Greek Quinoa Salad
Greek Quinoa Salad is a fresh and filling mix of spinach, cherry tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, avocado, and feta, all tossed in a zesty Greek-inspired dressing.
Servings: 6 as a side
Cost: $8.12
Equipment
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 3 cups baby spinach coarsely chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 3/4 cup black olives or kalamata olives
- 1 cup Persian cucumbers or English cucumber, chopped
- 1/3 cup red onion diced
- 1 large ripe avocado chopped
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
Dressing
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 1-1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1-1/2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
- 1 clove minced garlic 3/4 teaspoon
- 1-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the quinoa by rinsing it under cold water in a fine-mesh sieve to remove the bitter saponin coating. Combine quinoa and 2 cups water in a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, add in 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (or to preference), reduce heat to low, and cover the pot. Simmer for 10–15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, keep covered, and let stand for 10–15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and place in the fridge or freezer to cool to room temperature. Quinoa can be prepared 3–4 days in advance.
- Coarsely chop the spinach. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and slice the black olives either in half or in slices. Chop cucumber into small pieces and dice the red onion. Finally, chop the avocado.
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in a jar. Juice lemon to get 1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice and add to the jar. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I add 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Cover and shake thoroughly to combine (make sure no honey/Dijon is stuck on the bottom and use a spoon to stir it up and shake again if needed). Refrigerate until ready to dress.
- In a large bowl, combine the roughly chopped spinach and quinoa. Toss to combine. Add the tomatoes, olives, cucumber, onion, and avocado. Remove the dressing from the fridge and shake well. Only add avocado, feta, and dressing to what will be eaten. This salad doesn’t sit well once dressed. Drizzle on the dressing (to desired preference; you may not want it all) and toss to generously coat everything. If desired, add feta cheese. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
See the post for substitutions and more ideas to add to this salad.
Storage: If you aren’t eating this salad all in one sitting and want leftovers, only add avocado, feta, and dressing to what will be eaten. This salad doesn’t store well once dressed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 648mg | Potassium: 1228mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 11515IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 204mg | Iron: 6mg