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This salad is one of my most repeated recipes ever, and by far the salad I make the most often. I’ve made this time and time again and never get tired of it. It’s bright, it’s lemony, it’s super filling and it has an absolutely amazing combination of flavors and textures.
The dressing is so simple it can barely be called a dressing. I don’t even consider it one because I don’t mix it all together. There’s a good reason: when the quinoa is still warm, I mix in a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon zest. While it cools, the quinoa absorbs the lemon oil. Then, once everything else is added, I finish with lemon juice and salt.
This is a great recipe to make when you have veggies in your fridge you need to finish. The only vegetable (well, technically a fruit) I consider essential to this recipe is cucumber. The salad just wouldn’t be the same without the fresh crunch it adds. Some other great additions are bell peppers, avocado, radish, olives and artichoke hearts. I usually throw those in if I have them on hand. You can also swap out chickpeas for lentils. As for the herbs, fresh dill and mint also work great here.
Because there’s no lettuce, this salad is perfect for meal prep. I usually make a big batch to last all week. Then, I end up eating it for both lunch and dinner, so it only lasts about 3 days. It’s that good.
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad (30-Minute Easy Meal Prep Recipe)
Equipment
- 1 large sauté pan or skillet with a lid
- 1 large bowl
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast (about 2 large chicken breasts; see Note 1)
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- Cooking spray or 2 tsp olive oil
- ¾ cup dry quinoa
- Zest of 1 large lemon (about 1 ½ tsp)
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 â…“ cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups cucumber, diced (see Note 2)
- 1 cup tomatoes, diced (see Note 2)
- â…“ cup red onion, diced
- â…“ cup fresh parsley, chopped (fresh dill works great too)
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- Juice of 1 large lemon (about 3 tbsp-¼ cup)
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Season the chicken breast on both sides with the dried parsley, garlic powder, freshly cracked black pepper and salt
- Heat a large sauté pan or skillet over medium high heat then spray with avocado oil cooking spray or add the olive oil
- Sear the chicken on each side for 1 minute, then cover with a lid and reduce heat to medium low
- Cook for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through then set aside to cool; after 10 minutes, dice the cooled chicken
- Cook the quinoa according to package directions then transfer to a large bowl
- While the quinoa is warm, add the extra virgin olive oil and the lemon zest and mix well then let sit for 10 minutes – the quinoa will absorb the lemon oil
- Add the chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, parsley, feta, chicken and lemon juice (see Note 3)
- Toss to combine and season with salt to taste
Notes
Nutrition
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