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Kalamata olives, Cucumbers, tomatoes, feta and a host of other Mediterranean flavors come together in this fresh, protein packed Mediterranean Quinoa Salad!
This Mediterranean Quinoa Salad is such a delicious, versatile and simple recipe it’ll soon be a staple in your house! It’s fresh, loaded with goodness and the zesty homemade Mediterranean dressing is divine!
If you are after more salad ideas, why not also try my Greek Chickpea Salad or my Cabbage Fattoush Salad, both so tasty too!
Why you’ll love this Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Great for meal prep. This salad tastes better the longer it sits and it’s perfect to portion out for lunches.
- Loaded with Mediterranean flavors! Olives, feta, parsley, cucumbers, tomatoes and that zesty dressing – this is sunshine in a bowl!
- A delicious side or main. You can serve this as a fresh side (perfect for BBQ’s!), or add your favorite protein and make it a meal.
Ingredients
Salad
- Cooked Quinoa
- Veggies: Tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata olives, onion, bell pepper.
- Feta Cheese
- Parsley
Dressing
- Lemon Juice
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
- Chili Flakes: To taste.
- Oregano
- Garlic
- Onion Powder
- Dijon Mustard
How to make this Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- In a salad dressing container or small bowl, whisk together the salad dressing ingredients and place it in the fridge.
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions. While the quinoa is cooking, wash all your veggies and dry with a kitchen towel.
- Dice all the veggies and place them in a bowl. Also cut the Kalamata olives.
- When the quinoa has cooked, transfer them onto a bowl and leave them uncovered to cool quickly.
- Add the cooked quinoa to the remainder of the salad ingredients and toss to mix the ingredients together.
- Add in the salad dressing and toss again to coat the ingredients well with the dressing.
- If you are transferring the salad mixture to another bowl do so and then top with the feta cheese. If you are serving in the same dish you can throw in the feta cheese at this point.
- Garnish with some lemon slices and enjoy.
Recipe tips and notes
- This is a versatile salad, so feel free to omit or swap any of the salad ingredients.
- You can swap in sun dried tomatoes instead of fresh, for a twist on texture. Also basil is a great swap for parsley. You can really get creative with this salad base.
- Prepare the quinoa in advance and cool in the fridge. This means the cooked quinoa doesn’t warm up the other salad ingredients.
- This salad is great to for a BBQ, picnic or potluck.
- To make this vegan/dairy free simply omit the feta.
Frequently asked questions
Is this Mediterranean Quinoa Salad healthy?
Mediterranean recipes are often pretty balanced and healthy. This delicious quinoa salad has bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumber and protein packed quinoa. Quinoa is a healthy food, it’s high in protein, gluten free, and high in fiber. The dressing is light and made with extra virgin oil. The whole dish is nutritious and so tasty!
Can I make this in advance?
Sure thing! This is a great make ahead salad. You can cook the quinoa in advance, then prep and store the other ingredients. Once the salad is assembled it can be kept in the fridge for a few days, in fact the flavors really develop if kept in the fridge overnight.
Add the feta and dressing just before serving.
What else can I add to this salad?
This is a super versatile salad, you can add things like capers, pine nuts, dried cranberries, chickpeas, beans, green onions, mint – the list goes on – so you can get creative!
Other delicious salad recipes
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you including this delicious and simple Mediterranean Quinoa Salad. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!
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Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped (any kind)
- 1/2 cup orange bell pepper, diced
- 1/3 cup purple onion, petite diced
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Dressing
- 3 tbsps lemon juice
- 2 tbsps red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsps olive oil, extra virgin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked, fine
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes, or less ito taste
- 1/2 tsp oregano, dried
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced, adjust to taste
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
Instructions
- In a salad dressing container or small bowl, whisk together the salad dressing ingredients and place it in the fridge.
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
- While the quinoa is cooking, wash all your veggies and dry with a kitchen towel.
- Dice all the veggies and place them in a bowl. Also cut the Kalamata olives.
- When the quinoa has cooked, transfer them onto a bowl and leave them uncovered to cool quikly.
- Add the cooked quinoa to the remainder of the salad ingredients and toss to mix the ingredients together.
- Add in the salad dressing and toss again to coat the ingredients well with the dressing.
- If you are transfereing the salad mixture to another bowl do so and then top with the feta cheese. If you are serving in the same dish you can throw in the feta cheese at this point.
- Garnish with some lemon slices and enjoy.
Notes
- This is a versatile salad, so feel free to omit or swap any of the salad ingredients.
- You can swap in sun dried tomatoes instead of fresh, for a twist on texture. Also basil is a great swap for parsley. You can really get creative with this salad base.
- Prepare the quinoa in advance and cool in the fridge. This means the cooked quinoa doesn’t warm up the other salad ingredients.
- This salad is great to for a BBQ, picnic or potluck.
- To make this vegan/dairy free simply omit the feta.
Great recipe! What’s the serving size?
Hi there!
It depends on the portion you want to to serve. 2 for large servings or 4 as a side serving.