Greek Quinoa Salad

Greek Quinoa Salad sides A refreshing and healthy Greek Quinoa Salad is perfect for warm weather, packed with flavors and textures from the Mediterranean. This salad is a twist on the classic Greek salad, with the addition of protein-rich quinoa, making it a satisfying and filling meal. healthy salads Greek Quinoa Salad salads, quinoa, Greek

A refreshing and healthy Greek Quinoa Salad is perfect for warm weather, packed with flavors and textures from the Mediterranean. This salad is a twist on the classic Greek salad, with the addition of protein-rich quinoa, making it a satisfying and filling meal. To make this delicious salad, cook quinoa and let it cool, then mix it with juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers and bell peppers, kalamata olives, chickpeas and crumbled feta cheese. A zesty lemon vinaigrette, made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and oregano, brings all the flavors together. This salad is perfect for a light lunch, dinner, or as a side dish for your summer gatherings. You can also customize it to your taste by adding grilled chicken, steak, or fish. Enjoy!

Greek Quinoa Salad

Greek Quinoa Salad Recipe Ingredients

For the Salad

  • QUINOA: Any kind or colour quinoa you like. If you prefer to use a different grain you could easily use brown rice, wild rice, farro or you could even use orzo or other small pasta making this a pasta salad
  • CHICKPEAS: They add extra plant protein, fiber, and heartiness to this salad. I love the chickpeas in this salad but if you are not a fan you can omit or a great substitute is white beans or cannellini beans.
  • CUCUMBER: English cucumbers or the Persian baby varieties are great in this salad. Feel free to scoop out the seeds if you prefer that and also to peel the skins. The most important thing is to choose nice and firm ones that will be nice and crisp.
  • TOMATOES: A fresh addition to this salad. I usually use cherry tomatoes but grape tomatoes work or whatever tomatoes you have just make sure they are cut into bite size pieces
  • OLIVES: Kalamata olives are the variety I use for this greek quinoa salad but you can really use any variety.
  • PEPPERS: I like to add bell peppers to add loads of crunch to the salad. Use any color you prefer. Red bell peppers add a nice sweet crunch. I also love to add in some sliced pepperoncini peppers for some extra flavor and tang. You can also use banana peppers if you prefer them over pepperoncini.
  • SHALLOT & GREEN ONIONS: I like the sweet flavor of the shallots but if you prefer to use red onion you can. Green onions add really nice flavor to the salad too.
  • FETA CHEESE: You guys know I love feta but if you don’t you could easily use diced mozzarella, goat cheese, Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese. If you want to keep this salad vegan simply omit the feta or swap it out for a vegan friendly cheese option that you like.
  • ADD INS: Feel free to toss in more vegetables or if you like your salad herby feel free to add in some chopped fresh herbs like fresh parsley, fresh dill, mint or fresh basil. If you would like to add some fresh salad greens you can like baby spinach, any kind of lettuce, chopped kale or arugula. For some extra crunch you could add in chopped nuts like almonds, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts or even some seeds like pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.

Greek Quinoa Salad

For the Greek Salad Dressing

  • OLIVE OIL: I use extra virgin olive oil
  • RED WINE VINEGAR: Red wine vinegar adds a tangy, bright flavor and acidity to salad dressings, which can complement other ingredients like olive oil, mustard, and herbs. Feel free to use any vinegar like balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Just a little is all you need for this recipe.
  • LEMON JUICE & LEMON ZEST: The lemon juice does the same as the vinegar but together with the lemon zest, really brightens up the flavors in this salad
  • HONEY: The honey adds just a touch of sweetness. Feel free to use maple syrup or any other sweetener you prefer.
  • GARLIC: use as little or as much as you like. Fresh garlic always adds more intense flavor - for more subtle flavor you could use powdered garlic if you prefer.
  • MUSTARD: I like to use Dijon mustard in my dressing but yellow mustard works too.
  • OREGANO: It is a classic dried herb for any greek salad - adjust amount to taste.
  • TAHINI: Tahini might seem like an unusual add in but I love it and it adds a creamy, nutty flavor. It is optional but a tasty add in if you have some in your pantry.

Greek Quinoa Salad

How To Make Quinoa Salad

  1. Cook & Cool Quinoa: All you need is water and a pinch of salt with the quinoa (for more flavor you could cook the quinoa in chicken broth). Allow the quinoa to fully cool before tossing it with the other ingredients.
  2. Make Dressing: Whisk all ingredients in a bowl or shake in a mason jar. Taste and season to taste or adjust acidity and sweetness to taste.
  3. Assemble Salad: Toss the quinoa, vegetables and dressing together in a large bowl, serve and enjoy!

Quinoa Salad Make Ahead & Storage Tips

  • Make ahead: The whole salad dressed and ready can be made up to 1 day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. If it is any longer than that and you want to make it for meal prep, I’d suggest not dressing the salad as it can get soft and will lose its crunch. I also recommend not tossing all the ingredients together until you are ready to serve. Cooking the quinoa is a great part of the recipe to make ahead. Cook and cool the quinoa and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days in the fridge. The veggies will lose a bit of their crunchy texture but the salad will still be delicious.

Greek Quinoa Salad

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Recipe

Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

For the Quinoa

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • Pinch of salt

For the Salad

  • 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 English cucumber, chopped
  • ¾ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
  • 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • ¼ cup sliced pepperoncini
  • ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 2 bell peppers, seeds and stems removed, diced
  • 1 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 green onions, sliced

For the Dressing

  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Zest and juice of one lemon
  • 2 teaspoon honey
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon tahini (optional)
  • Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

Cook Quinoa

  1. Add quinoa, water, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
  2. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed.
  3. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let cooked quinoa cool to room temperature.

Make Dressing

  1. Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, garlic, mustard, tahini, and oregano in a small bowl
  2. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Assemble Salad

  1. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, kalamata olives, shallots, bell peppers, pepperoncini peppers, green onions and feta cheese.
  2. Drizzle the salad with dressing and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Greek Quinoa Salad