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make-ahead quinoa party salad in a large serving bowl with feta and parsley on top.

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5 from 1 review

Make-Ahead Quinoa Party Salad

Recipe by Danielle

This Make-Ahead Quinoa Party Salad is my bring-everywhere, better-as-leftovers, easy-to-make potluck salad. It’s packed with cucumbers, bell pepper, red onion, all in a simple lemony dressing. Meal prep for lunch or dinner!

  • Total Time40 minutes
  • Yield6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup dry white quinoa, rinsed
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (~half of a lemon’s worth)
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 cucumbers, roughly chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 red onion, finely diced
  • optional: crumbled feta & chopped parsley for serving

Instructions

  1. Cook the quinoa: To cook quinoa on the stovetop, add rinsed quinoa (1 cup) and broth (2 cups) to a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a low boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cover. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the pan from heat and let it sit with the lid still on for another 5 minutes to steam. Then, remove the lid, fluff the quinoa with a fork and set it aside to cool.
  2. Make the dressing: In a large mixing bowl, add the olive oil (1/4 cup), lemon juice (2 tablespoons or 1/2 lemon), apple cider vinegar (1 tablespoon), salt (1/2 teaspoon) and pepper (1/4 teaspoon). Whisk together in the bottom of the bowl until combined.
  3. Add the veggies: Add the cooled quinoa, cucumbers (2, roughly chopped), red bell pepper (1, diced), and red onion (1/2, finely diced) over the dressing in the mixing bowl. Stir everything together until the dressing is well dispersed throughout the veggies and quinoa.
  4. Chill then serve: This salad is best enjoyed after it has chilled for a few hours, especially if freshly cooked quinoa was used. Cover and store in the fridge until completely cool, then serve with crumbled feta and chopped parsley. Enjoy within 3 days for best quality.

Equipment

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Notes

Vinegar: update 3/23/17 – I recently made this with rice vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar, and it received good reviews from the whole group.

Recipe adapted from Greek Quinoa Bowls by Jenn at Peas and Crayons. Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Salads
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Greek-inspired

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: ~1 cup
  • Calories: 207
  • Fat: 11.1g
  • Carbohydrates: 22.8g
  • Protein: 4.9g

Find it online: https://staging.projectmealplan.com/make-ahead-quinoa-party-salad/