A filling salad full of fresh Mediterranean flavors make for a protein packed meal full of clean ingredients that everyone will love.
I’ve got another filling salad for you to make over the weekend – or even to prep on Sunday for lunches next week. You do you. This quinoa salad is loaded with some of my absolute favorite mediterranean ingredients; fresh herbs like parsley, crumbled feta cheese, kalamata olives and all the fresh lemon (you know I love lemon), plus chickpeas for texture.
I love meat, but for real this is a complete meal on it’s on, and it’s E A S Y to make! I don’t eat a ton of quinoa, but over the summer I seem to prefer this over other grains, though technically quinoa isn’t a grain, I think we all pretty much eat like it is. And I also love that you can make quinoa in fifteen minutes! Like this is seriously the least complicated meal you could make all summer long.
While yo’ quinoa cooks in a pot, you can chop and prep your remaining ingredients, whisk together your balsamic vinaigrette, and by the time your quinoa is done (and cooled), you’ll be ready to GO. I love how fresh tasting this quinoa salad is once everything is combined together.
How to flavor quinoa
I like to use chicken stock instead of water when I prepare quinoa. It’s adds an extra level of flavor. If you’re vegetarian, and would rather use veggie stock, you could do that instead. And if you want to use water as most directions call for, that’s completely fine too.
When we have weekend parties to attend, I like to bring this Mediterranean Quinoa Salad as my contribution so I don’t gorge on everything else. I mean I will still probably sample a little of this, and a little of that anyways but knowing I have a healthy, filling fresh salad like this with all the mediterranean flavahas coming in during the main event means I can’t fill up too much on junk.
If you do plan to make this ahead for the week, you could store in mason jars to ensure everything stays fresh (they’ll stay fresh for five (5) days in a mason jar!), and then grab it, and go. Perfect, easy, fresh, D O N E.
items used to make this meal:
chopped mediterranean quinoa salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1½ cups quinoa - cooked according to package directions (sub chicken stock for water, if desired)
- 1 15- ounce can chickpeas - garbanzo beans, drained
- ⅓ cup cherry or grape tomatoes - chopped
- ⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives - sliced
- ⅓ cup English cucumber - diced
- ⅓ cup red onion - diced
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley - torn from stem
Vinaigrette
- ½ cup avocado oil - or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves - pressed
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
Instructions
- In a saucepan, cook the quinoa according to package directions. Cool completely.
- Prep the vinaigrette by whisking the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pressed garlic, dill and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, set aside (can also be made in advance).
- Prep, drain and chop veggies.
- To a large serving bowl, add the cooled quinoa, chickpeas, veggies, parsley, kalamata olives and feta cheese. Mix to combine.
- Drizzle with the dressing and garnish with extra parsley and feta, if desired.
Notes
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Jen says
Yum! This is so perfect for summer.