This Italian quinoa salad is full of flavor and packed with nutrients! You can use it as a side dish or as an entrée – it’s great alongside (or mixed together with) chicken, steak, or tofu. It’s easy to throw together and preps well in advance, so feel free to meal prep it on the weekend for lunch or dinner later in the week.
Ingredients
Here’s a photo of everything you’ll need for the quinoa salad:
And here’s everything you’ll need for the dressing. Note that if you prefer, you can skip the homemade dressing and use a prepared Italian dressing or balsamic vinaigrette instead.
Here are some helpful ingredient notes:
- Quinoa – White, red, black – it all works! As you can see from the photos, I had mostly white quinoa in my pantry but had to use some tri-color quinoa to balance it out.
- Mozzarella pearls – If you can’t find these at the store, you can always cut up a mozzarella log into bite size pieces. Heck, I’ve even used chopped up string cheese in a pinch! You can also substitute feta instead of mozzarella if you’d prefer.
- Arugula – Baby arugula adds a nice peppery flavor and heartiness to this salad. You can substitute with baby spinach if you’d prefer.
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips. This recipe is very simple to make.
Start by preparing your quinoa by cooking it in broth. Either vegetable broth or chicken broth works. Cooking it this way adds extra flavor and seasoning to the quinoa.
While the quinoa is cooking, get all your veggies chopped.
Add the arugula, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, basil, and garlic to a large mixing bowl.
When the quinoa is done, let it cool for a few minutes, then add that to the mixing bowl with the veggies and stir together.
If you’re enjoying it now, add the dressing and mix well.
If you’re enjoying the salad later, store the salad and dressing separately until it’s time to serve. This prevents the salad from drying out.
You can also add some cooked chicken, steak, or tofu to the salad if you’d like to increase the protein content, or you can serve it alongside one of these items.
Recipe FAQ
Here are some common questions that may come up as you’re preparing this recipe:
Store in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
You can serve it either way! I generally prefer it served cold or at room temperature. However, it can be heated in the microwave if you prefer it warm.
Yes! Feel free to use whatever you have on hand. Canned artichoke hearts, roasted asparagus, roasted eggplant, and baby spinach are some favorite alternatives to use.
Yes. Leave out the mozzarella pearls, use vegetable broth, and substitute maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing. That will make this recipe vegan-friendly.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Super flavorful
- Can be prepped ahead of time
- Olive oil in the dressing provides health-promoting monounsaturated fats and polyphenols
- Excellent source of folate, magnesium, and Vitamin K
- Good source of iron, zinc, and Vitamin E
More Quinoa Recipes
If you’re looking for more ways to use quinoa, be sure to give one of these a try:
- Cranberry apple breakfast quinoa
- Lentil quinoa bowl with peanut sauce
- Butternut squash and quinoa chili
- Ham, cheese, and broccoli quinoa casserole
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Italian Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 ¼ cup dry quinoa
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- 2 cups arugula, packed
- 1 ½ cups quartered cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup diced peeled cucumber (about 1 small-medium cucumber or ½ large cucumber)
- ¾ cup mozzarella pearls
- ½ cup chopped roasted red peppers
- ⅓ cup chopped basil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional; I love fresh garlic!)
For the dressing (see notes):
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ½ tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to package directions using broth as the cooking liquid (rather than water). Let cool for a few minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the arugula, tomatoes, cucumber, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, basil, and garlic. Add the cooked quinoa.
- In a bowl or mason jar, prepare the dressing by combining the oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. Whisk together or shake the jar until well-combined.
- If enjoying now, pour the dressing into the quinoa salad and toss all the ingredients together until well-combined. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Feel free to use a bottled vinaigrette or Italian salad dressing rather than making dressing from scratch.
- If you are making this ahead of time, I recommend keeping the quinoa salad and dressing separate and dress right before serving. This prevents the quinoa from absorbing too much of the dressing and becoming too dry prior to serving.
- This recipe makes 6 side-dish servings. It can be converted to an entrée by mixing with chicken, steak, or tofu, or increasing the portion size.
Nutrition
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