Quinoa Salad with Parm & Pistachios
This salad has all the fancy-pants elements you love and crave in a single, extraordinary bowl of goodness!
Ingredients
SALAD
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa*, rinsed
- 2 cups broth*
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- ½ English cucumber, chopped
- 2 to 3 handfuls arugula or mixed greens
- 1 cup basil leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
- ½ cup shell-off pistachio nuts, roasted or raw
- ½ cup shaved Parmesan
DRESSING
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Add the quinoa and broth to a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for ~10 to 15 minutes until the broth is absorbed. Once the broth is absorbed, cover with lid, and take off heat to steam for 5 minutes. (Note: If you're using packaged quinoa, be sure to follow the cooking instructions on your specific brand—liquid amounts can vary.) Fluff with a fork and stash in fridge to slightly chill. You’ll have about 3 cups cooked quinoa.
- In a large salad bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and salt. Whisk until well-combined. Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, and chilled quinoa. Mix everything together.
- Right before serving, toss in the arugula, basil, mint, Parmesan, and pistachios. Taste and season with extra lemon juice, salt and ground black pepper.
Notes
• Greens: If you love arugula, great. If not, feel free to swap in a spring mix, mixed greens or even chopped romaine. Anything goes—you're the boss of your toss.
• Herbs: You can swap in parsley or cilantro for the mint or basil.
• Veggies: You can add chopped bell pepper, corn, red onion, really anything goes. You can even add chickpeas.
• Quinoa: This is a great salad to use up leftover quinoa you have in your fridge. Any color will work! You can use 3 cups of leftover cooked quinoa with any seasoning. You can also swap 3 cups of cooked farro for the quinoa. For foolproof, fluffy quinoa every time: bring one part quinoa to two parts water (or broth) to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for about ~10-15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, cover, and let the quinoa steam for ~5 minutes. This allows the quinoa to absorb the remaining liquid. Fluff with a fork and voilà, you'll have perfect light and fluffy quinoa! Of course, if you're using a specific brand, follow the instructions on the package for the liquid amount and cook time—they know their quinoa best.
• Cheese: You can use feta if you prefer. Or, omit completely for vegan dish.
• Dressing: I recommend tasting after mixing everything with the dressing and adding extra lemon juice, salt, and pepper to adjust for personal preference. You can swap in apple cider vinegar for the red wine vinegar if you prefer and add lemon zest to bolden the lemon flavor. Of course, you can also use any other favorite dressing you prefer!
Nutrition Information per serving
Serving Size: 1 servingCalories: 300Carbohydrates: 25gProtein: 11gTotal Fat: 19g— Unsaturated Fat: 15.5g— Saturated Fat: 3.5gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 490mgPotassium: 465mgFiber: 4gTotal Sugar: 3g— Natural Sugar: 3g— Added Sugar: 0gVitamin C: 14mgIron: 2.5mg
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.