This Summer Quinoa Salad is the perfect mix of protein packed quinoa, cool crunchy cucumber, creamy feta cheese, sweet strawberries and a little tang from a lemon vinaigrette. You’ll be wanting to keep this one on repeat – especially in those hot summer months.
I decided to make this recipe because at the time of making it this upcoming weekend will be Memorial Day Weekend in the States. There’s nothing quite like Memorial Day Weekend to kick of the summer season! For our family it always was heading Up North (I’m from Michigan – IYKYK) to spend the weekend with family at the lake. And you can’t have a huge gathering with all of your family members without some amazing food and drinks.
This is also a cold salad so it can be made ahead of time and taken out whenever it’s time to eat. A bonus so you don’t have to be stuck in the kitchen trying to prepare a meal.
Ingredients
- Quinoa
- Water / Chicken Broth
- Cucumber
- Strawberries
- Basil
- Feta Cheese
- Red Onion
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Honey
- Lemon
- Dried Oregano
- Garlic Powder
- Salt & Pepper
- Red Pepper Flaes
How to Make the Summer Quinoa Salad
- Cook quinoa according to directions on package. Let cool.
- While quinoa is cooking make vinaigrette. Combine all ingredients for vinaigrette into a jar with a lid and close. Shake to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add cucumber, strawberries, feta, red onion, basil, arugula and chilled quinoa.
- Add enough dressing to get to your desired consistency, you might not need to use it all.
- Toss to combine & Enjoy!
What To Serve with Summer Quinoa Salad
We love having this with grilled chicken, asparagus and some fresh bread from the bakery. But the best part is you have your veggies and starch all in one place so technically you don’t even need to add much extra!
If you’re looking to make this vegetarian you can always add tofu or chickpeas to this to bump up the protein as well! Also, if you have family members, friends (or a husband like mine) who doesn’t like a certain ingredient you can always have all the salad ingredients separate and people can build their own salad!
I hope you enjoy it!
Summer Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Quinoa Salad
- 1 cup Quinoa
- 2 cups Water or Chicken / Vegetable Broth
- 1/2 English Cucumber chopped
- 1/2 Red Onion sliced thin
- 2 cups Strawberries sliced thin
- 4 oz Feta Cheese crumbled
- 3 large handfuls of Arugula
- 5 large Basil Leaves chopped
- Additional Strawberries / Basil for topping
Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/2 Lemon squeezed, about 2 Tbsp
- 2 Tbsp Honey
- 1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes optional
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to directions on package. Let cool.
- While quinoa is cooking make vinaigrette. Combine all ingredients for vinaigrette into a jar with a lid and close. Shake to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add cucumber, strawberries, feta, red onion, basil, arugula and chilled quinoa.
- Add enough dressing to get to your desired consistency, you might not need to use it all. Toss to combine.
- Enjoy!
