This healthy Quinoa Salad with Basil & Chickpeas is the perfect summer side dish! Loaded with fresh veggies and basil then tossed in a delicious homemade vinaigrette. It's a gluten-free & vegan dish that everyone will love.
It's time to add another tasty salad recipe to your summer meal plans! This colorful quinoa salad is perfect to bring to picnics, great for meal prepping, and easily made in advance for quick lunches at work or at home. Along with being super nutritious and so tasty, it's very versatile and can compliment many different dishes.
What You'll Need to Make this Quinoa Salad
This salad is loaded with healthy ingredients! Using some pantry staples and some fresh summer flavors, this salad comes together in no time at all!
For the salad:
- quinoa
- chickpeas
- basil
- cucumber, red onion & tomatoes
Then toss the salad ingredients in the easiest homemade dressing. No bottled stuff here!
- oil
- red wine vinegar
- honey
- garlic
- salt
The red wine vinaigrette is light & refreshing, plus the flavor intensifies if you give the salad time to sit for a couple of hours.
You get a double whammy with this salad because it's packed with protein and fiber from both the quinoa and the chickpeas. It's a light and refreshing salad, but these foods will keep you full and feeling satisfied.
It doesn't take more than 30 minutes to assemble, and keeps well in the fridge for at least 5 days. I love to make a big batch of quinoa on the weekend so it's ready to go for meals like this!
This recipe serves 4-6, but if you're looking to feed a crowd, feel free to double or triple the recipe.
Let's eat!
Quinoa Salad with Basil & Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 cup Quinoa dry
- 1 can Chickpeas rinsed and drained
- ½ cup Basil Leaves packed
- ½ Red Onion diced
- 2 Plum Tomatoes diced
- 1 English Cucumber diced
Dressing
- ¼ cup Oil
- 2 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package directions.
- Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.
- While the quinoa is cooking, chop your veggies, basil and prep your chickpeas.
- Place veggies, basil & chickpeas in a large serving dish or airtight container(if making ahead).
- Once the quinoa is finished cooking, let it cool then add to the bowl with your veggies.
- Pour dressing on top and mix well. Serve at room temperature or store in the fridge for a cold salad.
Looking for more summer salads? Check out these recipes!
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