Greek Spinach and Quinoa Salad
This easy variation on a classic Greek salad replaces the lettuce with fresh spinach and adds quinoa for extra nutrition, flavor and texture. It can be served either as a side dish or main course or combined with cooked chicken or shrimp to make an even heartier version.
Greek Spinach and Quinoa Salad
Yield:
4 side dish or 2 main course servings
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
15 minutes
Total Time:
35 minutes
A flavorful, satisfying salad that combines spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, quinoa and feta cheese with a Greek-style dressing flavored with lemon juice and oregano.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup quinoa
- 1-1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 6 to 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or more to taste)
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 large tomato, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 3 to 4 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ounces feta cheese, finely crumbled
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine strainer, drain and transfer it to a saucepan. Add the vegetable broth, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the quinoa is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes.
- While the quinoa cooks, whisk 4 tablespoons of olive oil together with the red wine vinegar, garlic and oregano. Once the quinoa is cooked, remove it from the heat, add the oil-vinegar mixture and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the cucumber, tomato, spinach and red onion. Drizzle with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper. Add the quinoa mixture and feta cheese, toss again and add more olive oil if needed.
If desired, add 3/4 lb cooked chicken or shrimp to make 4 main course servings.
