Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Quinoa, chickpeas, and greens, oh my! This Mediterranean masterpiece incorporates all the amazing and tasty standouts of the health-promoting diet, including loads of antioxidant-rich produce, flavorful herbs and seasonings, olive oil, and creamy feta. The result: One giant bowl of good-for-you deliciousness.
I top it all off with a DIY dressing, my tangy Lemon Vinaigrette, which takes just a minute to prepare and adds a bright and tangy flavor. But you can easily swap in another homemade recipe or bottled dressing if you prefer. It’s total salad satisfaction.
Try my Taco Salad in a Jar or Vegetarian Tex-Mex Quinoa Bake!
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
This Mediterranean masterpiece incorporates all the amazing and tasty standouts of the health-promoting diet, including loads of antioxidant-rich produce, flavorful herbs and seasonings, olive oil, and creamy feta.
Ingredients
Salad
- 3 cups mixed greens
- 3 cups cooked quinoa, chilled
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ English cucumber, diced
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup shredded red/purple cabbage
- ½ red onion, diced (~½ cup)
- ¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- ¼ to ½ cup crumbled feta
- Optional minced herbs, basil, mint, parsley, cilantro
Lemon Vinaigrette (makes ~½ cup)
- 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
To make the salad:
- Place the lettuce greens in a large serving bowl. Add the other salad ingredients (except for the feta cheese) and toss.
To make the dressing:
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until everything is well combined. Season with additional salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. You can make ahead or store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Drizzle the prepared dressing on your salad in batches and toss until the veggies are perfectly coated to your liking. Add the feta, and toss again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
• Use this recipe as a base, but feel free to mix up the ingredients to your liking (i.e., if you don’t like olives, skip ’em!)
• The Lemon Vinaigrette is so easy to make and the perfect complement to this salad, but certainly, if you want a different dressing, a Balsamic Vinaigrette, Tahini Dressing, or a store-bought dressing, go for it!
• If you’re following a gluten-free diet, be sure to carefully read the packaging for each ingredient. While these foods are inherently gluten-free, gluten can sometimes be added during processing for a variety of reasons, including for flavor and consistency.
Nutrition Information per serving
Calories: 290Carbohydrates: 35gProtein: 10gTotal Fat: 13g— Unsaturated Fat: 11g— Saturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 380mgPotassium: 407mgFiber: 7gTotal Sugar: 5g— Natural Sugar: 5g— Added Sugar: 0gVitamin C: 18mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.
I’m hoping you loved this recipe!
If you made it and want to share feedback, I’d be so grateful to hear from you. Please leave a review below or tag @joybauer on Instagram!
Love this recipe! Served it at book club with chicken for add-on, and it was huge hit.
Hi Donna. So glad everyone loved it! Hopefully the book was as enjoyable as the food 🙂
I absolutely loved this salad, I didn’t have rice wine vinegar so I used white wine vinegar. After eating the 1st bowl, I added balsamic vinaigrette to the 2nd bowl and it was so good. I will be using this salad when we have gatherings from now on.
Hi Jeri. So happy to hear that you enjoyed it…and that you were able to make tweaks based on what you had on hand!
—Team Joy
How do you prepare your Quinoa?
Hi Renae. Cooking instructions for quinoa can slightly vary so first and foremost we’d suggest reading package directions on the brand you’re using. That being said, in general, here’s how Joy makes it: Add 2 cups water (or broth) + 1 cup dry quinoa to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 to 13 minutes until water is absorbed. Then, cover the pot with a lid and remove pot from the heat and allow it to steam for ~5 minutes. Fluff it up with a fork. You’ll have ~3 full cups of quinoa.
Note: You can use broth for a saltier, more flavorful dish. And of course, you can flavor your plain, cooked quinoa with any herbs and spices!
Hoping this was helpful—enjoy!
—Team Joy
Can’t wait to try. What can I substitute for chick peas?
Hi Neili, there are lots of different options, depending on what you’re in the mood for. You can try white beans, lentils (cooked and chilled), shelled edamame, or grilled or roasted tofu cubes. If you want some crunch, you can opt for nuts or seeds, like sunflower seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped almonds, walnuts or pecans—even peanuts or cashews. You can also just omit the chickpeas and it’ll still be delicious because there are so many layers of ingredients!
—Donna
This salad is delicious. I eat it for lunch year around.
Hi Kathy, thanks for sharing your thoughts with us—we really appreciate your feedback! We’re so glad you’ve found a recipe you can enjoy any time!
—Donna
When do you add the lemon juice? I put it in the dressing but the directions said to hold it.
Hi Barbara! You’re absolutely right—that was a mistake on our end, and we’ve corrected it. Thank you so much for catching that, we really appreciate you! ❤ We hope you love the salad!!
— Olivia
Question: did you really mean 3 cups of quinoa? That is such a large serving.
Just curious.
Hi Patricia, Yes! The recipe uses 3 cups of quinoa total, which makes 6 servings—that comes out to about ½ cup quinoa per serving. If you choose to give the recipe a try, let us know how it goes! — Eliza (Team Joy)