Description
A fresh and vibrant quinoa salad featuring roasted red bell pepper, cucumber, grape tomatoes, shredded carrot, red onion, and chickpeas, all tossed in a zesty lemon and herb dressing. Perfect as a light lunch or a healthy side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- 3 1/2 cups leftover cooked quinoa (chilled)
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 2 cups diced English cucumber
- 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium carrot, shredded (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion, rinsed under cold water in a sieve and drained
- 1 (14.5 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (somewhat fine)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (somewhat fine)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (2 tsp)
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Roast the red pepper: Roast the red bell pepper directly over the flame of a gas stove or under the broiler, turning occasionally with metal tongs, until the skin is charred all over. Transfer it to a covered container and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then peel off the skin, core and seed the pepper, and chop it roughly. The pepper doesn't need to be perfectly peeled; just remove most of the charred skin.
- Prepare the dressing: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, fresh lemon juice, red wine vinegar, chopped parsley, chopped cilantro, minced garlic, and salt to taste. Chill the dressing while preparing the rest of the salad or for up to one day in advance.
- Toss the salad: In a large bowl, combine the chilled cooked quinoa, chopped roasted red pepper, diced cucumber, halved grape tomatoes, shredded carrot, chopped red onion, and drained chickpeas. Pour the chilled dressing over the ingredients and toss everything gently to combine well.
- Serve and store: Serve the quinoa salad within about 4 hours for best freshness. Keep the salad chilled until serving.
Notes
- To make 3 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, start with 1 1/4 cups dry quinoa, rinse and drain well, then cook according to package directions.
- The red bell pepper's skin does not need to be perfectly peeled; the goal is to remove most of the charred skin for flavor and texture.
- This salad is best served chilled and consumed within 4 hours of tossing with the dressing to maintain freshness and texture.
- You can prepare the dressing up to one day in advance for convenience.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
