Mediterranean Salad with Quinoa (2024)

By Maria Lichty

Updated April 09, 2020

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Mediterranean Three Bean Quinoa Salad – this protein-packed Mediterranean salad is full of flavor and great served as a main dish or side dish.

Perfect Mediterranean Salad

I hibernate during the cold winter months. I leave my house to go to the gym, grocery store, church, and that’s about it unless something special comes up. I hide under my covers and wait for the snow to melt. We got a ton of snow over the holidays and I don’t think it is going anywhere anytime soon, so I am trying to find ways to survive inside.

Last week, I made my favoriteMediterranean Three Bean Quinoa Salad. Mediterranean recipes always make me happy. I usually make this Mediterranean salad in thesummer, but I needed a little pick me upto help me beat the winter blues and this salad did the trick. It is light, refreshing, andreminds me of summertime. It is a great salad for anytime of the year!

MediterraneanSalad for Healthy Eating

Mediterranean recipes are generally healthy, and this one is actually perfect for the new year because it is loaded with protein and veggies. This Mediterranean salad has three types of beans-green beans, garbanzo beans, and whitecannellinibeans, along with the quinoa. It also has cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, red onion, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and fresh basil. You will love all of the color and flavors.

Oh, and you can cook the quinoa on the stove, but I tried cooking the quinoa in our new Instant Pot and it came out perfectly in just minutes.So if you have anInstant Pot, try it out! It isgreat for cooking up quinoa. So easy!

MediterraneanSalad Tips

Before serving, I dress the salad with a simple balsamic dressing.
This salad is great served as a main dish for lunch or dinner or you can serve it alongside chicken or fish.
This salad will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. I love the leftovers and I have even pulled this salad out for breakfast. Starting the day with veggies and protein is always a good idea. You could even scramble up some eggs to go on the side.
This salad is perfect for potlucks, parties, picnics, and barbecues.

ThisMediterranean Three Bean Quinoa Salad is good any time of the day and is perfect for sharing. Make it and take it to your next potluck. It is always a hit!

If you like this Mediterranean Salad, you might also like:

Creamy Greek Pasta Salad
Greek Tortellini Salad
Easy Quinoa Salad
Mediterranean Couscous Salad
Greek Quinoa Salad

How to Make Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Vegetarian

Mediterranean Three Bean Quinoa Salad

This protein-packed quinoa salad is full of flavor and great served as a main dish or side dish.

Ingredients

For the Salad:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
½ lb. green beans trimmed and snapped into 2-inch pieces
1 (15 oz) can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) white beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper seeds removed and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper seeds removed and chopped
1 cup chopped seedless cucumber
1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup kalamata olives pitted and sliced in half
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves pressed
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and water to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until for 15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes, covered. Remove lid and fluff with a fork. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, blanch the green beans. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook until tender crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain the green beans and place in a bowl of ice water. Drain well and pat dry.
Add the green beans, garbanzo beans, white beans, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese, olives, and basil to the bowl with the quinoa.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour dressing over the salad and gently stir until salad is coated with dressing. Season with additional salt and pepper. Serve.
Note-if you have an Instant Pot, you can cook the quinoa in your Instant Pot. It only takes one minute.

Nutrition

Calories: 249kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 151mg, Potassium: 565mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 900IU, Vitamin C: 53.5mg, Calcium: 96mg, Iron: 3.3mg

Keywords quinoa salad, salad

Have you tried this recipe?

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Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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