Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

An easy, gluten-free and vegetarian salad that's fresh, flavorful and satisfying! It's great on its own for a simple lunch or as a side dish as it pairs with so many other dishes or any protein of choice.

mediterranean quinoa salad easy gluten free www.healthygffamily.com
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Easy recipe for gluten-free vegetarian quinoa salad with the best mediterranean flavors!

So excited for you to try this simple, gluten-free Mediterranean Quinoa Salad!

It’s fresh tasting, savory, salty, satisfying and so delicious!

And it’s naturally gluten-free!

It’s also easy to make and is so versatile!

mediterranean quinoa salad easy gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

 

It can be served warm or cold, and it’s one of those salads that pairs with everything and works equally well for lunch, as a side dish, for a weekday meal or for entertaining.

The funny thing is, it’s a salad I’ve been making for years but adding feta, warm chickpeas and kalamata olives to our Quinoa Tabbouleh to make it more of a meal… so I decided it needed it’s own place on the website!

mediterranean quinoa salad easy gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

So let’s make it!

It is simple in both ingredients and ease of making it.

It’s made with 12 real, whole food ingredients:

quinoa

cherry tomatoes

cucumber

parsley

scallions

chickpeas

feta

kalamata olives

lemon juice

olive oil

salt and pepper.

mediterranean quinoa salad easy gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

And it comes together quickly. 

There’s very little cooking involved for this salad, just a little chopping, and cooking the quinoa, so it’s quite quick to assemble!

You can prep all the veggies while the quinoa cooks and the entire dish can be ready in 20 minutes.

Lets start with the quinoa. I get lots of messages about how to cook quinoa.

I follow the directions on the package and make the quinoa by combining 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups water and bringing to a boil.

Then reduce to simmer and cover for 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.

Works every time.

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Pro tip: you could cook your quinoa a day ahead or any time earlier in the day before assembling the salad.

Now let’s saute the chickpeas.

You could just used chickpeas straight from the can, drained and rinsed but I love the flavor of the sauteed chickpeas and if you’re serving it with warm chickpeas, it’s really delicious!

All you do is saute the chickpeas with some olive oil and kosher salt.

This is my favorite way to enjoy chickpeas and I probably do it a few times a week and add it to lunch salads! Super quick and easy!

mediterranean quinoa salad easy gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

Then all you do is place all the ingredients in a large bowl, add the dressing and toss together!

mediterranean quinoa salad easy gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

It’s fresh, light and flavorful!

And it’s adaptable to tastes and availability of ingredients.

  • For instance, you could add more or less of any vegetable or ingredient.
  • And you can chop the cucumber and tomatoes as small or big as you like!

The one thing I never switch up is the simple dressing!

It’s just lemon juice, olive oil and kosher salt.

It’s fresh and works so well with this salad.

One of the reasons we love this salad is that it pairs well with so many other salads and a protein of choice.

We’ve served it with grilled chicken, steak and salmon. For a vegetarian option, I’ve served it with everything from a green salad to grilled portobello mushrooms to hummus and avocado!

Finally, this salad also makes a large quantity so perfect for a crowd or meal prep.

Hope you love it as much as we do!

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For more simple salads, click here.

PIN it!

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Scroll down for the recipe and leave a comment if you make it.

Recipe

 

mediterranean quinoa salad easy gluten free www.healthygffamily.com
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4.50 from 2 votes

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

An easy, gluten-free and vegetarian salad that's fresh, flavorful and satisfying! It's great on its own for a simple lunch or as a side dish as it pairs with so many other dishes or any protein of choice.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Salads, Lunch
Cuisine: Vegan optional, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Keyword: quinoa salad recipe, easy quinoa salad, mediterranean quinoa salad
Servings: 7 -8 cups
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family

Ingredients

Salad

  • 1 cup quinoa uncooked
  • 2 cups water
  • ½ - 1 tsp black pepper or to taste
  • 1 cup chopped scallions white and green parts (approximately 1 bunch)
  • ½ -1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (to taste)
  • 1 cup chopped cucumber unpeeled
  • 1 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half
  • ½ cup crumbled feta
  • ½ cup kalamata olives halved
  • 1 15 oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ⅛-¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Dressing

  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • ½ tsp kosher salt or more to taste

Instructions

Prepare quinoa (I often make this earlier in the day and set aside)

  • Place quinoa and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover and cook until water is absorbed and quinoa tender, approximately 15 minutes.
  • Let cool a few minutes, the fluff with a fork and transfer to a large bowl.

Mix dressing

  • In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Set aside.

Saute chickpeas

  • In a small to medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil (or more to cover base of pan if needed) until shimmering but not burning. Add rinsed chickpeas, sprinkle with salt and saute on medium heat 5-7 minutes or until warm and starting to get crisp. You can cook for as little or as much as you like! You could also use chickpeas, not heated in olive oil and salt but I find the warmed chickpeas add a nice flavor.

Mix Salad

  • In a large bowl, mix prepared quinoa with 1/2 dressing.
  • Add scallions, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, pepper, feta, warmed chickpeas and olives. Toss to combine with additional dressing. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve warm or cold. Enjoy!
  • Stores well in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a few day
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!

 

3 thoughts on “Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

  1. Made this for the first time today. Added some chopped roasted golden and red beets. Such a wonderful combo of flavors and paired well with beef tenderloin steaks done on the grill. Will make it again in a heartbeat. Absolutely delicious!

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