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It’s finally the time of year for salads… of the LOADED kind of course.
Here’s the thing, you guys know I do not do boring salads. Like if I’m going to tell you about a salad, you’d better believe it’s going to be GOOD. Salads to me need to be full of three things.
…thing one: loads of fresh veggies. They can be raw, roasted, grilled, whatever, but there needs to be LOTS of them.
…thing two: carbs. I mean, obviously. A salad without carbs is just sad if you ask me…unless it’s a Caprese, and in that case all the yummy cheese makes up for the lack of carbs, but even then, the Caprese would be much better with crusty bread. UGH… my mom, she taught to love carbs, and well, I guess I love her for that. Thanks mom! 🙂
…thing three: CHEESE. you knew that would be a must, though right? The only exception to a cheese-less salad is an Asian salad and even then, I’ve been known to sneak in some mozzarella. Cheese lovers unite! ?
Honestly, my list of “salad musts” could go on and on, but those three are deal breakers, like not interested otherwise. Other key factors would be protein of some kind, a really good dressing and something to give the salad crunch. Why am I telling you guys all this? Cause this loaded Greek salad has basically everything you could ever want in a salad, and then some. It’s PACKED with all good things, and I am obsessed.
Lately, my mind has been kind of focused on summer inspired recipes. Think light meals, easy sides for BBQ’s. Salads for picnics and ice cream galore. I mean, I know it’s still snowing here, but I feel like a lot of you must be experiencing some warmer weather? Maybe even weather nice enough for a picnic?
I’m hoping so, because like I said, fresh summer eats are on their way and it all starts with this salad.
So let me break this Loaded Greek Quinoa Salad down for you, piece by piece. You ready??
It all starts with quinoa, the base to so many great recipes. Similar to rice, but healthier and a little nuttier. Quinoa makes for such a deliciously satisfying addition to a salad. Ok, so you cook up some quinoa, then simply toss it in with all the veggies you can think of…aka the contents of my fridge at the moment I made this salad. These veggies include, but are not limited to, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, cucumber, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, radishes, fresh spinach or watercress, basil and mint.
OH and avocado, but technically avocado is a fruit. Oh wait, I think tomatoes are fruits too? Yup, just checked, tomatoes are fruits!
So you toss all those yummy veggies in with your quinoa. Next we need a simple vinaigrette. Greek olive is where it’s at. This is just some olive oil, finely diced kalamata olives, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. YUM. All my kind of flavors. Toss that all together, and then well, we’re almost done.
To put it all together, spoon a whole lot of hummus (YESSSSS) into the bottom of your salad bowl. Top with the quinoa salad…then add some crunchy chickpeas + a whole lotta feta… then EAT. I personally eat this with fresh pita or naan for scooping, but again, I love me some carbs! You can also simply eat it with a fork…but really why would you do that when you could use pita?!?
And guys this salad you see here?
LOADED, but yet SO easy! It’s perfect for late spring and summer picnics, working lunches or just a light and healthy dinner. Maybe even make it on a Sunday night and then eat it throughout the week!
And really, there’s nothing sad about this salad. Actually, it makes me super happy. Can’t get enough…hello tomatoes, olives, hummus, FETA. Yum, yum!
Loaded Greek Quinoa Salad.
Ingredients
Olive Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup finely chopped kalamata olives
- juice from half a lemon
- pepper + crushed red pepper
Salad
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 roasted red pepper
- 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced
- 1 zucchini, sliced or cut into ribbons
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup oil pack sun-dried tomatoes, oil drained + reserved
- 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts
- 1 small bunch watercress or 2 handfuls of arugula
- 1 large hadful fresh basil + mint
- 4 radishes, sliced
- 1 ounce can chickpeas, drained + rinsed + toasted if desired, 14
- 1 block feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup plain hummus
- 1 avocado, sliced
- toasted pine nuts, for topping
Instructions
Dressing
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl or glass jar. Season with pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Keep any leftover dressing in the fridge.
Salad
- Cook the quinoa according to package directions.
- Add the cooked quinoa to a large bowl. Add the roasted red pepper, cucumbers, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, watercress, basil, radishes, crumbled feta and chickpeas. Gently toss to combine. Add a little of the dressing and toss once more.
- Spread the hummus in the bottom of a salad or serving bowl. Top with the quinoa salad and sliced avocado. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and mint. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Fist pumps for making it to Wednesday ? Now let’s have a killer end of the week!
Very good, tasty and extra loaded salad!!!
Hey Julie,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! Xx
I just made this quinoa salad. Wow, it turned out absolutely amazing. Even my extremely picky husband asked for seconds. I definitely recommend this recipe.
Hi Cheri,
Happy Monday! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I am so excited to hear that it was a hit! xx
The salad is delicious! Everyone devoured it. However, 20 ingredients takes time to shop for, pull out, clean and prepare. Give yourself an hour to prepare this properly.
Hey Lisa,
Awesome! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Sorry this took you longer than expected. xxTieghan
Our friend made this salad and it was delicious. Even my husband who doesn’t care much for salads enjoyed it very much. He asked that we make it at home, so just finished buying all ingredients to make today!!! ? I’m just much of a follow-recipe kinda person, so hope it tastes as good as my friend’s. ?
…I actually follow you on instagram.
Hey Christina,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it! xxT
This is an outstanding salad! Make sure your salad bowl is big enough to handle all of the delicious ingredients…and the dressing? Wow! I made this for four people and it easily could have served twice as many as a side. Leftovers were great even 2 days later.
Yes!! That is so amazing to hear! Thank you for trying this recipe, Maryann! xTieghan
Why is this in the vegan section? It has cheese. Obviously it is easy to omit but including it sends an incorrect message about what vegan means.
Hi Kristen! Yes, the cheese is easy to be taken out to make this vegan. I am confused about the wrong message it sends? Please let me know! xTieghan
Oh Mmmm Geee! This was so good! Just made it for my family! My meat lovers had no complaints! They were completely satisfied! Omitted the pine nuts only because I didn’t trust myself to successfully toast them without getting distracted! I will absolutely do this again! All ingredients complimented each other amazingly!
That is so amazing! Thank you so much Tammy!
Wow! I rarely comment on these blogs, but I feel impelled to write and say how wonderful this dish is! I made it as is, with no substitutions. It was outstandingly delicious! Loaded with flavor and completely filled us up for dinner! Will definitely keep this on rotation!
Thank you so much Lani! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
Oh my goodness. This salad was amazing. It needs very little dressing which is kind of a shame as the dressing is outstanding, too! Well done! Thanks for the hit.
Thank you Beth! I am so glad you loved this salad!
This is beautiful!!! I am definitely bringing this to a birthday BBQ this weekend! Quick question, since I won’t be serving it immediately do you have any tips? Perhaps leave out the feta, avocado and dressing until the end? Or does it need to soak up some of the flavor from the dressing?
Thank you!
Hey Nathalie!! I would add the dressing, but just leave off the feta and avocado until just before serving. That will be great! Hope the salad is a hit! Let me know if you have questions. Thanks so much! 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight and the hubs and I loved it! He said it was so good he could eat it EVERY day! YESSS!
WOW!! So awesome! Makes me smile!! Thanks for making and commenting Amber!
Made this for dinner last night and it was amazing!! So, so fresh and yummy. I love that there’s so much going on that every bite is a little bit different. I posted a pic on Instagram – it makes for a very pretty salad too! You knocked this one outta the park, Tieghan!
I’d love to see it!! Please share!! Glad you liked it! Thanks Susan!
My mom made this salad for dinner last night and it was the bomb! I loved all the fresh veggies! Haha you have my whole family following your blog now. Thanks for the great recipes ?
I LOVE IT!! SO happy you guys liked the salad! Thanks Kristen!!
Thank you SO much, Kristen! That means a lot! Let me know if you ever have any questions. Thanks again!
I just made this for dinner and it was scrumptious! I’m kicking myself for not taking a picture because it was also a very pretty salad what with all those multi-coloured veggies. I used a pesto hummus for the base and added some grilled asparagus on top since I was already roasting the chickpeas. Thanks for the recipe Tieghan! Top notch as per usual.
I wish you would have! I love seeing what everyones looks like!! I’m so happy it was good! Thank you Kaylee (:
I agree with you–the more veggies the better! I love the way this salad looks + Greek flavors♥ For a while, I was very into the lettuce-y types of garden salads with shredded chicken and sometimes fruit sprinkled on them. Bleh. I think I just ate that one two many times because I don’t even crave lettuce salads like that anymore. I still like eating really FRESH foods so this salad calls to me. Chickpeas and I are also BFFs so, yeah. Please make some more dishes like this throughout the summer. You’re changing the way I think about salads for the better 🙂