Not only is this Mediterranean quinoa salad beautiful — it's tasty and good for you too! This salad is satisfying, nutritious, and easy to make with a simple olive oil dressing.
About This Recipe
This recipe is an instant-favorite because it's delicious and versatile. You can make it as a main dish, side dish, or meal prep for your week! The flavors of the salad actually get better after it's been in the fridge for a couple of days.
Full of Mediterranean-inspired flavors, this salad is fresh, light, and flavorful. The quinoa also makes a tasty base for this salad as it soaks up so much of the flavor from the other ingredients and the dressing.
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this recipe. The full recipe and ingredient list can be found at the bottom of the page.
For the salad:
- Quinoa
- Cherry tomatoes
- Chickpeas
- Cucumber
- Red onion
- Flat-leaf parsley
- Feta
- Black olives
For the dressing:
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Garlic powder
Instructions
Here's how to make this recipe in 4 simple steps::
- Cook the quinoa: rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Add it to 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn the heat to low. Let the quinoa simmer for 15 minutes, until cooked. Once cooked, fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
- Make the dressing: in a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dressing.
- Mix the salad: Add the quinoa to a large bowl with the remaining salad ingredients. Drizzle the dressing on top and toss to mix. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice as desired.
- Serve: for best flavor, chill your salad for 10 minutes or more (covered, in the fridge) before serving.
Variations
Here are some popular substitutions and additions to this recipe:
- Quinoa: this recipe calls for white quinoa, but you could also use red quinoa or any similar grain.
- Olives: use black olives (like Kalamata olives) or green olives.
- Lettuce: add a leafy base like spinach or arugula to turn this into a green salad.
Similar Recipes
For similar Mediterranean-inspired with nearly identical ingredients, check out our Orzo Pasta Salad and Mediterranean Chickpea Salad.
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment & rating at the bottom of this page!
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Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Not only is this Mediterranean quinoa salad beautiful — it's tasty and good for you too! This salad is satisfying, nutritious, and easy to make with a simple olive oil dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
- 2 cups sliced cucumber
- ½ cups diced red onion
- ⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- ½ cup cubed feta
- ½ cup black olives
For the dressing:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa: rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Add it to 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn the heat to low. Let the quinoa simmer for 15 minutes, until cooked. Once cooked, fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
- Make the dressing: in a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dressing.
- Mix the salad: Add the quinoa to a large bowl with the remaining salad ingredients. Drizzle the dressing on top and toss to mix. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice as desired.
- Serve: for best flavor, chill your salad for 10 minutes or more (covered, in the fridge) before serving.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course, Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼th of recipe
- Calories: 432
- Sugar: 6.3
- Sodium: 670mg
- Fat: 26.5g
- Saturated Fat: 7.2g
- Carbohydrates: 39.8g
- Fiber: 6.9g
- Protein: 11.8g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
Keywords: mediterranean, quinoa, salad, feta, olive oil dressing, olives, chickpeas
Nutrition disclaimer: please note that nutrition information is an estimate and may vary based on the exact ingredients & brands that you use.
Lindsay M
Great recipe, have made this several times & made it this week for meal prep.
★★★★★
Kat Gicante
Wonderful salad!
This was the first salad I made since getting out of school and it has been wonderful! The family comes in and helps themselves to a bowlful whenever they are hungry and want a quick lunch/snack that is healthy. The flavor is nice and bright and add some grilled chicken or shrimp into the mix and you have a great supper!
★★★★★