Summertime Quinoa Salad is a perfect side for a hot summer day!

It can be tough spending hours in the kitchen in the good old summertime. I don’t know about your house, but in ours, when the stove or oven comes on, the temperature soars. And when it gets really hot outside, we shift cooking to the barbecue and side salads. This Summertime Quinoa Salad, which was originally from Cookie and Kate. is a great alternative for those hot spells when all you want to do is sit in the shade and stay cool.

Make your quinoa ahead of time

One of the great things about this salad is that the quinoa can be cooked ahead of time. We fell in love with a method for baking rice or quinoa a few years ago and now we seldom use the stovetop. The method isn’t fast, but it’s reliable and produces truly excellent results. 

Get creative with your Summertime Quinoa Salad

In our house, we have multiple food allergies to deal with. So when it comes to things like red wine vinegar, we have to swap it out for rice vinegar. The beauty of a salad like this is that you can do things like that and be creative. As far as the veggies go, if you’re not a big cucumber fan, swap it out for another of your in-season, crunch favorites. Not too excited over a legume that can’t decide whether it wants to be called a chickpea or a garbanzo bean? Try a different one you really like. 

Enjoy!

Once you’ve tried this Summertime Quinoa Salad, I’m sure you’ll want to put your own spin on it. Let me know in the comments below.

Did you like this recipe? If so, check out my other recipes. 

Summertime Quinoa Salad

A perfect summertime salad to pair with an entree for an easy dinner on those hot afternoons. The quinoa, veggies, and chickpeas, make this a healthy and delicious option. Best of all, it's easy to make ahead of time.

• 3 cups cooked quinoa (See note below for an easy way to bake quinoa)
• 15 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed (about 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)
• 1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 3/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
• 1 tbsp rice or red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook the quinoa ahead of time following the package instructions and allow to cool.

2. In a large serving bowl, combine the chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, onion and parsley. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and salt. Whisk until blended, then set aside.

4. Add the prepared quinoa to the serving bowl, and drizzle the dressing on top. Toss until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Season with black pepper, to taste, and add an extra pinch of salt if necessary. Let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving or refrigerate to serve later.

5. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days. Serve chilled

Preparing quinoa:

If you’re tired of clumpy quinoa or rice sticking to your pots and pans, try this foolproof method to bake it. Even though it takes more time, it has become our preferred method of cooking quinoa.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat 2 cups water in the microwave for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup quinoa to an 8 x 8 baking dish. (9 x 9 will work as well). Pour hot water over the grain. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and fluff the quinoa with a fork about every 5-10 minutes until it is cool and fluffy.

This recipe makes 3 cups of quinoa, which can be used in the quinoa salad recipe. If you like this method, you can cut the amount of quinoa (or rice) and water. Adjust the size of your baking dish and cooking time based on how much quinoa you’re preparing.

Salad, Side Dish

Easy, vegetarian