This quinoa salad is the rare one that is better on day two. No leaves to wilt, which is exactly why it survives a lunchbox and a warm car.
Most salads are a race against wilting. This one has no leaves in it at all, so instead of collapsing, the quinoa slowly absorbs the lemon and olive oil and the flavours settle into each other. Day two is genuinely the peak, and day three is still very good.
That makes it one of the most useful things you can cook on a Sunday. It travels without a cold pack for a few hours, it needs no reheating, and it eats perfectly well straight from the container after a lunchtime Pilates class.
Quinoa seeds are coated in saponins, a natural bitter compound that deters birds and, unrinsed, makes the cooked grain taste faintly of soap. Some packets are pre rinsed and still benefit from thirty seconds under cold water. It is the single most common reason people decide they do not like quinoa, and it is fixable in half a minute.
The combination of extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, herbs, legumes or wholegrains and a little cheese is close to the pattern that has been studied for decades for heart health and inflammation. Quinoa is technically a seed rather than a grain, and it is one of the few plant foods with a complete amino acid profile, which is why it holds up as the base of a meal.
As written it is a substantial side or a light lunch. To make it dinner, add a tin of drained chickpeas, some grilled chicken or a few slices of grilled halloumi. For a vegan version, leave out the feta and add chickpeas plus an extra tablespoon of olive oil, since the feta was carrying some of the richness.
This quinoa salad recipe is one of 50+ in the Pilates Classes Online recipe library, all cooked and written by Melissa herself. A new one lands every week.
The bits I only worked out after making quinoa salad a hundred times.
Everything people ask about quinoa salad. Tap any question to open it.
Four days in a sealed container, and it is at its best on day two. Give it a stir and a squeeze of lemon before eating, since the quinoa keeps absorbing the dressing.
Leave out the feta, add a drained tin of chickpeas and an extra tablespoon of olive oil. The chickpeas keep it filling and the oil replaces the richness.
It was not rinsed. Saponins on the outside of the seed taste soapy, and thirty seconds under cold running water in a fine sieve removes them.
Yes, though couscous is wheat based so it is no longer gluten free, and it goes soft faster in the fridge. Pearl couscous holds up better than fine.
Completely cool. Warm quinoa wilts the cucumber and melts the feta, and the salad looks tired before you have even dressed it.
Not really. The cucumber and tomatoes turn to mush on thawing. Cooked plain quinoa freezes well on its own if you want a head start.
Four more from the library that go well with quinoa salad.
Or open the full recipe collection, book your next Pilates class, or have a read of the blog.
Part of the Pilates Classes Online recipe library. 50+ recipes, a new one every week.
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