Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Flavorful, light and easy to assemble! This Mediterranean Quinoa Salad is a recipe that I have been making for years! It’s great as a meal prep or as a simple side for dinner.
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad is a deliciously fresh and flavorful salad that’s perfect as a side or a light meal. With a base of chickpeas and quinoa, mixed with plenty of fresh veggies and a dreamy lemon vinaigrette, this is a salad that is sure to steal the show!
This salad is light enough to serve as a side with a protein like Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers or Middle Eastern Falafel but it’s also filling enough to be a meal all on its own. The best part of this salad is it makes amazing leftovers so it’s perfect for meal prep!
Why Make This Recipe
- Summer Choice: Full of vegetables and fresh herbs, this salad has everything you would want in a light summer side!
- Amazing Flavor: Who doesn’t love the powerful flavor of sundried tomatoes, cucumber and chickpeas? We’re topping it off with a homemade lemon vinaigrette that you are going to love!
- Great Meal Prep: Life gets busy but having some of this quick and flavorful Mediterranean Quinoa Salad in the fridge makes it easy to get in a full meal without any effort!
Key Ingredients for Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Quinoa: Make sure to rinse it before cooking to remove the bitter outer coating. Cook ahead of time and let it cool so it doesn’t steam the vegetables.
- Crumbled feta cheese: You can buy the pre-crumbled feta or find a block and crumble it yourself! Fresh feta to crumble yourself is typically a little juicier and tender, so that is what I prefer to use if possible. You can also use goat cheese if you want something tangier!
- Sun dried tomatoes: You only need to use half a jar for this recipe, though if you really love sundried tomatoes, you can use the whole thing. I prefer to use the julienne cut tomatoes so that I don’t need to dirty a cutting board slicing the tomatoes thinner. Use your leftover for Marry me Chicken Pasta or Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas add protein while keeping this meal vegetarian but feel free to substitute for some shredded chicken if desired (or add both!)
- Avocado: If you are going to meal prep this salad I recommend leaving out the avocado until you are ready to eat so that it doesn’t brown.
- Cucumber: English cucumbers work best because they are less moist than regular cucumbers, but any cucumbers will do!
- Fresh parsley: Fresh parsley adds another level of fresh flavor to the salad. Dried parsley won’t have the same effect!
- Red onion: Red onion is crisp and delicious. If you do not like a strong onion flavor, try soaking your diced red onion in ice water before adding it to your salad. It will take some of the bite out!
- Red wine vinegar: Red wine vinegar has a pretty bold flavor, so you can substitute it out for white wine vinegar if you want something a little more subtle.
- Mayonnaise: This makes the dressing creamy and delicious. You could substitute plain Greek yogurt for a healthier option.
Recipe Variations
This salad is easy to customize to your liking with more of your favorite Mediterranean flavors. Here are a few to try:
- Switch up the Grain: If you don’t like quinoa you could use couscous, brown rice or even farro
- Add More Veggies: Fresh cherry tomatoes, red or yellow bell peppers, spinach, kale or arugula would all be amazing in this salad. You could also throw in some kalamata olives for a burst of salty flavor (the only reason I didn’t do this is because olives are one of the only foods on my list of things I refuse to eat haha).
- Switch up the Texture: Some roasted pine nuts would add a delicious crunch to the salad and a depth of flavor
- Experiment with the Dressing: A bit of pesto in this salad would be delicious or you could save some time and use your favorite bottled Greek dressing
How to Make Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Step One: Mix all the dressing ingredients together until emulsified.
Step Two: Cook the quinoa and allow it to cool.
Step Three: Mix all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
Step Four: Pour the dressing over the ingredients and mix to combine.
Expert Tips
- You can serve this salad at room temperature or cold.
- To keep everything crisp, make sure to add the dressing right before serving! If you want the flavor to seep in and meld together, you can dress ahead of time.
- Instead of olive oil, you can also use the oil from the sundried tomato jar for a more interesting flavor.
Recipe FAQs
This quinoa salad is delicious as a side dish or main dish. It’s a filling lunch all on its own or delicious served with any grilled meat.
Quinoa has a light skin that can be a little bitter. Rinsing your quinoa before cooking helps remove this skin and will result in better flavor! Place your quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cool water for 30 to 60 seconds.
Yes! Your salad will be good in the fridge for about 4-5 days. Give it a good mix before serving again so that any separated dressing can be reincorporated.
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Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ 8 oz jar julienne cut sun dried tomatoes, drained
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1½ Avocado, pitted and cubed
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
- ½ red onion, finely diced
Dressing Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- ½ tsp – 1 tsp salt, depending on taste
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the package. Allow to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients, whisking until emulsified.
- In a large bowl, mix the quinoa with the rest of the salad ingredients. Then pour dressing over the top, mixing until the salad is full coated.
- Serve cold or room temperature! Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Crumbled feta cheese: You can buy the pre-crumbled feta or find a block and crumble it yourself! You can also use goat cheese if you want something tangier!
- Sun dried tomatoes: You only need to use half a jar for this recipe, though if you really love sundried tomatoes, you can use the whole thing. Use your leftover for Marry me Chicken Pasta or Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas add protein while keeping this meal vegetarian, but feel free to substitute for some shredded chicken if desired (or add both!)
- Cucumber: English cucumbers work best because they are less moist than regular cucumbers, but any cucumbers will do!
- Fresh parsley: Fresh parsley adds another level of fresh flavor to the salad. Dried parsley won’t have the same effect!
- Red wine vinegar: You can substitute it out for white wine vinegar if you want something a little more subtle.
- Mayonnaise: You could substitute plain Greek yogurt for a healthier option.
- You can serve this salad at room temperature or cold.
- To keep everything crisp, make sure to add the dressing right before serving! If you want the flavor to seep in and meld together, you can dress ahead of time.
- Instead of olive oil, you can also use the oil from the sundried tomato jar for a more interesting flavor.
