With a handful of simple, nutritious ingredients, you can mix up this fresh Mediterranean Quinoa Salad to have on hand for lunches or weeknight dinners for yourself—or to serve deconstructed for the kids. It even stores well in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

I love a good quinoa salad and I particularly love how easy they are to make ahead of time and grab whenever I need a fast meal for myself. This version, which features tender quinoa, crunchy cucumbers and shredded carrots, protein (and fiber!) packed beans, and creamy cheese, is a perfect mix of textures and nutrition.

And, the zippy lemon-based dressing gives it a Mediterranean flavor that’s both subtle and satisfying.

TIP: I mainly make this for myself since mama needs to eat well too, but you can separate out some of the components to serve as an easy kids meal too if they aren’t yet into grain salads.

Make-Ahead Grain Salad

When I need to feed myself easy, yet satisfying lunches during the week, grain salads are one of my go-tos. And while my kids don’t always like to eat all of the components mixed together—well my toddler is actually on board, but my oldest would prefer ingredients to be separated out—this is the type of a dish that I make with myself in mind.

I love that I can make this quinoa bowl ahead of time and pull it out of the fridge during a busy work day and it’s ready to go. That ensures that I’ll feed myself well, no matter what else might be going on.

Ingredients You Need

For this recipe you’ll need these ingredients:

• Quinoa: I cook it ahead of time so it’s cooled and ready to mix together with the rest of the ingredients.
• Chickpeas: Sometimes called “garbanzo” beans, I use canned since it’s easy, but you can also cook them from dry and measure out what you need.
• Cucumber: Any variety will work, though English cucumbers are nice since they have less seeds.
• Shredded carrots: Either shredded carrots from the store or a whole carrot you shred on a box grater will work.
• Crumbled feta cheese: This adds a lot of flavor, so I recommend using it. You could also do crumbled goat cheese or another diced cheese if you prefer.
• Roasted sunflower seeds: I usually use salted, but unsalted works too.
• Lemon vinaigrette: My recipe uses fresh lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, and some oregano for bright flavor.

TIP: You could easily trade in another type of beans, such as white beans, or a different cheese, like shredded cheddar or crumbled goat cheese, depending on your preference or what the kids like.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s a look at the simple process involved in making this recipe. Scroll down to the end of this post for the full information.

1. Prepare quinoa according to the package directions. Let cool slightly or fully. You can do this step up to a day ahead.
2. Mix together the dressing in a small bowl.
3. Mix together the quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, carrot, feta, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl.
4. Toss the dressing into the salad and mix thoroughly.

TIP: You can serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

How to Store

Once mixed, you can store this quinoa salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The flavors continue to meld as it sits, yet the components stay crisp, so it’s just as good on day 5 as on the first day! You could even portion it out into single serving containers if that makes feeing yourself lunch easier.

TIP: The dressing is made with lemon juice, olive oil, and Dijon mustard and is simple and adds more flavor as the salad sits in the fridge.

Best Tips for Success

• Add strawberries, blueberries or sliced apples or pears to this salad if serving to kids if you think they might need more enticement to try it.
• Serve the different ingredients next to each other if your kids prefer their food side-by-side.
• Toss the salad well to ensure that the dressing coats the ingredients well.
• Season to taste with salt to ensure that it’s the right level for your own particular taste buds.
• You may also like How to Make Kids Salad, Quinoa and Squash, Quinoa Patties, Quinoa Cereal, and Veggie Nuggets.

I’d love to hear your feedback if you try this recipe, so comment below to share!

This post was first published August 2020.

• Prepare quinoa according to the package directions. (It’s usually a 2:1 water to quinoa ratio.) Let cool slightly or fully. You can do this step up to a day ahead.

• Mix together the quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, carrot, feta, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl.

• To make the dressing, stir together the lemon zest and juice, olive oil, Dijon, oregano (if using), salt, and pepper. Toss into the salad and mix thoroughly. Serve or store for later.

• Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Add strawberries, blueberries or sliced apples or pears to this salad if serving to kids if you think they might need more enticement to try it.
• Serve the different ingredients next to each other if your kids prefer their food side-by-side.
• Toss the salad well to ensure that the dressing coats the ingredients well.
• Season to taste with salt to ensure that it’s the right level for your own particular taste buds.

Calories: 350kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 500mg, Potassium: 370mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 1872IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 118mg, Iron: 3mg