Mediterranean Confetti Quinoa Salad
~ A healthy, beautiful and wildly delicious quinoa salad! Quinoa and confetti greens are accented with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, pine nuts, cheese and a fabulous balsamic vinaigrette. ~
This Recipe Is: • Make Ahead • Vegetarian • Gluten Free •
I’ve been making various versions of this salad for years, and it’s always, always the showstopper.
As in, everyone at the party asks for the recipe and volunteers to take home the leftovers. (Ummmmm … no … I kinda wanted them for myself …)
And as in, my husband stands at the refrigerator, shoveling forkfuls into his mouth and incoherently mumbling, “This is so good … I can’t stop eating it … you have to post this …”
Ok – I have to post this.
It’s like a party in a bowl (and in your tummy).
Colorful confetti-bits of greens, veggies and cheese make it eye-catching. A delicious balance of bold flavors makes it sensational. Quinoa (our friend the protein powerhouse) combines with salty parmesan and feta, tangy sun-dried tomatoes, sunny fresh basil, rich pine nuts, and kicky radicchio.
Super-healthy spinach hangs out quietly in the background, and nobody even realizes how many healthful ingredients are piling onto their plates. It all comes together with a simple balsamic dressing.
Fabulous.
And for those who are not olive-impaired … you must add the kalamatas. They put this salad completely over the top on the taste-o-meter.
Now, Gretchen and I do both understand that olives are not for everyone. Try as they might to overcome it, both our husbands harbor strong, incurable olive aversions. It’s sad. We feel sorry for them.
But since our Romeos have so many, many other wonderful qualities, we have eventually come to accept what we just cannot change.
They swear this salad is awesome without the olives, but we just laugh, comfortable in the knowledge that it’s even better yet if you add the kalamatas.
You be the judge … stirred in or served on the side … (pssssst … include the olives!).
Mediterranean Confetti Quinoa Salad
This beautiful and wildly delicious quinoa salad is both healthy and so easy! Quinoa and confetti greens are accented with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, pine nuts, cheese and a fabulous balsamic vinaigrette!
• Make Ahead • Vegetarian • Gluten Free •
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 small- to medium-sized head radicchio, cored and finely chopped (to yield about 2 cups)
- 6 ounces baby spinach, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (see note)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat feta cheese
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup finely chopped kalamata olives, optional
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (or white balsamic – see note)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare quinoa according to package directions. After cooking, allow to cool completely and fluff with a fork.
- In a large bowl, combine cooled quinoa, radicchio, spinach, tomatoes, parmesan, basil, feta, pine nuts, garlic, and olives (if using). Stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour over quinoa mixture and stir thoroughly to combine.
- Chill until serving.
Notes
Parmesan: The flavor profile and assertiveness of parmesan can vary notably depending on the brand and quality, and that can really impact the final flavor of this salad. Depending on the flavor of your parmesan and whether you're including the olives, you will likely need just 1/2 cup of parmesan. However, if your parmesan isn't quite as flavorful, you might need the extra bit of salty-tang from the full 3/4 cup of cheese. We recommend that you start with the more modest 1/2 cup and see how you like the taste – you can always add more if you choose. Also, to make this salad recipe truly vegetarian, be sure to select a parmesan cheese made with non-traditional enzyme alternatives from microbes or fermentation, rather than the traditional rennet.
Balsamic vinegar: For the purposes of presentation, white (or golden) balsamic yields a prettier and more vibrantly colored salad because it doesn't tinge the other ingredients with the brown color of typical balsamic vinegar. If regular balsamic is all you have on hand, though, definitely just use that – the salad will still be lovely and will taste just as fabulous.
Make-ahead option: This salad can easily be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated until serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 servings Serving Size: 1/2 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 93Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 214mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g
Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.
This salad is inspired by the flavors of the Orzo with Everything recipe I found years ago in America’s Test Kitchen “Cook’s Country” magazine. I’ve made a lot of changes, both to make my version healthier (by subbing quinoa and adding spinach, and upping the sun-dried tomatoes while cutting back on the fat from the parm, pine nuts, olives and olive oil) and also played with the aesthetics (adding reduced-fat feta to help provide a salty kick for those who don’t like olives and using white balsamic for a prettier presentation). Still, the original recipe is fantastic in its own right and definitely deserves a nod as the recipe that inspired me.
Gorgeous recipe Shelley! Healthy, delicious and colourful! I always like to incorporate as many colours into my recipes as possible (for both health and aesthetic reasons… we do eat with our eyes first, right?) and this one fits the bill perfectly. Loving the gorgeous Mediterranean flavours! xx
Thanks so much, Laura! I totally agree! 😀 This is so beautiful … you just have to take a bite. And then, you realize the flavors are just as vibrantly wonderful and it’s every bit as delicious as it looks (and shhhhhhhh … every bit as healthy, too!). What a perfect combination! Can’t wait for you to try it! ~Shelley
wow this salad looks so good, I’m not surprised everybody loves it! I would definitely volunteer to take the leftovers home 😉 seriously, I love all the ingredients and I bet they taste amazing together. Your husbands hate olives? Is that even possible? You poor things, I feel for you 😉
Awwwww … thanks for understand our plight in having to deal with olive-hating husbands! Oh, well … more olives for us, right?!?! 😀 G&S
Olive impaired! I love it and know quite a few with such impairments. I never liked olives as a kid but now there are so many wonderful varieties of olives. Just like this quinoa salad. Totally love this version!
So glad you’ve joined us on Team Olive, Abbe! 🙂 And you are 100% right – there are so many delicious ways to enjoy them! We really hope you try this salad soon, it’s so good! We’ve both been enjoying it with lunch the past few days – yum!! ~G&S
Love this fabulous spring salad Shelley, and I would have a hard time to put my fork down too! This is indeed a showstopper with all the vibranct colors, just in time for Easter Brunch. (with olives of course…)
Hope you are having a lovely weekend:)
Judit
Yay! Another olive fan! 😀 Thanks so much for all your kind words! Seriously – with all the gorgeously fresh produce and vibrantly colored landscapes that you guys are able to feature pretty much year-round … that’s high praise! ~Shelley
How do those olive-haters exist???? Olives are so great that I’ll never get why some people won’t eat them!
This salad looks incredibe and it’s super super pretty as well! I love confetti <3
Amen, Consuelo! We totally agree! But, we understand everyone has personal tastes, and we can’t force anyone to like certain foods. (We’ve tried to make our husbands love olives – no success yet!)
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! ~G&S