A simple, healthy Summer Quinoa Salad packed with blueberries, corn, cucumber, peaches, herbs, and lemon olive oil dressing. Great for lunches or potlucks!
I made you a summer salad! We’re doing this thang!
Is it just me or has this blog been overrun with treats as of late? I’m not complaining, but I realize you consume more than mango blondies and chocolate zucchini banana bread. Or don’t you?
I swear, I eat real meals, too. A couple weeks ago, I yearned for a fresh, summery salad with pops of juicy flavor and texture from all the farmer’s fruits and veggies. We’re talking peaches, corn, blueberries, cucumber and plenty of fresh herbies.
Mint! Parsley! Lemon juice! I’m singing right now.
I wanted something I could throw in a Pyrex and eat throughout the week for simple lunches, and I feel reeeeeally good about where we ended up with this dreamboat of a grain salad. It’s a party in a bowl, truly.
This is one of those quinoa salads that would go over super well at potlucks amongst the seven potato salads, broccoli salads, and fruit kabobs.
How to Cook Quinoa
How to Cook QuinoaYou can use white, red, or tri-color quinoa here. I love that it packs a [complete] protein punch with all nine essential amino acid, trumping the protein content of other whole grains. That’s because it’s technically a seed!
- If it’s not pre-rinsed, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve to get rid of the bitter tasting outer layer.
- Place 3/4 cup quinoa in a small saucepan with 1 1/4 cups water. (I typically do a ratio of 1 part quinoa to 1.5 parts liquid).
- Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the liquid has absorbed and quinoa looks fluffy.
- Fluff with a fork, transfer to a medium bowl, and allow it to cool.
Fun Add-ins and Substitution Ideas
Fun Add-ins and Substitution IdeasI love that this recipe is super customizable, especially according to what’s in season (or what’s in your fridge!). I’m already drooling over a fall version with roasted squash, apples, sage and pecans. Yummmm.
- Add feta or goat cheese for more tang and creaminess.
- Add chickpeas, white beans, or grilled chicken for a protein boost.
- Don’t have fresh blueberries? Try halved grapes, dried cherries or cranberries.
- I love the crunch the almonds add, but you could also try pepitas or sunflower seeds.
- For a more traditional tabouli style salad, you could use bulgar as the grain.
What to Serve with This Recipe
This salad is mighty fine on it’s own, but you have my permission to beef it up however you’d like. Try serving it with:
- grilled chicken, shrimp, or seared scallops
- more tidbits like a snack plate! I paired it with a big scoop of hummus, celery sticks, and fresh cherries
- chickpeas or goat cheese, which you could stir right in for extra protein
More Quinoa Recipes to Devour
More Quinoa Recipes to Devour- Quinoa Veggie Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa “Fried” Rice
- Quinoa and Kale Salad
Summer Quinoa Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
A simple, healthy Summer Quinoa Salad packed with blueberries, corn, cucumber, peaches, herbs, and lemon olive oil dressing. Great for lunches or potlucks!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 3/4 cup corn
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 peach, pitted and cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup blueberries (or halved grapes)
- 1/2 cup diced cucumber
- 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1/4 cup roasted and salted almonds, chopped
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- zest and juice of 2 small lemons (or 1 large), more to taste
- 1/2 tsp each fine sea salt and black pepper
- optional: 1/2 cup feta or goat cheese
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Once cooked, set aside to cool while you chop the veggies. (I like to put it in the fridge to to speed up the cooling).
- Once cooled, transfer quinoa a large mixing bowl. Add the corn, onion, peach, blueberries, cucumber, mint, parsley, almonds, and optional cheese. Stir to combine.
- Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, stirring again. Taste salad and adjust seasoning if needed until the flavor really pops (like a pinch more salt or a squeeze more lemon). The flavors will get even better once it’s sat in the fridge!
Notes
Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Great recipe! I loved having it for lunches. I could see this being great in the fall too with squash and pecans for sure. Very yum!
★★★★★
This salad was delicious! I was able to use up so many fruits/veggies already in my fridge. I also love the super simple dressing! The leftovers are amazing for a simple, healthy lunch.
★★★★★
Awesome! I agree–such an easy and yummy lunch. Thanks, Holly!
This was so refreshing and delicious! My husband doesn’t typically eat a few of these fruits/veggies but in the mix, he LOVED it all! It was easy to do too; I’m quite the novice. Now having it on hand in the fridge had made a weeks worth of healthy & satisfying lunches so I can be on the go and avoid grabbing something quick & processed!
★★★★★
Yay! I’m so happy it was hubby-approved 🙂 Thanks, Summer!
I’m obsessed with this salad! My husband even asked me to put it on our weekly menu for lunch. I made a version without peaches and it is still fantastic. 10 out of 10!
★★★★★
Yayyyy thanks Helen!! So glad you guys loved it!
I saw a mouth-watering pic of this recipe and knew I HAD to make it! I followed your ingredient list pretty closely, except I had to omit the mint leaves (the store was out) and I added in a few diced grape tomatoes and strawberries since I had them on hand. The result was SOOO delicious!!! ♥ The whole family loved it – even my husband who isn’t usually a fan of salads with fruit, but the simple lemon and olive oil dressing won him over. Not too sweet, not too savory. Just perfectly balanced! I was really hoping for leftovers to take for lunch the next day, but my family emptied the bowl! I’ll just have to up the quantities the next time I make it 😉
p.s. I’m so looking forward to your recipe for the fall version of this salad!!!
★★★★★
Ohhhh strawberries, yum! Love those additions. Sounds like it’s time for another batch for your lunches! Thanks for the kind, review, Kim 🙂
I’ve read through several of your posts now and I quite enjoy your humour. I can’t wait to try this recipe, the cashew broccoli soup, the salmon patties and the vegan lasagna!
May I ask, if I wanted to add white beans to this dish, as you suggested as an option, would I need to cook them if they come from a can? Apologies for the ignorance, I am not much of a chef (yet).
Thank you so much, Sam! That means a lot. Canned beans are pre-cooked, so you’d just need to drain and rinse them and you’d be good to go. If you add beans, you may need a bit more lemon juice and salt for pop since there are more ingredients so just season it to taste 🙂
Making this for sure! Silly question here – is the corn cooked, canned, or frozen?
Whichever you want! Canned and frozen are both cooked already 🙂 If you’re using fresh corn that you shuck, you’d have to boil that. I used frozen corn that I defrosted.
Yum! So many flavors happening here!
★★★★★
Yasss! All the summer vibes!
Love this!! It’s perfect as either a meal on the go or a side! It’s so easy and refreshing 🙂 I’m definitely going to add this to my weekly rotation!!
★★★★★
Thanks, Sarah! Glad you loved it 🙂