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Fresh Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Feta

Mediterranean quinoa salad - featured image
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A light, refreshing, and satisfying Mediterranean quinoa salad with fresh veggies, feta cheese, and a lemon-olive oil dressing, perfect for summer meals and easy to prepare in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (170g) quinoa, rinsed well
  • 1 ½ cups (about 250g) cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 medium cucumber (about 200g), diced
  • ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
  • ½ cup (about 100g) feta cheese, crumbled
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped (optional)
  • ¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of 1 large lemon (about 3 tablespoons/45ml)
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Optional extras: ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced; ¼ cup toasted pine nuts; diced bell peppers

Instructions

  1. Rinse the quinoa under cold running water for about 30 seconds using a fine mesh strainer to remove bitterness. Drain well.
  2. In a medium saucepan, combine rinsed quinoa with 2 cups (480ml) water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy.
  3. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and transfer to a large mixing bowl to cool slightly.
  4. While quinoa cooks, halve cherry tomatoes, dice cucumber, finely chop red onion, parsley, and mint.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste.
  6. Add prepared veggies and herbs to the cooled quinoa. Crumble feta cheese over the top.
  7. Pour dressing evenly over salad and toss gently but thoroughly to combine.
  8. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, or lemon juice if desired. Fold in optional ingredients like olives or pine nuts if using.
  9. Refrigerate salad for at least 30 minutes before serving for best flavor, or serve immediately.

Notes

Rinse quinoa thoroughly to avoid bitterness. Fluff quinoa with a fork and spread on a baking sheet to cool faster and avoid clumping. Soak red onion briefly in cold water to mellow flavor if desired. Toast pine nuts and olives lightly for extra crunch and flavor. Adjust salt depending on feta saltiness. Toss gently to avoid mushy quinoa. Salad tastes better after chilling for at least 30 minutes. Store leftovers in airtight container up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Keywords: Mediterranean quinoa salad, healthy salad, summer salad, feta cheese salad, easy quinoa recipe, light meal, vegetarian, gluten-free

Find it online: https://jodierecipes.com/fresh-mediterranean-quinoa-salad-with-feta-easy-healthy-recipe-for-summer/