I love a good quinoa salad on a hot summer day! My favorite combination is this one: With tomato, avocado, pine nuts and a simple homemade dressing that’s unbelievably good.
Can you even remember the quinoa-free western world? Seems ridiculous to even think about it now. The super healthy grain that’s not actually a grain and nobody knew how to pronounce a few years ago… And it’s SO good in a salad!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is an overview of the ingredients I used. Skip to the recipe for quantities.
Ingredient notes
- quinoa: I use regular old quinoa, but you can use red or try-color in place of it.
- pine nuts: you can skip the pine nuts if you prefer, or substitute slivered almonds.
How I make it
First I cook the quinoa, then I make up the dressing and chop the salad stuff as the quinoa cooks.
Then – GENIUS – I don’t even wait for the quinoa to cool. I put it in a fine mesh sieve and rinse it under cold water. Drain well, throw in a bowl with everything else and your salad is done.
Storage
I only recommend storing this salad without the avocado. If you need to make it ahead of time, leave out the avocado. Store the salad in the fridge. well covered, for up to 3 days.
Add the avocado right before serving! You might also need to add a little more oil and lemon juice.
Serving suggestions
My quinoa salad makes for a great lunch, but it’s also wonderful as a side dish with an easy summer dinner! Try it with my Balsamic Grilled Chicken, or with my Greek Chicken Kabobs!
I just love summer: Simple meals, salad for dinner… Makes life so easy, especially when I’m busy with fun summer activities all day long. I do hope you’ll give this healthy little salad a try, it’s truly one of our favorites!
More salad recipes
You can also browse all of my salad recipes here, all of my lunch ideas here or all of my side dishes here.
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!
Quinoa Salad with Tomato and Avocado
Recipe details
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 ½ cups quinoa cooked according to package directions and rinsed under cold water to cool
- 1 pound tomatoes diced
- 2 small avocados cubed
- ½ cup pine nuts toasted
- 1 handful fresh basil finely sliced
Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 lemons juice only
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon runny honey
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put all dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake it until creamy.
- To assemble the salad, carefully mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Add the dressing and continue mixing until everything is evenly coated.
Beth @ Eat Within Your Means says
I remember the days before Quinoa when everyone thought brown rice was gourmet and kale was like the first iPhone. These are conversations I’m going to have with my daughter, aren’t I? (she’s 2)
Great recipe! I love the teal background in the photos, it really pops!
Love the nutrition facts label too. 🙂
Nora says
You wouldn’t believe it but where I live we’re still in the early landline stage when it comes to kale 😉 Thanks, I’m always a bit cautious about using too much color in my pictures, I’m glad you like it! Yes, isn’t the nutrition facts label something 😉