some contemporary herbs like parsley, dill, basil or cilantro.
- Add nuts: For some crunch, combine in some nuts or seeds like sunflower seeds, pistachios or almonds.
- Searching for extra quinoa salad variations? Do this greek quinoa salad, roasted broccoli quinoa salad or southwestern quinoa salad. They’re all so good!
Easy methods to Make Quinoa Salad
One your quinoa is cooked and veggies are chopped this quinoa salad recipe comes collectively in a matter of minutes. Right here’s tips on how to make it:
Step 1: Cook dinner your quinoa by first rinsing and draining it. Then add the quinoa and water to a saucepan and produce it to a boil. As soon as boiling, cut back to a simmer, cowl and prepare dinner for quarter-hour. Fluff with a fork and let cool for 5-10 minutes. This step will be performed prematurely!
Step 2: In a big bowl, stir collectively your cooked quinoa, chopped spinach, tomatoes, crimson onion and feta.
Step 3: In a small mixing bowl whisk collectively your lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the quinoa combination and gently stir to ensure every little thing will get coated with the dressing.
Step 4: Add avocado chunks and serve instantly or let the salad chill within the fridge a pair hours earlier than serving. If chilling, you possibly can add the avocado proper earlier than serving to forestall browning.
What to Serve with Quinoa Salad
Truthfully, this salad pairs effectively with absolutely anything! It’s my go-to aspect for cookouts and potlucks and I at all times get requested for the recipe. Listed here are some pairing concepts:
Easy methods to Retailer Leftover Quinoa Salad
This salad shops tremendous effectively, making it excellent for meal prep!
To make it prematurely: I might advocate leaving the avocado out and including that in proper earlier than serving. The remainder of the salad will be absolutely assembled and saved in an hermetic container for 3-4 days within the fridge.
To retailer leftovers: Retailer any leftovers in an hermetic container for 3-4 days within the fridge.
Most Salad Recipes
Make sure to take a look at all of my quinoa recipes in addition to the total assortment of salad recipes on EBF!
Images by Ashley McLaughlin.
This publish was initially revealed on April 5, 2021, up to date on September 7, 2023 and republished on April 12, 2024.
