Colorful Mediterranean Quinoa Salad bursting with fresh crunchy veggies, tangy feta, briney olives, and my favorite red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing. This is my jam for potlucks because it sits well in the fridge but also stellar for lunch or dinner alongside grilled chicken.
Any OG Hummusapien readers recognize this post from a decade ago when I first hit publish or when we used to sell it at Alchemy? It feels like yesterday I was making this for customers at 6am!
This funky little psuedo-grain has come a long way in popularity and dare I say quinoa is now...mainstream? Beloved for it's complete protein content, it's a wonderful salad base for herbivores (like my 30-min Black Bean Quinoa Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing).
Add a pile of colorful, crunchy veg, a tangy dressing, creamy feta and a handful of herbs and BOOM. A wondrous, meal-worthy salad is born.
She's lovely as is (ideal for potlucks because it keeps well in the fridge) but also superb with grilled chicken, shrimp or salmon. Dig in!
The low down on ingredients
- Quinoa: You'll want to give it a good rinse in a fine mesh sieve to get rid of the bitter tasting saponins that naturally occur.
- Veggies: You know color is no stranger in my healthy salad recipes! Peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers for beauty, freshness and flavor.
- Red onion: The sharp bite of red onion goes swimmingly with the mildness of the other ingredients.
- Feta: I adore the creamy tang of feta. Omit and sub avocado for a vegan option.
- Kalamata olives: Give me all the briney things.
- Parsley: Fresh herby notes add so so much.
- Dressing: EVOO, red wine vin, oregano, garlic and honey create the most amazing dress to bring everything together.
Let's make it!
Cook quinoa, chop veggies, and combine in a bowl. Wouldya look at those colors?
Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
Add dressing, toss, and serve.
Storage
This salad will taste great after days in the fridge, making it amazing for prepping ahead. It'll last up to 5 days in the fridge.
Don't forget to let me know in the comments if you get your quinoa on!
Vibrant Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Colorful Mediterranean Quinoa Salad bursting with fresh crunchy veggies, tangy feta, briney olives, and my favorite red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing. This is my jam for potlucks because it sits well in the fridge but also stellar for lunch or dinner alongside grilled chicken.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups quinoa (uncooked)
- 1 medium cucumber, de-seeded and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- ½ large red onion, chopped
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, chopped
- ¾ cup feta cheese
- ¾ cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 1 cup parsley, loosely packed and finely chopped
- 1 batch 5 minute Mediterranean salad dressing
Instructions
- Place quinoa and 2 ½ cups water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer covered for about 15 minutes, or until quinoa is cooked through. Fluff with a fork. Transfer to a large mixing bowl to cool.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
- To the bowl with the cooling quinoa, add cucumber, pepper, red onion, tomatoes, feta, olives, and parsley. Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine. Serve room temp or chill in the fridge!
Kristen says
I prepped this for lunch this week! Wow it was so good!!! It was crunchy, crisp and so flavorful. Will definitely make again. It also held well throughout the week in the freezer. It tasted equally good on friday!
Alexis Joseph says
Isn't it so good leftover? Love it!
Sarah says
Stumbled across this recipe. It's great! I only did 1 cup (uncooked) of quinoa, because I love all the other stuff in the salad.
Vanessa Vera-Bernard says
Thank you for the recipe Alexis.
It's supper yummy and so easy to make!
Shannon says
This sounds delish! Not all these veggies would work, but I bet it would be yummy with roasted veggies too!
Alexis says
So glad you liked it, Cyndi!
Cyndi says
This was awesome, worth the time
Kellsey K says
Alexis - Just made a batch of this last night for lunch this week. Soooo delicious!
Alexis says
Yay! Isn't the bomb?! Perfect for lunches because it gets better as it sits!
Alexis says
Agave or honey would be good subs. I suppose you could leave it out, but I've never tried it!
Donna says
What can you recommend to substitute for maple syrup? (Can you leave it out if you wanted?) Thanks.
Maryea @ Happy Healthy Mama says
This is my kind of salad! I can see why it's so popular!
Alexis says
Hahaha that happens to me ALL the time!
Ann says
I eat raw veggies aaall day everyday. I'm often too lazy or short in time to put them in the oven or a pan so I just ear then as they are. And I like it that way! Crunchy, juice, sweet, yum. I can imagine the great taste of this salad already! Roasted veggies are sooo good too though!
Alexis says
That's awesome that you eat so many raw veggies!!
Robin lucas says
Yummy, I have all the ingredients to make a batch today!
Alexis says
Perfect!!
Rin says
This sounds delicious. I'm making this with the intention of eating it for lunch... but let's just be real: it'll be breakfast.
Alexis says
Hahaha that happens to me ALL the time!
Rin says
It WAS delicious. For both meals 🙂 Easy to throw together and healthy, with a taste like that- thank you for the recipe!