Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Feta
This Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Feta is a refreshing, nutritious, and easy-to-make dish that's perfect for summer meals or year-round enjoyment.Packed with protein-rich quinoa, fresh vegetables, tangy feta, and a zesty lemon dressing, it offers a delightful balance of flavors and textures.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 large cucumber diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup Kalamata olives pitted and sliced
- ¼ red onion finely diced
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa under cold water using a fine-mesh strainer. In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy.
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare your vegetables. Dice the cucumber, halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the olives, and finely dice the red onion.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to create the dressing.
- Once the quinoa is cooked, fluff it with a fork and let it cool for about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, and red onion.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine.
- Sprinkle the chopped mint and parsley over the salad and give it one final gentle toss.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator for an hour to let the flavors meld together.