Our Greek Quinoa Salad is SO easy! Plus it’s loaded with protein and makes for an easy vegetarian main dish or side dish.
One cup of cooked quinoa provides about 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. Unlike some plant proteins, quinoa is a complete protein, meaning that it contains all nine essential amino acids that our bodies cannot make on their own.
Amino acids are known as the building blocks of protein and are an important part of the cells in your body. A balanced diet that includes proper levels of amino acids are important for muscle development and strength. I guess what we’re trying to say here is that Quinoa is super good for you!
While this is the recipe that we created, we want to point out that you are free to change it up as much as you like. Add different vegetables. We have added artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, red and green bell pepper, chopped fresh parsley for example. What makes this Greek Style Quinoa Salad so special is our Greek Salad Dressing. We have used this dressing on our Cretan Salad and our family absolutely loves it! Made ahead of time, the flavors of the dressing are allowed to marinate to perfection. You can serve our Greek Style Quinoa Salad as a main dish or as a side dish. If you serve it as a side dish, you should get twice the number of servings.
This is a dish you can easily prepare in advance for an end of summer family gathering. For a heartier meal serve with our Pork Souvlaki or our Greek Burger.
Kali Orexi!
HOW TO MAKE GREEK QUINOA SALAD
- Cook quinoa and set aside/in the fridge to cool
- Prepare Greek Salad Dressing by combining all ingredients into a small mason jar and shaking vigorously. Set aside.
- Prepare the ingredients for the salad
- Add cooled quinoa to a bowl
- Add the ingredients on top
- Pour dressing on, and mix well
CAN I PREPARE THE GREEK SALAD DRESSING IN ADVANCE?
Please note that the salad dressing can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. The flavors will marinate and come through even stronger. We love this salad dressing for other salads as well!
DO I NEED TO STICK TO THE RECIPE? WHAT IF I PREFER DIFFERENT INGREDIENTS?
You can adjust the ingredients of the salad as you like. In the past we’ve also included chopped artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, red and green bell pepper. Feel free to use your imagination and create your own signature Quinoa Salad!
CAN I SERVE THIS AS A SIDE DISH?
You can serve this as a main dish or a side dish. If served as a side dish it is enough for twice the number of servings. Serve it alongside our Pork Souvlaki or our Greek Burger for a hearty meal!
HOW LONG WILL THE QUINOA SALAD KEEP IN THE FRIDGE?
If you like to do meal prep for the week ahead, this is a great dish to prepare and keep in the refrigerator for both lunch and dinner.
Greek Quinoa Salad recipe
Greek Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Greek Salad Dressing
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- juice of one lemon
- 3 tbsp Greek oregano
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp dried parsley
Greek Style Quinoa Bowl Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked and chilled quinoa 1 cup uncooked
- 1 small yellow bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 cup chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1/2 English cucumber sliced in half inches circles and quartered
- 1/2 small red onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives sliced in half, lengthwise
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Prepare Greek Salad Dressing by combining all ingredients into a small mason jar and shaking vigorously. Set aside. (Please note that the salad dressing can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. The flavors will marinate and come through even stronger.)
- Combine prepared and cooled quinoa, yellow bell pepper, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, Kalamata olives and feta cheese in a large bowl. Pour the salad dressing over all ingredients and mix well to incorporate.
Notes
- Please note that the salad dressing can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. The flavors will marinate and come through even stronger.
- You can adjust the ingredients of the salad as you like. In the past we’ve also included chopped artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, red and green bell pepper.
- You can serve this as a main dish or a side salad. If served as a side salad it is enough for 8 servings.
- This is a great dish to prepare ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator for the week ahead.
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