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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 nice, hearty base for a tasty salad. It’s a versatile recipe and you can enjoy this Mediterranean quinoa salad as a side dish or as a main course.
Also try roasted beet salad, Italian tuna white bean salad, or green goddess salad. Coleslaw pasta salad and chicken caesar pasta salad are great too.
Why You’ll Love It
Full of flavor: 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
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Cooked quinoa: A hearty, tasty base for the salad.
Salad vegetables: I used cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, and red onion for plenty of crisp appeal and fresh flavors.
Cannellini beans: For a protein hit.
Herbs: Fresh basil and parsley add aromatic flavor to the salad.
Olives: Greek or kalamata olives add a pop of briny flavor.
Feta cheese: A Mediterranean favorite with creamy, tangy flavors.
Lemon juice: Use fresh lemon juice in the dressing for the best taste.
How to Make Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
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
Cannellini beans: Garbanzo beans are good in place of, or in addition to, the cannellini beans.
Cherry tomatoes: Use roasted red peppers instead of fresh, roasted cherry tomatoes, or even sun dried tomatoes.
Optional add-ins: Include pine nuts or celery, or add a steak or some grilled chicken on top of the salad.
Add extra tang to the dressing: Add a splash of balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Serving Suggestions
As a main dish: The quinoa and beans make this salad filling enough to have for lunch, either alone or with some crackers or a piece of fruit.
As a side dish: Pair it with pork chops or Italian beef or with other sides such as burrata with tomatoes and pesto or roasted rainbow carrots.
How to Store 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: 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.
Top Tips
Cooking the quinoa: Use 1 cup of quinoa and 1 3/4 cups of water. Simmer for 15 minutes in a covered pot and then remove from the heat, let it sit for 10 minutes and fluff with a fork.
Add extra flavor: Add low sodium broth or dry white wine in place of some of the quinoa simmering water.
Fresh is best: Use fresh lemon juice in the dressing and fresh basil and parsley in the salad.
Healthy Quinoa Salad Recipe FAQs
Actually, that’s pretty easy to do. Just sub your favourite vegan-friendly cheese for the feta cheese and everything else in the recipe is vegan. It’s also a nice dish to make for a buffet spread, since anyone who isn’t vegan or vegetarian can add their own protein to the quinoa salad.
This is already a nutritious recipe, but you can always add your favorite greens to make it even healthier. Anything from baby spinach to kale, arugula or mixed salad leaves would work. However, don’t toss the salad with the dressing until you’re ready to serve it, otherwise your greens will go soggy.
As for more vegetables, t
Sure, take a look in your crisper drawer and feel free to add anything that looks like it needs to be used up, such as celery, broccoli, extra cherry tomatoes, or anything else you spot in there. This salad is so easy to tweak and a wonderful way to use up those veggies getting beyond their prime in the fridge.
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Recipe
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 Cup quinoa, white, cooked
- 1 Can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ Cups cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- ½ Cup olives, Greek, sliced
- ½ Cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ red onion, diced
For the Dressing:
- ¼ Cup olive oil, extra-virgin
- ½ Teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ Teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
- ½ Teaspoon garlic powder
- juice of ½ lemon
For the Garnish:
- basil, freshly chopped
- parsley, freshly chopped
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the quinoa, cannellini beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, Greek olives, and red onion. Toss to combine.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and lemon juice.
- Pour the dressing over the salad, and toss to combine the ingredients together.
- Sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese over the salad, and gently toss again.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and serve immediately.
Notes
Add extra flavor: Add low sodium broth or dry white wine in place of some of the quinoa simmering water.
Fresh is best: Use fresh lemon juice in the dressing and fresh basil and parsley in the salad.
Nutrition
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
- Crockpot Tex Mex Quinoa Taco Bowls will be the star of your dinner table!
- A colorful Italian Rice Salad is perfect for a picnic, potluck, summer BBQ.
- Tuna White Bean Salad is made with yummy, hearty ingredients.
- Serve up this Roasted Red Pepper Cream Cheese Dip if you have guests!
- A Sweet Potato Kale Salad looks so good with a vibrant mix of fresh veggies.
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I love how this quinoa Mediterranean salad is packed with flavor and nutrients! It’s so easy to make and perfect for any gathering.
Hands down! My favorite salad. The flavors work together perfectly!
Big fan of Mediterranean flavors. Love this guiltless indulgence!
This recipe was amazing! The flavors were spot-on, and it was super easy to make. I’m definitely adding it to my regular meal rotation.
Since I tried it, I’ve made it at least once a week since. That’s how much I love it!