Zesty Quinoa Salad
This herbed Quinoa Salad is tossed with a zesty lemon honey vinaigrette, bursting with flavors! Serve as a side dish or full meal.
We love this quinoa salad because it’s a great summertime recipe (or anytime salad) and great for a potluck.
It’s light and zesty salad with a refreshing kick, while the quinoa provides a great source of protein. This salad is fresh served right away, and even better the next day when all the flavors have melded together. We love this for lunch, with added protein like chicken or steak.
Zesty Quinoa Salad
This herbed salad combines quinoa, artichokes, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and a fresh herby dressing, which makes the perfect zesty Mediterrean quinoa salad. We also love a good quinoa salad with chickpeas.
There is nothing better than enjoying a simple fresh salad for lunch on a hot summer day. And this easy salad does not disappoint!
Why I love this recipe
- Easy to make ahead
- Customize with favorite veggies and herbs
- Great summer potluck recipe
- Serve as a full meal or side dish
Gather these ingredients:
- Cooked quinoa
- Grilled artichokes (we use Delallo brand)
- Castelvetrano olives (we use Delallo brand)
- Herbs: Fresh parsley, mint, green onions
- Veggies: Cherry tomatoes, Persian cucumbers. and baby bell peppers
Zesty quinoa salad dressing
- Lime and lemon
- Honey (use maple syrup for Vegan recipe)
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
How do you make a quinoa salad?
- Cook quinoa according to package directions; allow to cool before mixing.
- In a small bowl, combine the lime, lemon, olive oil, and honey. Whisk until combined and salt to taste. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, cucumber, tomato, green onion, parsley, mint, green onion, artichoke, olives, bell peppers, and dressing.
- Mix well and taste for additional seasoning.
- Serve salad cold.
We are trying to eat more quinoa as it is so good for you and it’s great for those who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet. For any recipe that calls for rice, you can swap it out for quinoa (amazing source of protein). We also love making quinoa bowls, and for fall try our Pear Quinoa Salad! Or make this Mexican Sweet Potato Quinoa Casserole!
Serve this salad today with these turkey burgers, or just make for a satisfying lunch, or crowd-pleasing potluck dish.
Tips and substitutions:
A large serving bowl yields servings of delicious quinoa salad that is excellent for leftovers! And of course we love cooking with Delallo foods. Have you tried their “grilled” artichoke hearts? This really makes this salad!
- Optional to add any protein to this salad (salmon, chicken, steak, pork, tuna, shrimp)
- Add more veggies, like snap peas, brocoli, cabbage, radish.
- Swap out the honey for maple syrup (to make a Vegan dressing).
- For a blander (not zesty) dressing, you can just add olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
Make it to feed a crowd, or simply to have leftovers for the week—this salad gets better as it sits!
ENJOY!
If you’ve followed me for long, you know that we are big quinoa lovers.
Here are a few more recipes to try:
Chicken Quinoa Black Bean Bake
Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake
Get the Recipe:
Zesty Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ c quinoa, make according to package directions
- ¾ cup DeLalllo grilled artichokes, roughly chopped
- ⅓ c DeLallo Castelvetrano olives, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
- ⅓ c mint, finely chopped
- 4 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 ½ c cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 Persian cucumbers, or 1/2 small English cucumber, cut into 1’’ quarters
- 6 baby bell peppers, diced
Dressing:
- 2 limes, juiced
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 2 Tbsp honey
- ¼ c olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package directions; allow to cool before mixing.
- MAKE THE DRESSING: In a small bowl, combine the lime, lemon, olive oil, and honey. Whisk until combined and salt to taste. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, cucumber, tomato, green onion, parsley, mint, green onion, artichoke, olives, bell peppers, and dressing.
- Mix well and taste for additional seasoning.
- Serve salad warm or cold.
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
