Summer is here and all I’m graving is something light and super fresh. This Mediterranean quinoa salad, by the lovely Olga from FabLunch, hits the spot! It’s light, fresh, and a little zesty. This makes the perfect side dish for your next BBQ because it’s vegetarian and vegan-friendly! If this sounds like something you might enjoy, keep reading or watch the video below!
Jump to Recipe
How to make this Mediterranean quinoa salad
Cook the quinoa
Cooking quinoa can be tricky for some but here’s a full proof way to cook it!
- Rinse 1 cup of quinoa under cold water.
- Add your quinoa to the pot with 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil.
- Once boiling, cover and turn the heat to low.
- Simmer for 10 minutes
- After 10 minutes, take your quinoa off of the heat and let it sit for 5-7 minutes. DO NOT UNCOVER IT! It will continue to cook for those few minutes
- Fluff with a fork!
Of course, you could bypass all of those steps if you choose to get the kind you heat up in the microwave. It’s totally up to you!
Prep your dressing
This is where it gets tasty! Start by toasting the pine nuts in a dry pan on high heat. This won’t take long so make sure not to burn them. I like to toss them every 20 seconds or so. Once those are cooling, chop the dill and green onion. If you don’t have access to fresh dill, use dried but only half of the amount. Mince the garlic.
In a small bowl, mix the olive oil and lemon juice. Add the dill, green onion, capers, pine nuts, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix it again and pour over your cooled quinoa. What’s next? More mixing of course! Once everything is combined, I like to keep it in the refrigerator for at least an hour so the flavors have time to sink in.
Enjoy!
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 3 tbsp fresh dill
- 2 tbsp tbsp green onion
- 2 1/2 tbsp tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp tbsp capers
- 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts or pistachios
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- salt and pepper
-
Rinse your dried quinoa under cold water.
-
Add your quinoa and water to a pot and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, cover and turn the heat down to low. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
-
After 10 minutes, DO NOT UNCOVER, but take off of the heat and let stand for 5 -7 minutes. Uncover and fluff!
-
Mix your quinoa and the rest of your ingredients together! Eat hot or cold!
So what did you think?! Does this Mediterranean quinoa salad sound like the perfect side dish for your next summer BBQ? For more easy and delicious food ideas, click here. If you’d like to save this post for later, use the images down below to pin it to your Pinterest boards!
xo J
PIN IT
