Protein-Packed Easy Quinoa Salad for Your Summer BBQ
With a light, fluffy texture and savory flavor, this easy quinoa salad recipe may be simple, but it’s definitely not boring. Make this recipe for a good summer barbecue dish or picnic or to complement some grilled kebabs.
When you’re put on the spot to come up with a flavorful side dish—and something that’s not a wispy green salad—quinoa quickly becomes your best friend. Not only is this pseudo-grain extremely easy and versatile to cook with due to its nutty flavor and fluffy texture, it also contains all nine essential amino acids, which makes it an excellent source of protein (and more likely to satisfy your appetite).
A fun fact about quinoa: it’s actually a relative of the spinach, beet, and chard family. We eat the seed of the plant, which is why quinoa is also gluten-free. Kind of neat, isn’t it?
Whether you’re looking for a good summer barbecue or picnic recipe or you need a tasty side dish in a pinch, this easy quinoa salad recipe will do the trick. Personally, I’ve been making this healthy salad ahead of time and using it as a side-dish for my sous vide meals.
You can make the recipe as-is, but don’t be afraid to get creative and jazz it up with your other favorite ingredients. I’ve used a lemon dressing in this recipe, but if you’re after a little more flavor, you could put a Mediterranean twist on it—a nice change for the warmer months. Simply add some red wine vinegar, parsley, cucumber, red bell pepper, black olives, and crumbled feta. If you’re after something with more of a kick (and also great picnic fare), a quinoa Chipotle Burrito Bowl is another tasty, healthy option.
This quinoa would also be nice as an accompaniment to a chicken salad or served in a small bowl next to some grilled kebabs.
You can cook the quinoa in water, but I recommend using bone broth instead—a game-changer when it comes to effortlessly boost savory flavor and nutrition in simple recipes like this one. Nutrition-wise, bone broth is a great source of type II collagen, which promotes skin, gut, bone and joint health.
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Easy Quinoa Salad
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stove, Mix
- Cuisine: American
Description
With a light, fluffy texture and savory flavor, this easy quinoa salad recipe may be simple, but it’s definitely not boring. Make this recipe for a good summer barbecue dish or picnic or to complement some grilled kebabs.
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked quinoa
- 4 cups beef or chicken bone broth
- 1 5-ounce package spring mix
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa under cold running water.
- Transfer cleaned quinoa in a large saucepan, add bone broth and bring to a boil. Switch heat to low and let it simmer for 15-25 minutes until the quinoa is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Once the quinoa is cooked, remove from heat and let cool completely.
- In a large bowl or in the same saucepan, add spring mix, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Mix until all ingredients are well combined. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 1.7g
- Sodium: 392mg
- Fat: 3.4g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6g
- Carbohydrates: 30.5g
- Fiber: 3.9g
- Protein: 9.2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
About the Author
Sharon Chen is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, an author and a sous vide fanatic who believes food not only brings healing but also connection. As the creator of StreetSmart Kitchen, she's on a mission to help you find balance, ease, joy, and simplicity in the kitchen as you improve your well-being.
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This recipe is right on time. I literally just read an article about swapping rice for quinoa in recipes!
Quinoa is more nutritious than rice. More protein, fiber and good carbs. 🙂
I have always wanted to try Quinoa, but our local grocery stores do not sell it. I might have to venture out to a health food store because this dish looks yummy.
You might be able to find some on Amazon. Thank you for the comment. 🙂
I love Quinoa if its cooked well and mixed with the right flavours. Looking at your recipe I think this is a winner! I am definitely going to try making this for the family this weekend.
Yay! Hope it turns out well for you.
Thank You for this awesome recipe. I only do not understand why you need more proteins to BBQ?
hahahah… interesting point. Maybe carbs is a better fit in this case?
Looks like a really tasty salad recipe to try. I’ve been saving salad recipes a lot, since my husband has been asking me to make more of them lately. I think he’ll love this recipe! The quinoa would taste really good since it was cooked in bone broth. Yum.
Thank you! Hope you and your husband enjoy this recipe!
I’ve been bad lately and tempted to eat unhealthy. This week, I should focus on more green like your recipe, perfect timing!
Awesome to hear! Cheers to eat healthy!
This looks so delicious! I live off salads this time of year. They’re so light and refreshing. I’ll have to try this recipe!
Great. Hope you like it. 🙂
This looks really good! I love quinoa!
I love a good fresh summer salad. We have been trying to eat healthier and this is a great recipe. Perfect for when we get fresh spinach and tomatoes from the garden!
Whoa… fresh spinach and tomatoes from the garden sounds amazinggggg!
Such healthy ingredients and a delicious way to get those nutrients!
I can make this for our next women luncheon. Pretty sure there won’t be any leftovers.
Haha… can’t wait to hear about your women luncheon!