Nothing beats an easy meal prep lunch recipe – and this watermelon quinoa salad is exactly that! It’s refreshing, nutritious, and is very simple to make (no fancy ingredients). As a dietitian, I think this is a great option for fueling your fitness goals. It has carbohydrates to supply energy for your workouts and 35 grams of protein to support muscle repair and recovery. And you’ll love the blend of sweet and savory flavors!
Ingredients & Instructions
Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need:
As you can, mostly pantry staples or easy-to-find items at the store! I prefer grabbing a rotisserie chicken for this meal to make the prep very quick, but you can also just make shredded chicken at home to use in this.
Once you’ve got everything, cook the quinoa with chicken broth according to the package directions. Pop that in the fridge for about 15-30 minutes to chill.
When it’s (mostly) cooled down, add in the watermelon, tomatoes, cooked chicken, mozzarella, and basil.
Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar to a small jar, shake well, and pour it over the quinoa mixture. Stir everything up and divide into your meal prep containers!
Helpful Tips
- While this is great for meal prep, it can also simply be used as a go-to easy dinner recipe for you and the family to eat that night!
- Some people prefer letting the dressing soak in while stored in the meal prep containers, while others prefer making the dressing separately and adding it right before serving. Feel free to do what suits your preferences.
- If you’d prefer this to be a more well-dressed quinoa salad, double the dressing amounts.
- If you’re not cooking your quinoa in chicken stock, you’ll want to add some salt to taste at the end.
- When making this as a meal prep dish, enjoy the prepped food within 3-4 days for food safety.
- If you’d like to make this into a vegetarian meal, substitute the chicken for canned chickpeas, and use vegetable broth to cook the quinoa.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
As a dietitian, here’s why I love this recipe – and why I think you will too:
- Easy recipe – no fancy ingredients
- Provides fitness-fueling carbohydrates
- Contains 35 grams of protein to support muscle recovery
- Excellent source of Vitamin C, iron, and magnesium
More Meal Prep Ideas
If you’re looking for more healthy lunch or dinner recipes that are great for meal prep, be sure to give one of these a try:
I hope you enjoy this watermelon quinoa salad recipe! If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Watermelon Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups chopped watermelon
- 3 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cups cooked chopped or shredded chicken breast (from a storebought rotisserie chicken or chicken you cook and shred for this recipe)
- 4 oz mozzarella pearls
- ⅓ cup chopped basil
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Salt optional for seasoning
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa in the chicken broth according to package directions. When done, pour cooked quinoa into a large bowl and let cool in the fridge or freezer for about 15-30 minutes.
- When mostly cool, combine the cooked quinoa with the watermelon, tomatoes, cooked chicken, mozzarella, and basil.
- Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar to a small jar, and shake well. Pour over the quinoa salad and toss well to combine all ingredients.
- Taste and season with salt if needed (though I find when cooking quinoa in broth that this is already seasoned enough). Enjoy!
Notes
- Recipe prep time listed assumes you’ve purchased cooked chicken or already made chicken. If you need to make it from scratch, please add 15-20 minutes for that process.
- This recipe is best enjoyed cold, so feel free to prepare the recipe and divide into meal prep containers for the next few days. You can enjoy it right out of the fridge!
- If you’d prefer to make this recipe vegetarian, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and add a can of chickpeas instead of the chicken.
- If you like a well-dressed salad, double the dressing proportions.
- This recipe makes 4-5 servings, depending on your hunger level and personal needs. The nutrition analysis below is based on 4 servings. If you break it into 5 servings, the nutrition facts will be lower than noted below.
Nutrition
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