Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Mediterranean quinoa salad is a delicious recipe boasting plenty of fresh herbs, vegetables, beans, and more in every delicious bite. Greek olives, feta cheese and red onion transport your taste buds to sunny Greece, while cannellini beans bring a taste of Italy to the dish, and the simple garlic and lemon juice dressing adds a subtle flavor of its own to complement the Mediterranean ones.

Cooked quinoa is a great base for a tasty salad. It’s filling, tasty and pairs wonderfully with the fresh ingredients used. It’s a versatile recipe and you can enjoy the Mediterranean quinoa salad as a side dish or as a main course.

You might also like this roasted beet salad or how about Italian tuna white bean salad? And you can’t go wrong with this classic green goddess salad either! Coleslaw pasta salad and chicken caesar pasta salad are great too.

Why You’ll Love It

Full of flavour: The delightful thing about Mediterranean quinoa salad is the flavours are light and aromatic rather than bold and robust. The delicate taste of the fresh vegetables, herbs and beans, paired with the simple dressing makes this a salad you just have to try!
Simple to prepare: It couldn’t be easier to make Mediterranean quinoa salad. You just have to combine the ingredients for the salad recipe, combine the ingredients for the dressing, and toss together.
Customizable: The great thing about a healthy Mediterranean quinoa salad is you can omit whatever you want and add in whatever you like, to really make the dish your own. Change anything you want from the grain used to the vegetables, herbs, and even the dressing.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Ingredients

So what do you need to make this meal prep friendly Mediterranean quinoa salad? The cooked quinoa is one of the main ingredients of course.

And then you also need cannellini beans, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red pepper, Greek or kalamata olives, red onion, feta cheese, and fresh basil and parsley. As for the dressing, you will need olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.

How to Make This Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Recipe

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.

Combine the salad ingredients: Toss the quinoa with the beans, vegetables and kalamata olives in a large bowl.
Make the dressing: Whisk the extra virgin olive oil with the lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper.
The finishing touches: Toss the salad with the dressing, add the feta cheese to the quinoa salad, and toss again, then serve garnished with fresh herbs.

Substitutions and Variations

This Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe is highly adaptable and you can add anything you want in there. Garbanzo beans are good in place of, or in addition to, the cannellini beans.

Anything from toasted pine nuts to celery or sun dried tomatoes would work, or you can use roasted red peppers instead of fresh, roasted cherry tomatoes instead of raw, or even top the Mediterranean quinoa bowl with grilled chicken or steak.

Add a splash of balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar to the dressing if you like, or sub garlic paste for the garlic powder.

How to Serve Quinoa Salad Recipes

Since this is such a customizable recipe, you can either make it as it is and have it as a side dish, or you can add some meat or another protein and enjoy the wonderful Mediterranean flavors as a main course. This honey chilli chicken, baked halibut, pork chops, veal marsala, Spanish meatballs, or Italian beef would pair well. It is also one of my favorite side dishes for cod.

Serve alongside other sides such as kale crunch salad, burrata with tomatoes and pesto or roasted rainbow carrots.

Actually, the quinoa and beans make it filling enough to have for lunch, either alone or with some crackers or a piece of fruit.

How to Store Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Leftovers

Store: If you want to meal prep, combine the salad ingredients and whisk the dressing ingredients and keep them separate. You can do this up to a day ahead. If you have leftovers of the finished, combined Mediterranean quinoa salad, they will be fine for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Freeze: If you are wondering “Can you freeze quinoa salad?”, well, no. It’s not worth freezing quinoa salad because the vegetables thaw out with a mushy texture instead of staying fresh and crisp. You could freeze quinoa without veggies in it, but that isn’t what we are making here, with this vegetable-rich cold quinoa salad.

Healthy Quinoa Salad Recipe FAQs

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Recipe

This quinoa Mediterranean salad is just bursting with all the best Mediterranean flavours, offering plenty of nutrients and flavour in every mouthful. Quinoa salad recipes are fast and easy to prepare, ideal for a buffet at any type of get-together, and you can mix and match the ingredients to personalize it to your heart’s content.

Other Recipes to Try

• This Slow Cooker Tex Mex Quinoa Taco Bowl will be the star of your dinner table.
• A colorful Italian Rice Salad is perfect for a picnic, potluck, summer BBQ.
• A bowl of this Italian Tuna White Bean Salad promises a refreshing meal with hearty ingredients.
• Guests will be asking for the recipe once they taste this Roasted Red Pepper Cream Cheese Dip!
• And a Sweet Potato Kale Salad is a feast for the eyes featuring a vibrant mix of fresh ingredients.