Home » Salads » Healthy Quinoa Salad
Published: June 19, 2018Updated: April 24, 2022Author: Jenn Laughlin
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This Healthy Quinoa Salad is packed with colorful vegetables and tossed in an easy peasy whisk-and-pour Mediterranean dressing. I cannot WAIT for y’all to try this superfood salad!
I’ve been all about light and healthy meals lately, and cannot wait to share my kale quinoa salad with y’all! It’s fast, fresh, and flipping delicious!
As written, this crazy nutritious salad is vegan and gluten-free, making it a plant-based powerhouse as both a main dish and a side!
If you’re simply vegetarian and are jonesin’ for some feta cheese on top of this crazy colorful salad, go for it!
I also love it with chopped avocado. Craving a kiss of sweetness? Dried cranberries make a crazy tasty mix-in as do candied pecans or walnuts. The mix-ins are endless so empty out that crisper drawer, raid your pantry, and get your booty in the kitchen! We have an epic quinoa salad to create!
Quinoa Salad Ingredients
- quinoa
- kale
- sweet corn
- edamame
- shredded carrots
- bell pepper
- green onion
- salt and pepper
For the quinoa you can use white quinoa, red quinoa, or even a tri-color quinoa mix. I used plain white quinoa for it’s fluff factor. So good!
Any color bell pepper will work great here. You can use red, green, yellow, or orange.
Easy Quinoa Salad Dressing
- 1/2cupavocado oil(olive oil works great too)
- 1/4cupred wine vinegar
- 2TBSPfresh chopped parsley
- 2clovesgarlicminced
- 1/2tspdried oregano leaves
- 1/2tspdried basil leaves
- 1/2tspsea salt
- 1/4tspblack pepper
This delish dressing is SO easy to make! Simply combine all the ingredients listed in a small bowl and whisk together. Additionally you can add all the ingredients to a lidded mason jar and shake well. That’s it!
Healthy Quinoa Salad
There’s so much to love about this superfood salad!
Kale and quinoa make a rockstar combo studded with carrots, corn, bell pepper, green onion, and edamame, then tossed in a fresh and flavorful homemade dressing.
I could pretty much make this every week and never tire of it. It’s crazy tasty and a fantastic way to up your veggie intake!
I used regular white quinoa for this recipe but feel free to try it with red or tri-color quinoa as well!
Healthy Quinoa Salad
This Healthy Quinoa Salad is packed with colorful vegetables and tossed in an easy peasy whisk-and-pour Mediterranean dressing. I cannot WAIT for y’all to try this superfood salad packed with edamame, kale, corn, peppers, carrots, and quinoa!
5 from 26 votes
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Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: Healthy Quinoa Salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Jenn Laughlin – Peas and Crayons
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1.5 cups water
- 5 cups chopped curly kale
- ½ tsp healthy oil (avocado, olive, etc…)
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1.5 cups frozen sweet corn (Steam if frozen or sauté if using fresh from the cob)
- 1 cup frozen edamame
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 1 bell pepper chopped (any color)
- 2-4 TBSP green onion
- additional salt and pepper to taste if desired
EASY PEASY SALAD DRESSING
- ½ cup avocado oil (olive oil works great too)
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 TBSP fresh chopped parsley
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp dried oregano leaves
- ½ tsp dried basil leaves
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
First rinse and drain your quinoa using amesh strainer or sieve. Bring a small pot to medium heat and lightly toast the quinoa to remove any excess water. Stir as it toasts for just a few minutes. This step is optional but really adds to the nuttiness and fluff factor of the quinoa!Next add your water, set burner to high, and bring to a boil.Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered with the lid slightly ajar, for 12-13 minutes or until quinoa is fluffy and the liquid has been absorbed.
While the quinoa cooks,wash and dry your chopped kale (I use my trusty salad spinner) and massage with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt for extra-tender kale that tastes GREAT! Toss kale with shredded carrot, bell pepper, and green onion in a large bowl.
Next steam edamame and corn per package instructions and set aside to cool.
For the dressing, combine all the ingredients listed in a small bowl and whisk together. Additionally you can add all the ingredients to a lidded mason jar and shake well.
Once your quinoa is ready, fluff with a fork and season with salt and pepper, to taste. For a chilled salad, allow the quinoa, edamame and corn to chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. For a room temperature salad, simply set aside to cool off slightly and then add to the rest of your veggies.
Ready to eat? Pour half dressing over salad and mix well. Allow friends/family to add additional dressing to taste.
Notes
Have fresh oregano and/or basil on hand? sweet! Fresh herbs have a more mild flavor so you can totally use a little extra of each, to taste.
I like to make a big batch of steamed corn and edamame at the start of the week so I can toss it into salads, rice, and stir-fry dishes all week long. Feel free to follow suit!
Meal prepping? This salad can be kept in the fridge for easy weekly meal prep or as make-ahead prep for a party or gathering. Simply add more dressing before serving as the quinoa and veggies will soak up all the deliciousness in the fridge. You can also store the dressing and salad in separate containers and combine before serving. Easy peasy!
Nutrition facts below are an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Salad calculated before dressing is added.
Nutrition
Calories: 321kcal, Carbohydrates: 54g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 6g, Sodium: 126mg, Potassium: 1059mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 12155IU, Vitamin C: 145.5mg, Calcium: 178mg, Iron: 4.5mg
Did you make this recipe?I want to see! Tag @peasandcrayons on Instagram and Facebook!
how to make quinoa salad
Making quinoa salads is so easy! I like to use this tutorial to make ultra-fluffy quinoa for my salads. The rinsing and toasting is totally key for nutty, flavorful quinoa!
Of course the best part is that you can make a big batch of quinoa for the week and use it in dishes all week long. Meal-prep FTW! Some of my favorite things to make with the extra quinoa areQuinoa Black Bean Veggie BurgersandGreek Quinoa Bowls– SO GOOD!
To turn a bowl-o-quinoa into a healthy quinoa salad, you’ll simply add your favorite veggies and salad dressing! When it comes to quinoa salad, anything goes! You can add peppers, tomato, corn, spinach, kale, olives, avocado, carrot, radish, and anything else your heart desires!
hungry for more?
- Kale Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Havarti and Garlic
- Roasted Chickpea Quinoa Taco Bowls
- Mexican Kale Salad with Zesty Cilantro Lime Dressing
- NEW! Mexican Breakfast Salad
If you get a chance to try this tasty vegetarian quinoa salad, let me know! You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
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About The Author:
Jenn Laughlin
Hi! I’m Jenn and I’m here to help you eat your veggies! It'll be fun, painless, and pretty darn delicious as I teach you to plan your meals around fresh, seasonal produce with a little help from healthy freezer and pantry staples.
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