What happens when you are supposed to make a Greek salad, but you forgot to buy lettuce at the grocery store? A mad rush through the pantry, refrigerator, and that little cabinet that we keep random durable goods that I barely ever use is what happens. Greek quinoa salad is what happens.
I love quinoa. If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it. Quinoa is a tiny seed that puffs up when it’s cooked. It adds a nutty flavor and a slightly crunchy texture. A lot of people are skeptical of quinoa at first. But I have found that as soon as they try quinoa in a salad like this, they can’t get enough. It’s like hiding vegetables from a kid. If they don’t know that broccoli is hidden inside something cheesy, they will eat it time after time.
This Greek quinoa salad has the same flavors of a classic Greek salad – sweet cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, tangy kalamata olives, and smooth, crumbly feta cheese. A light red wine vinaigrette seals the deal.
Greek Quinoa Salad
| Yield | 4 to 6 |
| Meal type | Rice & Grains |
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 hothouse cucumber, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives, halved
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 red onion, diced
Directions
| Dressing | |
| 1. | Whisk together the vinegar, oregano, garlic, and mustard in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside. |
| Quinoa | |
| 2. | Combine the quinoa and chicken broth in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Cover the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes, until all of the liquid is absorbed into the quinoa. |
| 3. | Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl. Add the cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives, feta, and red onion and toss to combine. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. |
If you want to keep this dish vegetarian, you can use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to cook the quinoa. It will be just as delicious!
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks yummy! I recently had a quinoa salad that was Asian. It had purple cabbage, oranges, carrots and I’m not sure what else. If you have any ideas for another quinoa salad I would love to get them.
This looks delicious! We have yet to try quinoa and this is the perfect recipe to try it in first. Might have to leave out those pesky olives from mine though…we don’t have a good relationship. I’m excited!
Wow, this looks perfect! I have never tried quinoa, but it’s the first item on my to-do list!
Ooh, yes please! I am on a quinoa kick and kalamata olives are always one of my favorite ingredients, so I’m loving this salad. Such a great lunch idea!
This look amazing! I am so in love with quinoa and I love this combo! Have a fabulous week!
This is such a perfect salad for quinoa. I can’t wait to try it.
This quinoa salad looks absolutely scrumptious!
Yay! A quinoa recipe! It’s just what I’ve been needing – I am so excited to try this!