Mediterranean Quinoa Salad – a light and fresh quinoa salad with tomatoes, green olives and tossed with a lemon vinaigrette. Great warm or cold all year round!
I am always looking for new healthy side dish recipes that I can get my family to eat. When I ask for ideas, the answer is almost always Side Salad for them. So branching out and getting different grains and veggies is always a win in my book.
This quinoa salad is super easy to make, you can serve it warm or cold, and you can mix up the vegetables in it to suit whatever your family enjoys.
This Mediterranean quinoa salad is great to make in the summer and serve cold. You can take full advantage of the summer produce and it will be a big hit. In the winter I like to serve it warm, and it is a comforting salad to go with just about anything!
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Ingredients
- Quinoa
- Chicken Broth
- Grape Tomatoes
- Green Olives
- Red Onion
- Parsley
- Olive Oil
- Lemon
- Fresh Thyme
- Lemon Juice
- Salt & Pepper
I kept the ingredients relatively minimal for this, but it is tossed in a lemon and olive oil dressing that is so good and brings it all together.
How To Make Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- The first step when you are cooking with quinoa is to rinse it until the water runs clear. It can be bitter if you don’t, so make sure to not skip this step.
- Combine chicken broth with the rinsed quinoa and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for about 15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. You can use water here, but I think chicken broth gives the salad more flavor.
- Meanwhile make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper.
- Once the quinoa is cooked toss with the tomatoes, green olives, red onion and parley.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the top and toss until everything is well coated.
- Cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
What To Serve Quinoa Salad With
It can go with just about anything! It is a very versatile dish, but here are a few of my favorites.
What Vegetables Can I Add
You really can mix in all sorts of different things with this to make it even better!
- Cucumbers
- Arugula or Spinach
- Chickpeas
And it isn’t a vegetable, but crumbled Feta makes a great addition to this salad! And check out this Mexican Quinoa Salad for a fun twist as well.
Storage
You can make this salad ahead and store covered in the fridge until you are ready to serve. You may need to toss a little more lemon juice and olive oil with the quinoa when you serve, it will depend on how long it sits and if your quinoa has absorbed the dressing or not. So just taste a little bit, and add more if necessary.
More Easy Side Dish Recipes
- Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
- BLT Salad
- Creamy Polenta
- Zucchini Fritters
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Instant Pot Spanish Rice
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad - a light and fresh quinoa salad with tomatoes, green olives and tossed with a lemon vinaigrette. Great warm or cold all year round!
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 8 oz grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 (7 oz) jar Star Pimiento Stuffed Green Olives (low-sodium), chopped
- 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa until the water runs clear. In a sauce pan combine chicken stock and quinoa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper until well combined.
- Once cooked mix together quinoa, tomatoes, green olives, red onion, and parsley.
- Pour vinaigrette over quinoa mixture, and mix well.
- Cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
Option: Add Feta cheese to serve
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 258Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 2mgSodium 516mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 3gSugar 3gProtein 7g
Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.
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**I was compensated by STAR Fine Foods to create this recipes. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
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Jacquelyn Hastert says
I love that this is the perfect year-round salad! During the summer it’s loaded with fresh tomatoes and served cold. During the winter months, I can make it again only served warm. Love it!
Melanie Bauer says
Looks awesome! Love those flavors going on, such a perfect addition on any meal!
Katerina @ diethood .com says
Such a fantastic salad!! I would LOVE this for lunch!!
Erik says
Huge fan of quinoa, so glad I found this!
Beth says
This looks so good. I’ve been eating quinoa for years, and I’m always looking for new recipes. I can’t wait to try this.
Amanda says
Looks like the perfect side dish for many meals. I will add this in to my list of go-to sides!
Dawn says
Delicious! I subbed in what I had — kalamata olives and basil (instead of thyme) and it was great.