Easy Quinoa Salad with Garden Veggies

Quinoa salad doesn’t get easier than this! This Easy Quinoa Salad with Garden Veggies is a simple yet protein-packed, clean eating recipe perfect for a cold lunch or a healthy side for dinner. Made gluten-free and vegetarian with kale, zucchini and fresh herbs and topped with a sweet citrus dressing. Best topped with lots and lots of feta cheese!

This is my summertime in a bowl.

A mix of nutty quinoa with veggies like carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, kale and cherry tomatoes straight from the market with fresh herbs like parsley and basil and dressed up in a tangy, sweet, citrusy mustard dressing. Top with crumbled feta for a salty kick or leave it as it is.

Yep. I’m pretty sure this IS summertime served in a bowl.

And I’m definitely sure this is lunch and dinner for the next FOREVER!

Easy Quinoa Salad with Garden Veggies

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• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 1x

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Description

Quinoa salad doesn’t get easier than this! This Easy Quinoa Salad with Garden Veggies is a simple yet protein-packed, clean eating recipe perfect for a cold lunch or healthy side for dinner. Made gluten free and vegetarian with kale, zucchini and fresh herbs and topped with a sweet citrus dressing. Best topped with lots and lots of feta cheese!

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Ingredients

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For the Salad:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 cups kale, washed and finely chopped or shredded (from 1–2 leaves)
• 1 cup finely chopped bell pepper (from about 1 pepper; I used red)
• 1 cup finely chopped zucchini
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1/2 cup (packed) fresh herbs, roughly chopped (I used basil and parsley)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, optional

For the Dressing:

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 small clove of garlic, minced or finely grated
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

For the salad:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the quinoa, kale, pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, herbs and onions. Stir to combine.
2. Add all the dressing ingredients to a mason jar with tight-fitting lid and shake well, until combined and smooth. Alternatively, whisk all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.
3. Pour the dressing over top and toss to combine well. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
4. Top with feta cheese (if using).
5. Salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes

MORE ABOUT THIS EASY QUINOA SALAD WITH GARDEN VEGGIES RECIPE

I love the crunch of this salad. The finely chopped raw veggies, like the carrot, pepper and cucumber give this salad an amazing crunch. And that paired with the slight chewy-crunch the quinoa has going on – this salad has texture, my friends.

And then there’s the greens – kale and tons of fresh herbs.

If you haven’t noticed, I am a teeny-tiny kale salad obsessed. From kale caesars to lemony kale salads, I can’t get enough kale in salad form. So, obviously, kale in my quinoa salad was a no-brainer.

And those fresh herbs! My cute yet very little backyard garden is overflowing right now (I am not complaining about that!) because I truly think fresh herbs just make everything better. And especially when used in mass amounts in grainy salads like this one.

But I think my favourite part of this salad is the dressing. I am all for tasty and homemade sauces. The key to a good anything is a good sauce. And this sweet mustard dressing has been my go-to for quite some time now. It’s tangy. It’s sweet. It’s packed with mustard, which just happens to be my favourite condiment of all time. And it ties it all together here.

I like to top this salad with a generously, large handful of salty feta because feta and its salty, soft cheese is the perfect match for a sweet, lemony mustard dressing.

This Easy Quinoa Salad with Garden Veggies was originally published in August 2016. The recipe and photos were updated in July 2018. Thank you for supporting Always Nourished and making recipes like this one possible!.