Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

5 from 13 votes

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

This is the Mediterranean quinoa salad I always make! It hits the perfect balance of fresh, briny, and satisfying...and it holds up well. Watch the video below to see how I make this in my kitchen!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: Quinoa Salad, Quinoa Salad Recipe

Servings: servings

Author: Lisa Bryan

Equipment

Glass Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

For the quinoa salad

1 cup quinoa uncooked and rinsed
2 cups water
2 bell peppers small diced (any color works—I used red and yellow)
1 English cucumber small diced
½ medium red onion small diced
¼ cup capers drained
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
4 ounces feta cheese crumbled

For the lemon vinaigrette

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon honey
1 garlic clove minced
kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

US - Metric

Instructions

Make the dressing. Add the oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey, garlic, salt and pepper to a small bowl and whisk together until fully emulsified. Alternatively, you can add the ingredients to a small jar and shake together. Set aside.
Cook the quinoa. Add the quinoa and water to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook, covered, for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water. Remove from the heat and allow the quinoa to steam, covered, for another 5 minutes. To cool the quinoa, spread it out on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes.
Make the salad. Once the quinoa is completely cooled, add it to a large mixing bowl with the bell peppers, cucumber, red onion, capers, parsley, and feta. Drizzle the lemon vinaigrette on top (you can use as much or as little as you'd like, though I tend to use it all).
Serve or chill. Serve the quinoa salad immediately or chill in the fridge to let the flavors meld together further.

Video

Nutrition