Garden Fresh Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

This garden fresh Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Feta and Lemon-Herb Dressing makes a protein-rich summertime meal-in-a-bowl! Combine quinoa, tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives and fresh basil and serve for dinner or lunch.

Take yourself to the sun-drenched beaches of the Greek Islands with this protein-rich garden fresh Mediterranean Quinoa Salad!

Let's rethink that. Who needs an exotic location when you have all the flavours of the Mediterranean in one healthy quinoa salad right here at home?

Summer produce is abundant now, gardens and farm markets are overflowing with cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, fresh herbs and so much more. And what better way to beat the heat than with a nutritious salad made with garden veggies?

I make this vegetarian Mediterranean quinoa salad every summer to take advantage of our usual bumper crop of tomatoes, cucumbers and basil.  I add some Greek touches with salty Kalamata olives and feta cheese. Topped off with a lemon-herb vinaigrette, it makes a tasty summertime meal-in-a-bowl.

This Garden Fresh Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Feta is an ideal salad to take on a picnic, a camping trip, or to a potluck. With no lettuce to wilt, and no mayonnaise to worry about spoiling, it's a salad that will stay fresh, packed up for your next adventure.

It's a salad I've been making for years, with variations depending on what I have on hand. Think of it as a back-pocket salad--one that you can use to round out almost any meal. Need a lunch idea? This salad packs easily (try it in a Mason jar) and it totally satisfies.

Ready to gather ingredients? Here's what you'll need to make this Greek-inspired quinoa salad.

Ingredients for Garden Fresh Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

• quinoa: obviously. Rinse it thoroughly first in a fine-mesh colander. This step removes the naturally occurring saponins on the outside of the grains which can be bitter.
• cherry tomatoes: or other tomatoes, chopped
• cucumber: seeded and chopped
• red onion: or green onion, if you prefer
• Kalamata olives:  pitted and sliced
• feta cheese:  crumbled
• fresh basil leaves: chiffonade cut

For the dressing, you'll need

• olive oil, a lemon, white wine or champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, dried thyme and oregano, a garlic clove, salt.

Quinoa is a healthy seed with a complete protein rarely found in plant foods. It's gluten-free and it's an excellent source of iron and fiber, making it a great choice for vegetarian diets. I make this Red Quinoa Tabouli with Pomegranate  and this Nourishing Quinoa Salad with Cranberries and Pears in the fall and winter, but today I'm sharing this summer-fresh quinoa salad with you.

How to Make Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

1. First, cook the quinoa.
2. While the standard proportions for cooking quinoa are 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water, I ALWAYS have more success when I use a little less water. 1 cup of quinoa will yield 3 cups of cooked quinoa. In this recipe, you'll only need 2 cups, so use 2/3 cup of dry quinoa and 1 1/3 cups of water. Rinse it thoroughly first, then combine with water and salt in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer gently until all the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, keep it covered and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then spread out on a baking sheet or tray to cool completely.
3. Chop the veggies, combine the Lemon-Herb dressing ingredients in a blender, then toss all together in a bowl.
4. Chill until serving time.

Possible Additions

Make it your own!

• Add chopped cooked chicken (or shredded rotisserie chicken).
• Keep it vegetarian by adding chickpeas.
• Add spinach or arugula leaves.
• Top with cubed or sliced avocado.
• Keep it paleo by leaving out the feta cheese

If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear about it. Leave me a comment or snap a photo, post it on Instagram and tag it #flavourandsavour

Garden Fresh Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

This garden fresh Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Feta and Lemon Dressing makes a protein-rich summertime meal-in-a-bowl! Combine quinoa, tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives and fresh basil and serve for dinner or lunch.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salads

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean, North American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 326kcal

Author: Flavour & Savour

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

• 2/3 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 medium cucumber seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives pitted and sliced
• 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
• 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
• 4 - 6 fresh basil leaves chiffonade cut, for garnish

Lemon Herb Vinaigrette Ingredients

• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lemon zest finely grated
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
• 1/2 tsp ground thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic finely minced, or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 pinch sea salt

Instructions

• First, cook the quinoa. While the standard proportions for cooking quinoa are 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water, I ALWAYS have more success when I use a little less water. 1 cup of quinoa will yield 3 cups of cooked quinoa. In this recipe, you'll only need 2 cups, so use 2/3 cup of dry quinoa and 1 1/3 cups of water. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine-mesh colander, then combine with water and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer gently until all the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, keep it covered and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then spread out on a baking sheet or tray to cool completely.
• Combine the Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette ingredients in a blender.
• Chop or slice the tomatoes, cucumber, olives and red onion .
• In a large bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, feta cheese and red onion.
• Toss with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette and garnish with fresh basil.
• Serve.

Notes

Possible additions: 

• Add chopped cooked chicken (or shredded rotisserie chicken).
• Keep it vegetarian by adding chickpeas.
• Add spinach or arugula leaves.
• Top with cubed or sliced avocado.
• Keep it paleo by leaving out the feta cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 1093mg | Potassium: 345mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 365IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 2.2mg

Tried this recipe?Share a photo on INSTAGRAM and tag it #flavourandsavour! I love seeing what you've made.

Looking for more Quinoa Salad ideas?

• Try this Healthy Quinoa Bowl with Spinach, Feta and Strawberries 
• or for fall, you'll love this Nourishing Quinoa Salad with Cranberries and Pears
• or Red Quinoa Tabouli with Pomegranate

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