Mediterranean Arugula Quinoa Salad
Flavor-packed Mediterranean ingredients like kalamata olives and feta cheese combined with arugula, chickpeas, and quinoa all tossed in a homemade sun-dried tomato vinaigrette makes Mediterranean Arugula Quinoa Salad a delectable, healthy salad that’s a perfect summertime meal or fresh side dish.
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Panera has a Modern Greek Salad that I adore. It’s fresh and flavorful and super healthy. I enjoy that salad so much, I was inspired to create my version – Mediterranean Arugula Quinoa Salad.
Both salads have similar ingredients, but mine is more filling and entrée-like, which is what I want when it’s my main course.
This super-tasty salad is perfect for vegetarians, fans of the Mediterranean Diet, a Flexitarian Diet, or anyone trying to eat healthier.
This Mediterranean salad is literally one of my favorite vegetarian meals! My husband and I could eat it multiple times a week!
We love how healthy the Mediterranean/Greek ingredients are, plus, they’re so flavorful! The kalamata olives and feta cheese give the salad a fabulous, briny/salty flavor.
The quinoa and chickpeas are both healthy proteins. The arugula is peppery and bright, and when you toss it all in my homemade Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette, it’s bliss is a bowl.
- Quinoa
- Kalamata olives
- Feta Cheese
- Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
- Arugula
- Chickpeas
How to serve Arugula Quinoa Salad?
This salad makes a great main course or side salad, depending on what you’re serving it with.
For a main course, you could serve it with salmon, steak, shrimp, or chopped grilled chicken.
To keep it vegetarian, you could serve it with tofu, plant-based meat, halloumi cheese, or your favorite protein.
Some great sides for this quinoa salad are:
- Pita bread & hummus
- Toasted Za’atar Pita Chips
- Middle Eastern Pickled Turnips
Can you make this salad vegan?
This vegetarian salad can be made vegan by omitting the feta cheese or using a plant-based substitute.
How long is this Mediterranean salad good for?
If dressed, this salad is best the day it is made. You could eat it up to 3-4 days later, but the arugula will wilt.
Looking for more delicious salad recipes? Here are some favorites:
- Mediterranean Balela Salad (shown below)
- Kimchi Cucumber Salad
- Middle Eastern Salad Shirazi
- Roasted Broccoli Farro Salad
NOTES:
- If you prefer more dressing on the salad, feel free to drizzle a little extra olive oil and/or white wine vinegar.
- I’ve made this salad using a tri-color quinoa, but I prefer white quinoa for this recipe.
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Mediterranean Arugula Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup quinoa uncooked
- 5 oz package of arugula
- 15.5 oz can chickpeas
- 1/3-1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives
- 5 oz crumbled feta cheese
- Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Once cooked, set it aside without the lid to cool down. When the quinoa has cooled, add it to a large bowl with all the other ingredients and toss to thoroughly incorporate everything. Enjoy!
- Optional - add grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, tofu, or salmon
Did you make this recipe? Rate it and let me know in the comments below! ♥
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