This Spinach Quinoa Salad is packed with fresh vegetables, textured grains, leafy greens, and healthy fats! It's a great building block for a more involved salad, but also delicious on it's own. And dressed with a homemade, zesty lemon vinaigrette, it's one you won't want to miss out on!
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About this Salad
Looking for a power salad that's great for meal prep? I've got your back.
This Spinach Quinoa Salad is the base for a wonderful meal (add this Rosemary Lemon Pepper Grilled Chicken!) or a perfect side salad all on it's own. It's easy, healthy, refreshing, and easy. It's everything you could want out of a simple salad without being boring.
Tabouli flavors inspired this salad recipe — fresh and so delicious. And dressed with a homemade, zesty lemon vinaigrette, it's surely one you won't want to miss out on!
But wait, if you love grains in your salad you should also check out this Summer Orzo Salad, this Strawberry Quinoa Salad, or this Arugula Couscous Salad, which I know you'll enjoy, too!
Recipe Ingredients
- Spinach: A soft and incredibly nutritious green!
- Quinoa: A highly nutritious grain with a nutty flavor. So delicious!
- Veggies: This recipe includes bell pepper, onion, avocado, and also cucumber for a variety of colors, textures, and nutrients.
- Feta Cheese: Everything is better with feta if you ask me:)
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make This Recipe
1. Prepare the quinoa according to package instructions. You can use a microwave packet for convenience if you wish! Once quinoa is finished, cool for 15-20 minutes and add to serving bowl with the spinach.
2. Dice cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, and spinach. Crumble feta cheese if not already done. Then finely slice your avocado. Add produce to bowl.
3. Make the homemade Homemade Lemon Vinaigrette - directions linked or grab dressing of choice and add to the salad.
4. Toss salad to evenly coat everything with the dressing. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
You may know quinoa as a "superfood," and that's a great place to start! Quinoa is full of fiber, protein, and other nourishing vitamins and minerals. It's often substituted for rice to increase the nutritional value of a meal. And while it's often thought of as a grain, it's actually a seed!
Quinoa is gluten-free, has anti-inflammatory benefits, and is a great ingredient to have on hand if you're looking to lower your cholesterol, improve your digestion, maintain your heart health, and more. Truly, it is a superfood and it's super easy to prepare.
(Source: Live Science)
A forkful of quinoa tastes similar to brown rice, but it has a little more of a nutty flavor. It's incredibly light and fluffy and can sometimes be a little crunchy, depending how you prepare it. It also does a great job of absorbing sauces and seasonings, so it's easy to flavor to your preferences!
Store in an airtight container separate form the dressing for up to three days. I also suggest leaving out the avocado until just before enjoying to avoid browning.
I swear each time I purchase a bag of spinach, it’s wet the next day too! A tip to avoid spoiling greens is to put a piece or 2 of paper towel against the side of the plastic bag or on top of the spinach in a container. That way, the paper towel can absorb excess moisture.
If you don't want to make your own dressing, most store bought dressings will work great! I like a vinaigrette of sorts paired with this salad or even just a drizzle of good olive oil and lemon juice.
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Recipe
Spinach Quinoa Salad
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Salad bowl
- sauce pan
- Spoon
- Immersion blender
- Whisk
- Small mixing bowl
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- ½ cup dry quinoa
- ½ cup bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ avocado, sliced
For the lemon vinaigrette
- 4 sage leaves
- ⅛ cup olive oil
- ⅛ cup lemon juice
- ½ tbsp honey dijon mustard
- ½ tsp italian seasoning
- ½ tsp lemon zest
- ½ tsp garlic
- dash salt and pepper
Instructions
For the salad
- Prepare the quinoa according to package instructions. You can use a microwave packet for convenience if you wish!
- While quinoa is cooking, dice cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, and spinach. Crumble feta cheese if not already done. Finely slice your avocado.
- Once quinoa is finished cooking, let cool for 15-20 minutes.
- Assemble all ingredients. Toss until thoroughly combined.
For the lemon vinaigrette:
- In a small bowl or jar, whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, mustard, and seasonings.
- Chop fresh sage leaves into small pieces and whisk with other ingredients.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the dressing together until thoroughly mixed.
Nutrition
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you're using MyFitnessPal, search 'A Paige Of Positivity' and find Spinach Quinoa Salad & Lemon Vinaigrette can also be searched separately. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
Sydney says
Quinoa is the most underrated salad ingredient!!! I said it!!!! Courtney does not make boring salads and this recipe upholds that statement. I tried it with jarred red pepper instead of fresh bell pepper and that combo with the feta and cucumber was amazing. Also don't skip the homemade dressing, it really does take this to the next level and is too easy to pass on. I bought sage specifically to make it and I can tell you it will now be a pantry staple!! Thank you Courtney!
Courtney Paige says
super easy to make! love the homemade dressing!!