Mediterranean Quinoa Salad – Vibrant and Delicious Recipe

There are some recipes I try once and immediately add to my go-to meals list. This quinoa salad is one of them – bright and refreshing, with lots of veggies and healthy carbs, and it only improves with time. If you’re the type of person who gets bored with wilted salads mid-week, this is the one to try!

This quinoa salad is the result of a crazy week of incredibly hot weather when I wanted something healthy and satisfying, but didn’t want to turn the oven on. The first time I made this recipe, I brought a big bowl to a barbecue at my cousins’ place and expected some leftovers. No luck – the bowl was licked clean. Even my little cousin tried scraping some quinoa salad with pita bread!

I love this salad because it’s vibrant, tasty, full of fresh flavors, and it doesn’t taste boring. The dressing soaks in warm quinoa, feta becomes creamy against it, while crunchy vegetables give a pleasant crunch to every bite. I can tell you how exactly to make your own Mediterranean-style quinoa salad, so follow this easy recipe to the letter.

Ingredients for the Quinoa

• 1 cup quinoa (170 g)
• 2 cups water (480 ml)
• 1 tsp. olive oil (5 ml)
• pinch of salt

Quinoa is a pseudocereal, which means it looks and cooks very much like real cereal but has a slightly different structure. Quinoa must be rinsed in cold water before cooking.

Ingredients for the Lemon Dressing

• zest of 1 large lemon
• juice of 1 large lemon (approx. 3 tablespoons / 45 ml)
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano (1 g)
• large pinch of salt
• large pinch of black pepper
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil (60 ml)

Quality olive oil is crucial for this recipe since there isn’t much else besides it.

Ingredients for the Salad

• 1 orange bell pepper, finely chopped (150 g)
• 1 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped (150 g)
• 1 large English cucumber, finely chopped (300 g)
• 4 green onions, finely sliced (60 g)
• 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese (75 g) + extra feta for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup of Kalamata olives, sliced (75 g)

English cucumbers will perform much better than common cucumbers since they are not as watery and sweet, plus they are less likely to require peeling.

Preparing the Quinoa

First, rinse quinoa in cold water for at least 30 seconds, swishing it in a fine-mesh colander with your fingers. This step is especially important if you are sensitive to the bitter taste of quinoa.

In a medium-sized saucepan, bring water to a boil with quinoa, olive oil, and salt.

Once the water starts boiling, decrease the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid, and simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, the liquid should evaporate, and quinoa should appear fluffy with its typical curling tail-shaped tips. The kitchen should get a nutty aroma at this stage.

When I first attempted to cook quinoa, I stirred it constantly and made a big mistake. The trick is not to stir the quinoa while it’s boiling and let the steam help with the process.

Pro Tip: When the quinoa is ready, remove the saucepan from the heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes, then fluff it with a fork. This technique guarantees that your quinoa won’t become dense.

Preparing the Lemon Dressing

While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the dressing directly in a large mixing bowl. Such techniques save me from washing many dishes later on.

Zest one large lemon and then squeeze its juice into a bowl. The scent of freshly zested lemon fills the kitchen and makes me happy.

Then, add dried oregano, salt, and black pepper into the bowl.

Next, slowly pour in olive oil while mixing the contents of the bowl. The dressing should become creamy and glossy after the olive oil combines with lemon juice.

Previously, I skipped lemon zest because I thought lemon juice was enough for the salad, but the zest adds another dimension to the flavor. Without it, the dressing tastes flatter and duller.

Pro Tip: Make sure you zest the lemon before squeezing it, since it will otherwise be difficult.

Chopping the Vegetables

Finely chop the orange and yellow bell peppers. Their natural sweetness contrasts with tangy lemon dressing, and their colorful slices make the salad visually stunning.

Then, finely chop an English cucumber into small pieces. All the ingredients should be approximately the same size so you can taste a bit of everything in each bite. The cucumber should still be crunchy.

Finally, slice the green onions finely, including the whites.

While chopping, I usually enjoy how colorful my countertop becomes – orange and yellow bell peppers, fresh green onions, and glossy cucumber slices.

On the first attempt to make this salad, I cut the vegetables into quite large pieces, so the quinoa was covered in pieces of peppers and cucumber. Next time, I chopped them more finely to balance the ingredients.

Pro Tip: Try to use the ocking technique when slicing a cucumber if you would like it to be finely chopped.

Cooling the Quinoa Slightly

Once the quinoa has been boiled, fluff it with a fork and let it cool for a couple of minutes.

We don’t need the quinoa to be scaldingly hot, so we could accidentally soften vegetables. But it’s not a good idea to cool it down totally; warm quinoa absorbs the dressing better and creates a wonderful flavor explosion inside your mouth.

The right temperature of quinoa can be checked by putting it aside. The salad should be warm but not excessively hot.

That is a rather small detail, but I noticed that it significantly affects the taste of the salad.

Mixing Ingredients in One Bowl

Add the slightly cooled quinoa to the large mixing bowl with dressing. First, toss the quinoa to make it absorb the flavors better.

Then, add bell peppers, cucumber, green onions, feta, and olives to the salad.

Almost immediately, the feta gets slightly softer due to the warm quinoa and develops a unique aroma. At this stage, our kitchen is filled with such wonderful scents as lemon, olive oil, salty feta, and crispy vegetables.

Mix the salad well and taste it for the seasonings. Maybe you would like to add some more lemon juice or olive oil to enhance the flavor. Or maybe add some salt in case the feta is not particularly salty?

I usually save a bit of feta for sprinkling the salad before serving it. Feta makes this salad look much more appetizing.

Pro Tip: Let your salad stand for 10-15 minutes before serving, since this allows better blending of the flavors and soaking of the quinoa.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Not Rinsing the Quinoa

Quinoa has a natural coating called saponin, and it is responsible for the lightly bitter or soapy taste of the salad if your seasoning is good. To get rid of it, you should rinse quinoa well.

Making Salad with Very Hot Quinoa

Quinoa, which is too hot, will soften the vegetables too much and will make the feta melt into a weird consistency. Let quinoa cool slightly.

Cutting Vegetables Too Large

Large vegetables dominate the salad and take over your attention. Small pieces are recommended to achieve perfect taste and texture.

Poor Seasoning

Quinoa absorbs all kinds of seasonings well. So don’t hesitate to season your salad liberally; you can always add more afterwards.

Adding Watery Cucumbers

Common cucumbers tend to become quite watery, especially in hot weather, while English cucumbers are firmer and contain less moisture.

Creative Variations on the Original Theme

Adding Chickpeas

From time to time, I add a can of drained chickpeas into the salad to increase protein content. This addition makes the salad more filling and is especially suitable for meal prep.

Changing the Herbs

Instead of dried oregano, you can try fresh parsley, mint, or even dill. Adding mint to your salad makes it very refreshing in summer.

Making the Recipe Vegan-Friendly

Skip feta altogether or opt for a vegan feta cheese alternative. On the contrary, adding diced avocado is also a great option to consider.

Storage, Serving, and Preparing Tips

This quinoa salad is ideal for storage because of its ingredients. Moreover, it becomes even tastier as it stays in the fridge.

Refrigerator: store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezer: It’s not recommended to freeze this recipe.
Room temperature: it’s suitable for 2 hours tops.

In my opinion, the quinoa salad tastes better the next day as the dressing fully penetrates it.

I love adding extra feta into the salad, as well as additional olive oil and lemon juice. It goes excellently with grilled meat, fish, or bread, but can be eaten alone as well.

This is such a refreshing and easy way to eat healthier while enjoying your food. Hope you like it as much as I do!