This Greek Quinoa Salad is a gluten-free, vegetarian salad that is simple to make. Quinoa is mixed with fresh vegetables, roasted red pepper, kalamata olives, feta cheese, peperoncinis and tossed in a light Greek dressing. It is perfect meal-preparation for lunches and side dishes throughout the week.
A few weeks ago I shared a recipe for a Mediterranean Quinoa Salad in celebration of the new year and healthy eating.
I was looking through my old recipes and I realized that I had created a Greek Quinoa Salad way back when I started blogging.
The pictures needed to be updated but the recipe is a winner and I knew I had to update it and reshape it with you guys.
It is a combination of my Mediterranean Quinoa Salad and this Greek Orzo Pasta Salad. When Mike and I traveled to Greece a couple of years ago we fell in love with the food.
The Greek salads were of course my favorite. I love how fresh the vegetables and ingredients are that they use in their salads. Not to mention the creamy feta paired with kalamata olives.
If you like quinoa you should try my Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, Jennifer Aniston Salad, Greek Quinoa Bowl or this Tomato Cucumber Feta Quinoa Salad.
Below is a Greek Salad we got in Naxos, Greece.
I noticed that depending on where in Greece you are, the Greek salads are slightly different, for example this version uses capers. I loved that salty addition!
Today’s Greek Quinoa Salad mixes gluten-free quinoa with fresh vegetables, feta cheese, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, fresh herbs and a light dressing.
This salad is an easy addition to meal-prepping and can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
In Greece I would often eat Greek salads with the view below in front of me.
The landscapes in Greece were just stunning. We can all make Greek style salads here at home and daydream about such beauty, right?
Recipe Ingredients You’ll Need
- Quinoa: I love using quinoa in salads because it creates a heartier salad that is gluten-free. Make sure to rinse your quinoa before using it.
- Vegetables: The fresh vegetables in this salad are green onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, cucumber and peperoncinis.
- Olives: I used pitted kalamata olives. You can swap in your favorite olive like black olives or green olives.
- Cheese: The feta cheese adds a creamy texture and savory, salty flavor. You could also sub in goat cheese.
- Fresh Herbs: The fresh herbs are the perfect finishing touch. I added fresh parsley and mint.
- Dressing: The dressing is a light lemony dressing mixing extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegary, spices and garlic.
For exact ingredient amounts and instructions, see the full recipe card below.
How Can I Modify this Salad
- Beans: Beans are a great addition to salads to take the protein up a notch. This salad is a great place to use beans. I like chickpeas but white beans in this salad.
- Cheese: I added a creamy, crumbled feta cheese to this salad. You could try goat or any of your favorite cheeses.
- Grain: You can swap quinoa for brown rice, bulgur wheat, farro, sorghum, barley or amaranth.
- Vegetables: The best part of a salad in my opinion is the fresh vegetables. Other ideas for this salad are zucchini, artichokes, zucchini, carrots, celery, radish and mushrooms.
- Greens: Greens are always a nice addition to salads. I especially like kale, arugula or spinach.
- Spices: Get creative with your dressing by mixing in your favorite spice. I love sumac or za’atar in my dressing but many people don’t have those spices. You can use other spices like oregano, cayenne pepper, thyme, paprika or an Italian seasoning bend.
What to Pair with a Greek Quinoa Salad
- This salad would pair really well with your favorite chicken dish. I like to match it up with this Mediterranean Chicken, Greek Chicken or this Skillet Lemon Chicken Recipe.
- Beef is a nice match for Greek flavors. These Beef Kafta Meatballs, Grilled Beef Kafta Kebabs or this Greek Beef Souvlaki would be great.
- Light seafood dishes pair nicely with this Greek Quinoa Salad recipe. I especially love this Easy Baked Fish Recipe, Baked Cod with Lemon, Mediterranean Salmon or this Salmon with Lemon and Dill.
Other Salad Recipes
Mediterranean
Easy Lebanese Salad
Mediterranean
Mediterranean Eggplant Salad
Salads
Summer Orzo Pasta Salad
Vegetarian
Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing
Greek Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD
- 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted, halved
- 1/3 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
- 1 medium english cucumber, diced
- 1/4 cup peperoncinis, chopped
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 5 green onions, white and green parts chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped {optional}
FOR THE DRESSING
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa under water using your hands to make sure it all gets rinsed well.
- In a medium pot boil the 1 cup water. Add the quinoa and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.
- When the water begins to boil, turn the heat to low and simmer with the cover on for about 10-15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and let cool.
- While the quinoa cools put the bell pepper, tomatoes, olives, roasted red peppers, cucumber, peperoncinis, feta cheese, green onions, parsley and mint in a large mixing bowl. Mix together until everything is combined.
- In a salad dressing container or mason jar combine the dressing ingredients and shake or whisk to combine.
- Add the quinoa to the salad and the dressing. Toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning to your tastes.
This is absolutely perfect 🙂
petit4chocolatier recently posted..Chocolate Brownie Cups, Peanut Butter Cups, and Toll House Cookie Cups
Thanks! 🙂
This salad is so colorful – which means it is full of phytochemicals that are beneficial to health. How many days will it last in the fridge?
Tonya@The Quick Dish recently posted..Recipe:: Quick Veggie Chili
I made this on Tuesday night and had some today and it was still good! I bet it would still taste fresh up to 5 days, maybe 7?