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This seasonal quinoa salad is light, herby, and full of texture. It’s one of my favorite sides to pair with grilled meat or roasted fish for a simple and healthy dinner.
I’ve made this salad for catering events, our meal delivery service, and it is always a crowd favorite. It tastes healthy, brightens up the entire dinner spread, can be varied based on the vegetables in season, and the best part is that you can prep it days in advance!
Chef Tips:
- To prep ahead of time – you can toss the quinoa, herbs, and chopped vegetables together. Leave the dressing on the side, and toss the quinoa salad with the dressing right before your serve. I’ve kept this prepped in my fridge for up to 4 days, and it still tastes really fresh!
- Use a sharp knife to chop your herbs, or else they have a tendency to turn brown. If there was one thing you’d like to keep and prep the day of serving this salad, it would be to chop the herbs fresh.
- Cool the quinoa before tossing – Warm quinoa can wilt the herbs and vegetables. Let it cool before mixing. This is especially important if you’re prepping the quinoa salad ahead of time.
- To cook the quinoa – instead of boiling and draining, you can also cook quinoa like rice. Use the ratio 1 cup of raw quinoa to 2 cups water – bring up to a boil, add a pinch of salt, stir, cover, then cook on low heat for 15 minutes.
- Cut the vegetables into small 1/4″ – 1/2″ pieces. The tiny bites of crunchy veg go really well with the quinoa, and makes the texture of this salad so yummy.
- Blend the vinaigrette – Blending the herbs directly into the vinaigrette evenly distributes the flavor and saves you a step from needing the finely chop it. You can still make the vinaigrette without a blender, but it’s nice to use if you have it!
- Taste and adjust – Start with ⅓ cup vinaigrette, then add more to taste. The quinoa will absorb flavor as it sits.
Variations
- I love to make a quinoa salad with a variety of vegetables. The method of tossing together the salad and prepping the vegetables into a small dice are the same, and I keep the cilantro or mint for the freshness.
- Feel free to swap out zucchini corn for:
- 2 Persian cucumbers + 1 red bell peppers + 1 jalapeño
- 2 Persian cucumbers + 2 cooked red beets + 4 ounces feta cheese + 1/4 cup olives
- 2 Persian cucumbers + 6 ounces of sugar snap peas
What to serve with this seasonal quinoa salad:
- Herb Roasted Salmon (coming soon)
- Garlic Soy Skirt Steak (coming soon)
- Crispy Fried Potatoes
Recipe
Seasonal Quinoa Salad
This Seasonal Quinoa Salad is light, herby, and full of texture. It’s one of my favorite sides to pair with grilled meat or roasted fish for a simple and healthy dinner, AND it can be prepped ahead of time. The Herby Lemon Vinaigrette gets tossed in right before you serve and ties everything together with fresh acidity and just a touch of sweetness.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw white quinoa
- 2 ears fresh white or yellow corn
- 2 each small zucchini
- 1/2 bunch cilantro or mint
- 1 each jalapeno, deseeded
Herby Lemon Vinaigrette (can also sub lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper!)
- 2 tablespoons Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup Olive oil
- 1/4 bunch Cilantro or mint
Instructions
- Prep all the vegetables: dice the zucchini (1/4″ square), chop the cilantro, dice the jalapenos, and slice the corn off the cob.
- Cook the quinoa: bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add salt (like pasta), and add the quinoa. Cook for 12 minutes, then taste and cook another minute as needed. Drain the quinoa and add to a mixing bowl.
- Make the herby lemon vinaigrette. Add everything to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Toss cooled quinoa with all vegetables. Toss with ⅓ cup of the herby lemon vinaigrette and herbs. Taste, add more vinaigrette as desired, and serve!
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