Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad. A versatile healthy and very nutritious recipe that can be served hot as a side dish or cold as a terrific alternative to pasta salad.
Originally published January 2013.
This Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe shows that quinoa seems to be everywhere these days... and for good reason. It is a high protein, low-fat, gluten free and is also high in essential minerals like iron and magnesium.
We have been using it for a while now at our house as a more nutritious substitute for rice and sometimes pasta. I actually prefer the taste and firmer texture to rice or couscous.
This recipe is one that we always made with couscous and have now adapted to quinoa.
The great thing about this recipe is that it can be served hot or cold. We served it hot as a side dish with some chicken souvlaki and tzatziki last week.
The leftovers were served as a cold quinoa salad the next day and was just as delicious. For extra flavour we sometimes add some crumbled feta cheese too.
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Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad. A versatile healthy and very nutritious recipe that can be served hot as a side dish or cold as a terrific alternative to pasta salad.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 cup diced bell peppers
- 2 diced tomatoes
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 cup chopped kalamata olives
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- FOR THE LEMON OREGANO DRESSING
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon honey
- juice and finely minced zest of one lemon
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring the water, salt and quinoa to a boil over low heat.
- Cover and simmer slowly for 15 to 20 minutes until the grains are cooked but still a little firm to the bite.
- Remove from heat and add the tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, olives and green onion.
- Toss everything together with the Lemon Oregano Dressing.
For the Lemon Oregano Dressing
- Whisk together the olive oil, honey, lemon zest, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Pour over the salad while warm and toss very well.
Notes
Can be served as a hot side dish or as a cold lunch or side salad.
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
Recommended Products
Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
6 servingsAmount Per Serving Calories 215Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 0mgSodium 606mgCarbohydrates 21gFiber 5gSugar 9gProtein 3g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
I didn't have olive, but I had feta... crumbled some of that in there and YUM YUM~
Oh My....I think I just found a recipe for my lunches this week...Gonna cook up a batch of quinoa. Thanks!!
I have made it three times so far I love it and surprisingly
so does my whole family. It is healthy--all win food.
I saved this pin for the steak recipe, but instead you give me a rice recipe ...what a waste of my time!!!
You understand that I had nothing to do with your misbehaving pin, right? Why would I put up a misdirecting pin on my own website?
Wow, this recipe is amazing. I made it exactly as shown. The lemon oregano dressing is so good.
Made it for supper tonight. Instant fav!!! Will definitely be making this again and again. Thanks for sharing Barry 😃
I was wondering if the olives have to be added? Would taking something away from the salad make it less of what it needs to be? (not sure how to ask the last question. Will everything turn out ok even tho something will be missing?)
Don't add them if you don't like them. Still plenty of flavour in there.
This was delicious! I loved the flavor and texture. I used it as a side to a baked vegan ratatouille, and it tasted amazing. The only thing I would change is the amount of olives. I don't prefer the taste, so I would probably use only half a cup. Overall, I loved it!
This salad is absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I topped it with feta cheese when I served it warm, then tossed in some more before placing the rest in the fridge to eat later as a cold salad.
With this tasty dressing you could put anything you like in the salad and it would taste fabulous. What’s not to like!!