Quinoa Salad with Arugula has all the feel-good ingredients you love: fluffy, protein-rich quinoa, spicy arugula, juicy cherry tomatoes, and tangy sun-dried tomatoes. Toss it with a vibrant homemade vinaigrette, and you've got a delicious salad that's as pretty as it is nutritious.
This recipe happened quite by accident, as many great recipes do. One day, I needed to use up some arugula, which had a limited life span-only a few good days left before those peppery greens would wilt away.
So, in an attempt to save those greens, I rummaged through my fridge and pantry, looking for ingredients that would turn this lone green into a fabulous salad.
Quinoa is a pantry staple in my house and is versatile in many recipes. It's full of feel-good things like vitamins and minerals, and it's a protein-packed seed that provides 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber in each cup. So in it went with the arugula.
Next came the cherry and sun-dried tomatoes, and the rest is history!
This salad is especially great in the summer when you need a quick side dish or salad for those family BBQs. We enjoy it with grilled chicken, fried salmon bites or oven-baked chicken cutlets, and it's great on its own as a light lunch.
Finally, if you love arugula as much as I do, I think you'll like my arugula and spinach salad with apples, pistachios, and sun-dried tomatoes-and don't forget the homemade ciabatta croutons for some crunch. Enjoy 🙂
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Gather your Ingredients
Here's what you'll need:
Cooks Notes
- Quinoa can be purchased prewashed or unwashed (which means rinsed). No matter which you buy, it's always best practice to rinse it under cool water to remove excess saponins, a bitter coating that naturally occurs on the seeds.
Find the detailed recipe below.
Substitutions & Variations
- Instead of bi-color quinoa, substitute with all-white or all-red quinoa.
- I like how the mixed-colored cherry tomatoes look in the salad; however, all red cherry tomatoes work, too.
- Sun-dried tomatoes come packed in oil or are sold dehydrated in a package (which is what I used). Either form will work.
- Use green onions instead of red onions.
How to Make Quinoa Arugula Salad
Step-by-Step Instructions
This nutritious salad comes alive thanks to the zesty vinaigrette.
Cook quinoa:
Add the quinoa and water to a medium saucepan and cook according to the package directions. Once cooked, fluff with a fork, keep warm and set aside.
Make vinaigrette:
Add the vinaigrette ingredients to a large serving bowl. Whisk until emulsified and creamy.
Add quinoa:
Add the warm quinoa to the vinaigrette and gently mix.
Add remaining ingredients:
Add the salad greens and remaining ingredients to the bowl and gently toss.
Serve:
I like to serve this salad while still warm (though chilled is fine, too), along with grilled chicken, pan-seared salmon or tortilla quiche bake with spinach and feta.
Helpful Hints
- When you purchase quinoa, you may notice that some packages say prewashed, and some don't. This means that the quinoa has been rinsed to remove saponins, a bitter coating on the outside of each seed.
- Prewashed or not, it is good practice to rinse it under cool running water for a minute or so to ensure that residual saponins are removed.
Storage
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container; they are best eaten within 24 hours.
Make Ahead
- If making the salad ahead of time, add the vinaigrette to a glass jar, cook and refrigerate the quinoa, and prep your vegetables. When ready to serve, add everything together in a large bowl and enjoy.
Recipe FAQs
Saponins are natural compounds found in plants like quinoa, beans, legumes, and some herbs. They're known for their soap-like qualities-when mixed with water, they foam up, which is where their name comes from (Latin sapo means soap).
Quinoa seeds have a coating on them called saponins. If not rinsed away, this natural compound gives the quinoa a bitter taste. Furthermore, saponins have been known to cause gastrointestinal issues for some.
Recipe
Quinoa Salad with Arugula
Equipment
- whisk
- knife
- measuring cups and spoons
- strainer
- medium saucepan
Ingredients
Salad:
- ½ cup (uncooked) quinoa , rinsed
- 1 cup (packed) arugula, rinsed, and dried
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, rinsed and quartered
- ¼ cup (packed) fresh basil, rinsed, dried, and cut into thin ribbons
- ¼ cup (packed) sun-dried tomatoes, dehydrated or dehydrated in oil, sliced into thin ribbons
Vinaigrette:
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Cook quinoa: Add the quinoa and water to a medium saucepan and cook according to the package directions. Once cooked, fluff with a fork, keep warm and set aside.½ cup (uncooked) quinoa
- Make vinaigrette: Add the vinaigrette ingredients to a large serving bowl. Whisk until emulsified and creamy.2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon garlic, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add quinoa: Add the warm quinoa to the vinaigrette and gently mix.
- Add remaining ingredients: Add the salad greens and remaining ingredients to the bowl and gently toss.1 cup (packed) arugula, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, ¼ cup (packed) fresh basil, ¼ cup (packed) sun-dried tomatoes
- Serve: I like to serve this salad while still warm (though chilled is fine, too), along with grilled chicken, pan-seared salmon or tortilla quiche bake with spinach and feta.
Julie says
Perfect lunch salad for the week! Made this in under 30 minutes and tastes great!
Donna Poirier says
Awesome Julie! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Darlene K. says
This was incredible. I made this for a lunch with friends and everyone wanted the recipe.
Donna Poirier says
Awesome!