Spinach Quinoa Salad

This simple, gluten-free and vegetarian salad is fresh, satisfying and so delicious! Just 7 ingredients, it has the best mix of flavors and textures all tossed with a Lemony Yogurt Dressing (can be dairy-free!). It's simple, savory, satisyfing & delish!

spinach quinoa salad gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com
Spinach Quinoa Salad

A simple, flavorful and hearty Quinoa Salad recipe!

New! I update the recipe recently to make it better than ever! Plus Iโ€™ve added a cooking video to this page so you can see how quick and easy it is to make this simple Spinach Quinoa Salad!

If youโ€™re new to the website, I have a printable recipe on the bottom of every recipe page with exact measurements and directions.

Enjoy!

Simple spinach quiona salad easy recipe gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

Update April 2020:

If you’re looking for the blog post “Simple Meal Strategies while Staying at Home”, click here.

This salad is a great salad while “staying at home”. It uses minimal ingredients for maximum flavor, lots of pantry items, is easy and delish!

Original post…

The first time I made this salad, I ate it for dinner at my son’s baseball game. ย Everyone on the stands wanted to try it and asked for the recipe so I decided to share it here because became one of my go to salads.

It’s made with 7 real, whole food ingredients plus a simple creamy and tangy, Lemony Garlic Yogurt Dressing:

quinoa

fresh spinach

cucumbers

red onion

chickpeas

dried cherries

toasted sliced almonds or pumpkin seed if nut-free

salt and pepper

spinach quinoa salad gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

It comes together in minutes as there’s very little chopping involved!

Pro-Tip, if you don’t have quinoa on hand, make that first. And we always make extra quinoa to have so we can make a quick stir fry, toss in lunch salads or even serve plain as a side dish.

Simple spinach quiona salad easy recipe gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

Next, I like to do is make the dressing.

It is a creamy and tangy dressing made with just 4 ingredients:

extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

lemon juice

garlic (I tend to use 1 lately but you can use up to 2 cloves)

yogurt (I used Almond Milk yogurt but any plain yogurt, not greek yogurt, will do)

spinach quinoa salad gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

All you do is whisk it together!

Simple spinach quiona salad easy recipe gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

Then all we have to do is assemble the salad!

I recently updated the recipe because I started sauteing the chickpeas in olive oil with kosher salt before adding to the salad… it adds great flavor and crunch!

But if you opt to not saute the chickpeas, first toss the chickpeas with a few spoonfuls of dressing.ย  As you may know from other recipes of ours, chickpeas absorb the flavor of whatever dressing or sauce they are served with. Mixing them together allows them to absorb the dressing flavors.

Simple spinach quiona salad easy recipe gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

Then just place everything in a bowl and toss along with half the dressing.

Pro-tip, reserve some of the dressing and taste before adding it all in. That way you can control how much dressing to taste.

Simple spinach quiona salad easy recipe gluten free www.healthygffamily.comMix together and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times, it’s my kind of salad โ€” easy to prep, packed with lots of textures & flavors and delicious.

Simple spinach quiona salad easy recipe gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

And it’s a total crowd pleaser so it’s perfect for a party or get together (hopefully we’ll be having those again soon!)

And it’s perfect for meal prep because it tastes great the first day, even better the second!

If you want to serve it later in the week, prepare the salad and the dressing but don’t combine until last minute.

Hope you love it as much as we do!

Simple spinach quiona salad easy recipe gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

PIN IT!

Simple spinach quiona salad easy recipe gluten free www.healthygffamily.com

 

Scroll down to see the recipe and leave a comment if you try.

Recipe

 

spinach quinoa salad gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com
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4.50 from 2 votes

Spinach Quinoa Salad Cherries & Almonds

Fresh but hearty, this is one of my go to salads. Equally perfect for entertaining or meal prep. Easy to prep, packed with goodness and tastes as great (if not better) the second day as the first. Recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times[/i]. Note: cook time is for quinoa if you don't already have some made.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Salads, Sides
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Optional, Vegetarian, Nut-Free optional
Keyword: spring quinoa salad, spinach quinoa salad, easy quinoa salad
Servings: 6 -8 servings
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family

Ingredients

Salad

  • 2 cups cooked quinoa already cooked according to package (approximately 1/2 cup dry quinoa, becomes 2 cups cooked)
  • 2 cups fresh spinach leaves chopped into slivers or thin strips
  • 1 cup dried tart cherries
  • 1 1/2 cup cucumber diced (approximately 1 small cucumber, skin on or peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch slices, then quartered)
  • 1 15 oz. can chickpeas drained and well rinsed
  • 1/2 cup red onion diced
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds or pumpkin seeds if nut-free more according to tastes - I prefer the extra crunch and add extra when serving
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt more or less to taste
  • ยผ teaspoon pepper more or less to taste
  • olive oil if sauteing chickpeas

Dressing

  • 1/3 cup plain yogurt I used Almond Milk Yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

Instructions

Cook quinoa if not already done so

  • In a small saucepan, place a heaping 1/2 cup quinoa and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat to simmer, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Once water is absorbed, turn off heat and let cool briefly. Fluff with fork before using.
  • Note: We tend to cook 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups water and just use the extra throughout the week. And if you have extra quinoa, you could always add more to the salad if you want it a bit heartier.

Make the dressing

  • In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. Can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

Toast almonds (optional)

  • Over medium-high heat, saute almonds in a dry saucepan until lightly toasted, stirring frequently so as to not burn any, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Saute Chickpeas (optional but recommended)

  • I recently started sauteing the chickpeas before adding to the salad and love the flavor. Heat a small skillet over medium heat, add olive oil to coat pan, add chickpeas, sprinkle generously with kosher salt and saute 3-5 minutes or until warm and slightly crisp.

Assemble

  • In a large bowl add all the ingredients -- quinoa, spinach, sauteed chickpeas, almonds, spinach, cherries, cucumber. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with dressing and toss together to combine.
  • Serve and enjoy!
  • Stays fresh for 1-2 days or as I do with many salads, assemble the salad but don't add the dressing until ready to serve.
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!

 

9 thoughts on “Spinach Quinoa Salad

    1. Great! So glad you loved it too! I love that it’s a versatile salad that where you can add or skip things and it still tastes great!

  1. 5 stars
    This salad was DELICIOUS. We made it with honey roasted almonds and dried cranberries instead, and used a lemon poppyseed dressing (im not sure if it was GF or not for people who NEED to be GF, I just like to minimize my gluten intake) and it was SOOOOOO good. Love all of these recipes and cannot wait to make more ๐Ÿ™‚

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