Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad! A healthful and flavorful quinoa salad recipe that comes together quickly, this dish is perfect for hitting the reset button without sacrificing satisfaction!

Note: This post was updated on January 7, 2020. Scroll to bottom for original.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

If you're feeling a bit sluggish and ready for some simple, fresh foods to fuel the start of your year, look no further -- this quinoa salad recipe is just the ticket!

Bursting with bright, fresh Mediterranean flavors, this is a dish you'll find yourself craving and making over and over again. Fluffy, healthful quinoa is tossed with raw diced zucchini, grape tomatoes, Kalamata olives, pepperoncini and feta cheese, then drizzled with a tart and herbaceous vinaigrette for extra zing.

This is a great quinoa salad to prep ahead for weekly lunches or serve as a simple side dish for a weeknight dinner. It can be served warm, room temperature or cold, so it's perfect for picnics and potlucks, too!

How To Cook Quinoa

Years ago, quinoa had its moment in the sun and everyone was cooking up this ancient seed. {It's actually not a grain although it seems like it would be!} Back then, it was harder to find in stores, but these days, it's fairly accessible and can usually be found in the same aisle as rice, grains and pastas.

Quinoa is very easy to cook, and pretty quick, too! That makes it an ideal ingredient for whipping up side dishes and salads like this one, and it's one of the reasons I always have some on hand.

My go-to method for cooking quinoa is in a pot on the stove top. I simply use 1 ½ cups of water for every cup of dry quinoa, cover the pot with a lid, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed. You'll know it's almost there because it will have little holes on the top similar to how rice looks when it's almost done absorbing liquid. Once it gets to this point, I give it a quick stir, shut off the heat and replace the lid, allowing it to steam for another 5 minutes or so until all the water is absorbed. When quinoa is cooked properly, it becomes soft and the germ separates from the kernel. This article has all the info you could ever need on cooking perfect quinoa!

Before I serve it, I use a fork to fluff it up as you would rice. That's it! Super simple.

If you don't want to have to worry about having something on the stove top, or prefer to cook larger batches at once for meal prepping, I also use a baking method that I talk about in this post -- scroll down to the recipe notes. {It was sort of life changing when I discovered I could do it this way!} Alternatively, you can cook quinoa in a rice cooker, InstantPot or microwave {though I've not personally had success or tried all of these.}

Quinoa Salad Recipe Ingredients

One of my favorite things about quinoa salad recipes is how easy they are to customize or alter to suit your tastes and dietary needs. While this version is vegetarian, you can top it with roasted or grilled chicken breast, fish or shrimp to add extra protein if needed. You can also omit the feta cheese for a vegan version. Additionally, you can add your favorite produce to switch things up and play with the flavors while cleaning out your refrigerator!

The ingredients used for this quinoa salad recipe include:

• Raw zucchini
• Grape tomatoes
• Pepperoncini (or banana peppers, or even hot, sweet peppers!)
• Kalamata olives
• Feta Cheese

I think chopped spinach, cucumbers and even crunchy, raw bell peppers would also make a great addition to this salad!

Vinaigrette for Quinoa Salad

What really makes the flavors pop for this recipe is the tangy vinaigrette. It adds a bit of moisture and a TON of flavor to the mix with just a few ingredients:

• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Garlic
• Herbs {fresh mint and dried oregano}

I combine all of the ingredients in a jar with a lid {or my OXO GoodGrips Little Salad Dressing Shaker that I use ALL the time}, and shake, shake, shake until it looks emulsified -- you'll know because the mixture looks creamy and lighter in color. You can swap out the herbs in this vinaigrette to change up the flavor, but I think these go great with the Greek vibe of this salad!

Do you have any favorite quinoa salad recipes? I'd love to hear about them! Tell me about them in the comments below, or if you make this one, make sure to leave a comment and tell me what you think! You can also post a photo of ANY recipe you make from my blog and tag @thekitchenprep on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter so that I can see what you're cooking! 

Original Post from January 2012:

During the holidays I hardly posted any recipes at all. Probably because I was in the kitchen cooking up a storm in preparation for the holiday feasting & gift giving, leaving me with no time to take pictures and write about everything. Bad blogger.

It was my very first holiday season with a blog and I definitely learned some lessons that I hope to carry over this year when that busy time comes around again. {i.e. Share what you cook with your readers. That's a start!}

Here's a list of all the things I made in the week leading up to Christmas:

• Biscotti - Mocha, Lemon Almond, and Peanut Butter Chocolate {gifts for the hubby's fam}
• Mini Cupcakes - Chocolate Chai Tea, Vanilla with Classic Buttercream, & Vanilla with Peppermint Buttercream
• Cashew Candy Crunch
• Almond Candy Crunch
• Nutella Brownies {gift for my Nutella-obsessed little sister}
• Marshmallows - Vanilla & Peppermint {for our family cookie exchange}
• Candy Covered Snowman Pops {gifts for the kiddos I work with & hubby's patients}

Cute little guy, huh?

 

• Bagels {Gift for my Mom. She loves bagels.}
• Sour Cream Coffee Cake {Gift for Abuela. Coffee cake is her favorite.}
• Neapolitan Coconut Candies {Gift for my older sister}
• White Chocolate Tangerine Tea Cookies {For family cookie exchange}
• Samoa Bark {Also or family cookie exchange}
• Zuccoto Cake {For dessert on Christmas Day}

Throw in - you know - regular meals for the week, working, and wrapping up all these goodies in a presentable fashion, and I was one tired little baker.

During that time, I was eating a lot of tasty Christmastime treats and enjoying a bit too much Christmas cheer altogether. While it's a whole lotta fun at the time, a diet consisting of pasta, sugar, and cocktails takes a toll on the body. {Though we wish it wasn't so.}

I'd say the entire month of December was shot as far as nutrition goes, so I was really glad to get back into a healthier routine with the start of the New Year. {Though no formal "Eat less sugar." resolutions were made, as I mentioned a few posts ago.}

It isn't difficult to stick to healthy with options like this.

I consider this one of those "non-recipe recipes", meaning that there's no right or wrong way to put this dish together. But the lack of structure definitely doesn't mean lack of flavor.

This Quinoa Salad is healthy, filling, and delicious. You can toss in your favorite veggies, sprinkle in your favorite herbs, and even whip up your own "dressing" to personalize it for your tastebuds.

I have to credit my friend's friend, Allison, for the inspiration for this yummy dish back in an old blog post. Her recipe prompted me to experiment with quinoa for the first time, and boy, am I glad I did!

This is good hot or cold, as a side dish, a main, or as part of a tasty wrap. Can't get any more versatile and convenient. Make this recipe your own and make it your go-to, healthy quick fix for the New Year.