Greek Quinoa Salad

Greek Quinoa Salad is an amazing salad made with fresh vegetables, olives, fresh herbs, and topped with some Feta cheese in a tangy lemon vinaigrette. So light and refreshing, everyone will not only enjoy this salad but they may even come back for seconds.

Every time our friend Christine has us over for lunch, she always makes this wonderful Mediterranean-style quinoa salad as one of her many staple dishes.

We loved it so much, that we decided to make it and share it with you.

The total prep and cooking time for this salad is about 15 minutes, and it is best served chilled. 

So What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is a high-protein, healthy grain you can easily cook up in minutes and enjoy as the main or as a side dish. 

Greek Quinoa Salad…

For this recipe…

1. We recommend you make this quinoa salad early morning or one day ahead so it will marinate and allow all the flavors to infuse into the quinoa grain.  
2. Then for the final touch, the Feta cheese is added before you are about to serve it, keeping it fresh tasting and not soggy.

 

Notes and Tips…

• We feel quinoa is sometimes under-rated, and not many people are aware of all the health benefits it provides.  

• It contains more high-quality protein than any other grain, providing essential amino acids, plus it’s easy to digest.  It’s even wheat-free and gluten-free!

• A great way to substitute for either rice or pasta and you can create endless dishes using quinoa.  

• Quinoa can also be incorporated into stuffed vegetables and added to soups.  There are many reasons to incorporate this healthy high protein grain into your diet.  

Ingredients Needed for Greek Quinoa Salad:

• 2 cups quinoa – pre-washed
• 4 cups water
• 2 whole lemons juiced
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium tomato- chopped tiny
• 1 carrot- minced
• 1 cucumber- chopped tiny
• 1 small can pitted black olives- rinsed, chopped
• 6 calamata Greek olives -pitted, chopped
• 1 cup red onion- minced
• 7 fresh leaves of basil – chopped
• 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley -chopped
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 4-ounces Feta cheese- crumbled

 

How to Make our Greek Quinoa Salad:

1.  In a 3 or 4-quart saucepot, bring 4 cups of water to a full boil.  Add the quinoa, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until all water has been absorbed.  You will see little rings in the grain when fully cooked.

2.  Remove and transfer into a large bowl and allow to cool. In the meantime, mix olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cumin in a measuring cup or mixing bowl.

3.  When quinoa is cooled completely, pour the lemon dressing into the quinoa.  Add all chopped vegetables. Mix well.

4.  Taste for salt and adjust if needed.  Chill for a few hours or overnight.  When ready to serve, toss in Feta cheese and reserve 2 tablespoons to garnish on top.

Serves 8 to 12

Your family and friends will love this Greek quinoa salad. We hope you’ll try this recipe and enjoy it as much as we do!

ENJOY!!

More Delicious Recipes for Quinoa…

• Quinoa with Baby Peas
• Mom’s Chicken Soup with Quinoa
• Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Quinoa
• Black Bean and Quinoa Soup

Hello friends!  If you make this Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad, let us know and leave a comment.  We’d love to hear from you!

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Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!  

Happy and Healthy Cooking!  🙂

xo Anna and Liz