Quinoa Salad with Avocado and Goat Cheese

My quinoa salad brings fresh, nutty, and tangy notes to the tongue, with so much satisfying crunch! This is a wonderful dish that feels light but is so filling.

It’s suitable for all times of the year. In January, you can enjoy it as a light, crisp salad on its own. In the summer, you can serve it out on the patio with barbecued meat and sangria. It’s loaded with fresh, Mediterranean flavor.

Let’s Get Started with Ingredients

First things first, you’ll need to get together the following:

For the Salad

• Quinoa – 1 cup dry quinoa (uncooked)
• Cucumber – 1 seedless cucumber
• Bell Pepper – 1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper (Try not to use a green bell pepper as we want the slight sweetness that comes in the red/orange/yellow varieties in the salad. That slight sweetness is not present in the green bell pepper.)
• Red Onion – 1/2 medium red onion
• Goat Cheese – 4 oz creamy soft goat cheese (about 115 grams) (You can add more to taste, up to 8oz)
• Arugula – 2 cups arugula/rocket
• Cherry Tomatoes – 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• Avocado – 2 medium avocados

For the Salad Dressing

• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Lemon – 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice and the zest of one lemon
• Garlic – 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Mustard – 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Oregano – 1 tsp dried oregano
• Salt – a pinch of kosher salt
• Pepper – a pinch of ground black pepper
• Fresh Parsley (optional) – a handful of fresh parsley (about 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley)

How to Make the Salad (with Photos)

Step 1 – To a pot over medium heat, add 2 cups of hot/boiling water and 1 cup of quinoa (about 175 grams). Bring to a simmer and let it simmer (adjust the heat if needed) until all the water is absorbed (about 15 minutes).

Step 2 – After the water is absorbed, remove the pot from the heat, cover it with a lid, and let the quinoa steam for about 10 minutes. Afterward, fluff it up with a fork and wait until it cools down completely.

Step 3 – Make the salad dressing. Add all the salad dressing ingredients (extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, minced garlic, mustard, dried oregano, finely chopped fresh parsley (optional), salt, and pepper) to a small jar with a lid and shake it until the dressing is emulsified. If you don’t have a jar, you can also whisk the dressing ingredients in a bowl instead.

Step 4 – Prepare all the ingredients to assemble the salad. Chop the cucumber and bell pepper. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Thinly slice the red onion. Cut the avocados in half and chop them.

Step 5 – Combine all the salad ingredients (except the avocado and goat cheese) and salad dressing and toss to combine. As the avocado and goat cheese are softer than the other ingredients, we’ll add them in the next step and only lightly mix them so that we don’t smash them too much.

Step 6 – Add the chopped avocado (scoop it up with a spoon) and goat cheese (crumbled), and give the salad a light mix.

Step 7 – Serve the salad in a large bowl. You should get 4-6 servings for a main or 8-10 side salads.

Look at those gorgeous, rustic colors. What I love about this salad is that so many of these ingredients I had in the refrigerator or the pantry.

You’ve got creamy, crunchy, and chewy texture in every bite. The chopped veggies taste so refreshing, while the goat cheese and zesty dressing deliver some really rich flavor.

Stick a big spoon in the bowl and let your family or dinner guests help themselves! It might look like a big bowl of salad, but you’ll be surprised how quickly it shrinks!

Need Some Serving Ideas?

So, there really is no end to the fun when it comes to quinoa salads, like this. There are so many ways to enjoy it.

If you want to keep things simple, you can easily enjoy a plate or bowl of it on its own. For something on the side, serve up some fresh bread.

You can easily serve a side of this salad with my chicken tenders or a simple grilled salmon fillet or grilled chicken breast.

How About Some More Salads Recipes?

If you’re looking to add more salads like this to your menu, I have plenty of recipes on the site. Try my Romaine salad with feta, toasted walnuts, and tomatoes, or my tomato, feta, and mint salad for lighter, herby, and refreshing salads.

I’ve also put lots of my salads into one roundup for you to scroll through and see what takes you fancy. Take a look here for salad recipes.

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